Willatts, R. M. (1987). Iron Graveslabs: A Sideline of the Early Iron Industry. Sussex Archaeological Collections 125. Vol 125, pp. 99-113. https://doi.org/10.5284/1086056. Cite this via datacite
 Title The title of the publication or report |
Iron Graveslabs: A Sideline of the Early Iron Industry | ||||
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Issue The name of the volume or issue |
Sussex Archaeological Collections 125 | ||||
Series The series the publication or report is included in |
Sussex Archaeological Collections | ||||
Volume Volume number and part |
125 | ||||
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. |
99 - 113 | ||||
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Licence Type ADS, CC-BY 4.0 or CC-BY 4.0 NC. |
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DOI The DOI (digital object identifier) for the publication or report. |
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Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book |
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Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report |
Iron graveslabs are a peculiarity of, but not unique to, the Weald. They are found in a score or so of churches there and commemorate ironmasters and their families, or substantial yeomen and merchants, rather than gentry. As these families became more affluent and pretentious they were buried inside churches rather than in churchyards, their social aspirations rose and their graveslabs became larger and finer, often incorporating armorial bearings. By the 18th century marble mural tablets, as used by the gentry, were preferred, though bodies were often deposited under existing 'iron plates'. Decoration on the slabs in the form of letters and heraldic devices was made by impressing letters or pattern moulds into the sand casting-bed before pouring in molten iron to cast the slab. The casting of graveslabs paralleled the making and use of firebacks, a better known by-product of the Wealden iron industry. That graveslabs were a minor sideline of the ironworks and not executed by specialists is indicated by various illiteracies such as reversed and inverted letters, split words and the failure to distinguish between words. Made over a period of two centuries, they are durable, but subject to the vicissitudes of the changing fortunes of church buildings. After the charcoal-based iron industry ended, iron continued to be used to the early 20th century for churchyeard memorials. The 100 iron graveslabs of the Weald provide a tangible and eloquent record of a past industrial age and of the affluence accruing to certain families from it. | ||||
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published |
1987 | ||||
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Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. |
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Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. |
ADS Archive
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Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered |
08 Jun 2021 |
