OID Iron-work in the West of England. BY THOMAS S. POPE. IN (Read December 15th, 1885.) N making these few remarks upon the subject selected for our consideration this evening I have confined myself chiefly to local remains, most of which, though more or less simple in design, exhibit the great characteristic of all good work-fitness for the purpose they have to fulfil. This paper treats only of iron-work, brass and other metal-work being reserved for another occasion. I need scarcely remind my hearers that Bristol possesses some good old brass eagle lecterns, a fine old brass corona in Temple Church, and also, although not so well known, some interesting specimens of old church plate. It is a matter for wonder that so little ancient iron-work remains here, taking into consideration the foreign trade of Bristol-especially with Spain, a country so rich in metal work-and also its nearness to the Forest of Dean, and to the City of Gloucester, which was the Birmingham of the middle ages. In the 19th year of King Henry II. no less than 25,000 great nails with heads were supplied by the Borough of Gloucester for the King's house at Winchester. The scarcity of old metal-work can only be accounted for by the general scramble at the Reformation, and during Cromwell's wars, when the people, instead of turning their swords into reaping hooks, turned much of the church iron-work into pikes; for we know that old tombs. and reliquaries were in many instances protected with elaborate iron-work, which is all gone, and could scarcely have been taken on account of the value of the metal, which was but little. Much injury has also been done by modern "restorations," the old work having been thrown away as useless, and replaced in too VOL. I., PART II. (1885-6.) 1 many instances by cast iron, or, what is nearly as bad, malleable iron, very cheap, very pretentious, and, may I use the term, very snobbish in design. No doubt better work has been done of late years by such men as Skidmore, Hardman, and Singer of Frome, but so long, I think, as the real workman cannot associate his own name with his work we cannot expect much that is good. The absorption of the workman into the large manufacturing firm prevents his taking that pride in his work that no doubt prevailed in the middle ages, which produced such masterpieces as the Gloucester candlestick, now in the South Kensington Museum. Imagine a Benvenuto Cellini, or a Peter Vescher, shut up in a Birmingham manufactory! I have been able to find but few remains of old iron-work in the neighbourhood of Bristol, and these consist principally of hinges, closing-rings, latches, escutcheons, and fragments of railings and grilles, with a lock here and there, until we come to "the Queen Anne period" as it is now called, of which there is an abundance of specimens in Bristol and the neighbourhood, to which I shall have to call attention presently. The beautiful enamelled candlesticks in St. Thomas Church, Bristol, are scarcely, I think, home made; I have seen their exact counterpart in some foreign publication. Possibly they are of 12th or 13th century date, and of foreign make; Nuremberg was the seat of such manufactures for a long period.1 The methods of iron ornamentation used in this neighbourhood were very simple; plates of iron perforated with patterns in one or two thicknesses were fixed for closing-rings to latches, and to form ornamental locks, with a background of red cloth or leather, and often had an ornamental twisted rim enclosing and giving depth to the whole; the ring generally had a knob of iron at its lower portion and two of the same description near the centre; these knobs were often ornamented with dots or crosses sunk into the surface of the iron, and sometimes the ring had two lizards meeting in the centre, as in an example at Tewkesbury. Hinges were ornamented in a similar manner, and, with the decorative scrolls, both ornamented and strengthened the These candlesticks are figured in vol. III. of the Trans. B. and G. Arch. Soc. Pl. III., where they are described as of copper, originally gilt, the patterns filled in with champlevé enamel; and it is suggested that they are more probably the work of Limoges rather than German. ED. doors, being returned on the framing and bolted through the thickness of the doors, the bolt heads forming part of the ornamentation of the hinge. Nails also, in many cases, were used as a means of protection, and being arranged in patterns, added to the effect of the doors. Several patterns of old nailheads are given in Parker's Glossary. Grilles, such as the one which remains at South Petherton, protected the windows, and were so admirably constructed that it was almost impossible to break through the iron without removing the stonework also. The heads of stanchions to windows were often formed with grotesque patterns, as in the one2 from Huntspill Church. The ends of the hinges at Cirencester Church 3 are formed with representations of dogs' heads. I have noticed in early Italian iron-work that the ornamental heads seem to be taken from serpents, and are often made of scrap-iron, with nails driven through it to represent teeth, a thin piece of iron sharpened at the end for a tongue, and eyes and eyeballs almost starting from the head; wonderfully clever, reminding one of the "fiery serpents" of Moses. Such a work is an iron bracket upon a column at Sienna. Our English lizards and snakes are much tamer productions; those at Tewkesbury, and on an old lock at Christ Church, Bristol, seem to have been taken from the little harmless creatures which we see in our streams, but the tongues are, I think, dogs' tongues; very mild these compared with the foreign serpents. The hinges upon the door to the crypt under the chapter house at Wells have terminations representing birds pecking at flowers. These hinges are well illustrated in Collings's Gothic Details. Sometimes plates of iron are continued around the upper edge of a door, with scrolls at intervals, as at Wedmore", and, I think, at Westerleigh. I give some sketches of hinges I have met with, those from Moorlynch, Hawkesbury', and Inglesham Churches being among the best. I have not given a sketch of the very remarkable early hinges at present upon the porch door of Meare Church, Somerset; they are very rough, and appear either to have been removed from some older building, or are copies by the village smith, possibly from some at Glastonbury Abbey, not far distant. Some very good hinges also remain upon 2 Plate xi. fig. 3. 3 Plate xi. fig 2. 4 Plate xiii. fig. 20. the north door of Chedzoy Church, similar in design to those at Wedmore; the rough hammer marks left on the iron gives an effect we fail to obtain in modern work. The hinges upon the south porch of Gloucester Cathedral are no doubt early, and are effective in design. The smaller hinges found upon old pews are quaint, and sometimes rather pretty. I show some few examples of the 16th and 17th centuries. There were not long since some fire-iron dogs and brackets for cooking, in an old house at Olveston, upon the hill near the Thornbury road. Locks. Of old locks I have been able to find but few; of two of the best I gave sketches in my paper upon old chests, viz., one from Fairford and one from Zeals House, Wilts. In most cases the ancient locks have been removed from old chests and comparatively modern ones substituted. There are still remaining three old locks upon a chest in the belfry of Christ Church, Bristol, of the best of which I give a sketch9; judging from the mouldings of buttresses I should think it was late 15th or early 16th century work. I also show sketches of old locks at Little Sodbury Court, and at Ottery St. Mary Church, Devon, both probably of 16th century work. Ring-plates and Latches.-Considerable numbers of ring-plates and latches still remain, of which I give a selection; those from Portishead 10, Portbury 11, Little Sodbury 12, and East Brent 13, are among the best. Drawings of many good examples are published in Brandon's Analysis, Collings's Details, and Instrumenta Ecclesiastica. One of the best I have seen was upon an old Manor House at Norton, Wilts, opposite the Church. Knockers.-There is a plain though quaint knocker at Iron Acton Court, and one more ornate at the old Manor House at Gurney Street, near Bridgwater. The ring plate at Little Sodbury Court seems to have also served the purpose of a knocker. I may here state what may be useful to some of my hearers that I found this very pretty 16th century iron-work at Little Sodbury through pursuing a principle of going on in a house or church until I am told to go out. I found this upon a door to an upper bedroom, and sketched it before I had to make my excuses. The fact is the medieval traditions in small details were retained in country places down to Queen Anne's time. I have seen much 8 Proceedings, ante, pp. 33-38. 9 Plate xiii. fig. 20. 12 Plate xi. fig. 8. 10 Plate xi. fig. 6. 13 Plate xi. fig. 9. |