18th Century Fireplace Tools

For Warming the Person

• Fireplaces did not heat homes well. To keep from shivering, occupants had to either bundle up with clothing or blankets, stand or sit directly in front of the fire, or use a bed or foot warmer. According to "The American Heritage History of Colonial Antiques," the latter could be carried from room to room and consisted of boxes or flat circular pieces. To place hot coals in the warmer, a hinged lid was lifted. Bed warmers were placed under the blankets before going to bed; shoes could be placed directly on foot warmers.

For Tending the Flame

• At a time when fires were essential to survival, a bed of hot coals needed constant maintenance. Starting a fire could be tricky, too, which is why fire scoops were a common household tool. These scoops had hinged lids. To scoop up hot coals, the lid was lifted. Hot coals from a fire were scooped up into the device, then the lid was closed and a person carried the coals to another fireplace to make starting a fire there easier.

For Cooking

• Andirons, still used in modern fireplaces to keep the wood in place and add a decorative touch, were essential in the 18th century. As "The American Heritage History of Colonial Antiques" points out, andirons made it possible to hang cooking tools. Spits (sticks from which meat was hung and cooked over the fire) sat on andirons, as did cooking pots.

Miscellaneous

• According to the Colonial Williamburg website, a typical Colonial home also had several brooms for keeping the fireplace clean, fireplace tongs (for moving coals), a fireplace poker (for moving logs and encouraging a flame), and one or more fireplace shovels (for cleaning purposes). Bellows were another popular fireplace implement, designed to encourage a waning fire by blowing air onto the coals. Although fireplace screens as we know them were not in use in the 18th century, stove plates -- solid pieces of decorative cast iron --sometimes sat in front of the flames.