Hemp from old frayed rope seems to have been popular with sailors and others who had rope at hand. There were other types of tinder which were available during the Regency. In great houses, this was the responsibility of the servants, in a cottage, it fell to the housewife to ensure a steady tinder supply. Tinder would have to be replenished regularly, as it was constantly consumed in the making of fire. It was important that the tinder be kept dry so that it would ignite quickly when the sparks generated by the steel and flint fell upon it. The other contents of the tinderbox would be placed on top of the damper disk and the lid would be placed securely back on the box. The burning linen was dropped into the bottom of the tinderbox and was quickly extinguished by covering it with the mental damper disk. The tinderbox was prepared in advance by emptying it of all its contents. Then, it was brought into to the fire where it was allowed to catch fire and burn briefly. The old cloth was held close to the fire with a pair of tongs, where it was allowed to become very dry. Old handkerchiefs, sections of worn sheets and undergarments were carefully saved for this purpose. Just what was the "tinder" which was kept in the tinderbox? The most favored tinder material during the Regency was scorched linen. They were simply implements of fire transfer. But these matches were nothing like the friction matches yet to be invented. Above those implements would be stored the "matches" or spunks, which were made of deal dipped in brimstone. Resting atop the damper in the box would be the steel striker and the flint nodule which would be stuck against one another to create the sparks which would ignite the tinder. This disk was the damper and was used to extinguish the tinder once its sparks had served their purpose. The tinder was kept in the very bottom of the box, under a metal disk of the same diameter as the box, often with a small handle. Many tinderboxes also had a small loop handle attached at the side, which would allow the closed box to double as a convenient candle holder. After 1800, most tinderboxes had a candle socket attached to the center of the lid. The tight fit was necessary since it was important to keep the tinder contained in the box dry. Its circular lid fit tightly on the box, like a lid on a modern-day cannister. ![]() It was typically between four to five inches in diameter, and between one to two inches high. But a simple tin tinderbox was a common feature of modest houses and cottages.Ī tinderbox was a circular metal box, most commonly of tin, though there were some which were made of steel, brass, or occassionally, of silver. A thoroughly utilitarian domestic appliance, a tinderbox might be kept out of sight in an elegant town home or an opulent country mansion, except, perhaps, for those made of brass or silver. In many homes, a tinderbox was kept on each mantlepiece, readily at hand should a fire be needed. ![]() ![]() It was not always convenient to have to dash to the kitchen hearth for a light. ![]() Each morning someone would remove the cover and typically with the use of bellows, would blow fresh life into the smoldering embers, adding fuel and renewing the fire for the coming day.īut fire was often needed throughout out the house during the course of a day. But fires were still banked and covered each night in every home. The practice of bell-ringing had died out by the Regency, even in the smaller villages of England. At night it was banked and covered with a metal hood pierced with many small holes, called the curfew, a corruption of the French couvre-feu, meaning "fire cover." In many medieval villages a bell rang each night to remind its residents to cover their fires. In most households, as had been the practice since the Middle Ages, the kitchen fire was kept burning around the clock. So how did most people manage fire during the Regency? It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that the friction match was in general circulation.īut fire was necessary to everyone, as it was the source of both light and heat. With the exception of a few wealthy and adventurous early adopters, these experimental matches were not widely used during the Regency. If you have read that article, you will remember that there were a few innovative, expensive and rather dangerous match types available during those years. Last week, I wrote about the history of the development of the friction match in the years surrounding the Regency.
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