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Description: | An incomplete Post-Medieval (1650-1750) candle snuffer, more accurately a wick-trimmer, consisting of an open box with hinged flat plate, both of which have arms (now broken off) extending to one side.The box is rectangular in shape (measuring 37.83x29.03x12.55mm, internal 31.49x24.25x9.10mm), the shorter sides angled slightly outwards as they extend upwards, the longer sides set vertically. The longer sides are separate mounts; the shorter sides extend from the base.Of the two separate mounts, one is decorative and rectangular with trefoil terminals. Each 'foil' has a circular stamped depression, and the terminal is flanked by a pair of transverse grooves. Arranged horizontally between the terminals are four equidistant ring-and-dot stamps, with another pair of transverse grooves between the central two stamps. This mount measures 64.90x13.21x2.20mm.The other mount is apparently plain and rectangular with a smaller pentagonal projection at one end, pierced and with an intact rivet holding it to the separate plate. At the other end of the mount a circular-sectioned arm extends from the top corner, c.5mm in diameter and narrowing to 1.7mm diameter. It has a slight curve, possibly from damage or possibly intentional, and is c.32mm in length. The rivet is 3.4mm in diameter on the outside face of the mount.The separate hinged flat plate measures 31.83x24.34x2.35mmm. It is plain and undecorated and with tooling marks on the underside. It has a decorative arm which extends 16.5mm along the plate to one side, c.8mm tall. From the end of the plate it extends c.2mm in the opposite direction, giving a max. height of c.10mm. This arm is also pentagonal in shape and the other end of the rivet which sits on the outside of this arm measures 7mm in diameter. This arm folds down to sit inside the box.Wick-trimmers would have functioned rather like a pair of scissors and Kevin Leahy comments "Until the invention of bending (thus self-trimming) wicks, candles needed attention to keep them in order. The box of the wick-trimmer was to catch the charred end of the wick to stop it falling onto the table cloth" (pers.comm. December 2013).The trefoil mounts from these wick-trimmers are often discovered by metal detectorists and have in the past been attributed to strap-fittings and casket mounts. Other incomplete and fragmentary examples of wick-trimmers on the PAS database are SOM-409575, LANCUM-B774E3, WAW-35DFC3, SWYOR-6E9078, LIN-F6A115 and PUBLIC-8BF257.Measures (max.dimensions) 89.91x31.44x13.21mm and weighs 54.55g.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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