Meat provided a much larger proportion of the Mediaeval diet than it does in the twenty-first century. Roasting spits were used for cooking it-an age old method that originated in Norman times. The meat would be taken up to the table and served directly off the spit, hence the spit would often be made of silver. New types of spit and turning mechanisms were gradually brought into play, although it was not until the second half of the sixteenth century that clockwork or draught-operated devices started to catch on, in an early attempt to cut down time-wasting chores. There was even a small breed of dog known as a "turnspit " which had been specially trained to operate the spits by walking on a wheel or drum fixed high on the wall near the fireplace. The treadmill was attached to the spit by a spindle. It was not a happy profession for a small animal, particularly if he was turning the spit for a large joint of meat to feed guests at an inn-a task taking many hours. Indeed if the turnspit happened to spot the chef going to the larder to fetch a raw cut of meat it would make itself scarce, leaving the hungry guests to sit down to a slightly more vegetarian meal! Dogs continued to be used until the early part of the nineteenth century, when oven-cooked meat became the norm.
Hampton Court Palace in England has many examples of the Tudor fireplace-particularly within Wolsey's kitchens, where one can see examples and appreciate the massive scale of these cooking areas. Sloping brickwork partitions were built into the fireplace, dividing the cooking area into sections and allowing several different rungs of notched irons to be built in to support the spits. The extremely over-heated kitchen "knaves" could therefore turn many pieces of meat or chickens simultaneously, thus satisfying the well-documented gluttonous appetites of Henry VIII, his courtiers and minions during the feast days. Other items that were in use to tend, contain or decorate the fireplace during this period were:
Andiron: a word of unknown origin, but probably a corrupted version of the old French "andier," with "iron"—the material from which they were made¬—attached, and confusing the whole with brand-iron Andirons were used to hold up the burning logs, as well as to support the spit. Early andirons could have a cresset crowning the tall "stauke," so that a cup or candle could be placed there for convenience—¬although they were not necessarily designed with this purpose in mind.
Creepers: these were small stands that lifted the smaller pieces of wood.
Firedog: this name did not come into use until the Elizabethan period. One can see how the term was derived as the firedog did have a slightly canine look, with two squat front legs, and a tall and often decorated stauke, which could be topped with anything from a simple knob to an ornate crown that representing the head. The body of the dog was the billet-bar—the bar supporting the logs (known as billets) and this ended in a balancing stand. Firedogs became more and more decorative as the English gentry became aware of the Renaissance Italian arts movement during the Tudor period. Firedogs could be cast or wrought iron, and brass decorations could be incorporated. During the Elizabethan period ornate silver scrolls and rosettes were added and the whole item became a glittering affair, reflecting the brilliance of the flames.
Curfew: this word derives from the French "couvre-feu" (cover fire). It was originally just an earthenware dish, but it later developed into a brass or copper hood to place over the flames to make the fire safe for the night. It would have a small handle on the top, and it was often decorated with detailed symmetrical patterns or scroll-work.
Fireback: this item came into play during the fifteenth century. It was an iron plate set at the back of the fireplace, to protect the brick from over-heating. These pieces again evolved into highly ornate decorative features within the fireplace. The early models were made using sand molds, pressing pieces of carved wood into the sand to create the raised patterns. The molten iron was poured into the depressions in the sand and this produced bas-relief designs. There was a huge scope for variety and innovation in these pieces. They changed from the wide rectangular plates that fitted the huge early Tudor and Jacobean fireplaces to narrow and tall plates with shaped tops—sometimes curved or scrolled dependant upon the design