CANDLE SNUFFER

A complete Post Medieval cast iron candle snuffer, 1550-1600. The iron candle snuffer has two hinged arms much like a pair of scissors. The arms are oval in section and have curved terminals to fit the thumb and forefinger for holding. The oval-section of the handles tapers slightly into a blunt point at the very end of these curving terminals. About halfway along the length of the object, the oval-section of the handles flattens into a rectangular-section and expands outwards into the full width of the object; at the same time the metal thins to half the thickness of the object so that the two arms are hinged one over the other with a circular-sectioned rivet that remains intact. The upper arm is only a wide, flat rectangle for a short length before it narrows abruptly again and projects upwards at ninety-degrees into a hemispherical blade. This hemispherical blade fits neatly inside a hemispherical extinguishing tray that projects upwards from the lower arm. The tray has wide walls that correspond with the full width of the object. It appears to have been cast along the same axis as the arm and then folded upwards into place as there is a small opening between each end of the wall and the arm of the snuffer. Clearly, the opening closest to the handles of the snuffer is to allow the upper arm with the hemispherical blade to move underneath and fully into the tray. After where the hemispherical tray has been folded upwards to make an enclosed extinguishing tray, the lower arm tapers to a sharp point. The cast iron snuffer has not been decorated and appears to have been entirely functional. The surface has acquired a dark brown patina with patches of bright orange corrosion; at these points the metal has been thinned considerably and in one place on the tray has worn through to create a small hole. Egan (2005) illustrates a similar candle snuffer, p.83 ref. 345, from a London context securely dated to the second half of the 16th century. Dimensions: length: 165.00mm; width: 15.33mm; thickness: 2.23mm; weight: 53.27g. Reference: Egan, G. 2005. Material Culture in London in an Age of Transition. MoLAS Monograph 19. English Heritage: London.