string smithy

1) A specialist smithy containing a string hearth.

In 1569, Thomas Wille [sic] of Shipley reported to Sir Thomas Danby on the state of his iron works: The smithies are not repaired according to covenant for your smyths cannot work at the string hearth neyther the bellowes can lye dry for that space is no charge upon the string smithies nor the coles in the blome smithies can be kept dry. Catherine Collinson comments on the use of this ‘stringsmithy’ in 1579.

places Shipley
dates 1569 1579

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Photo by Kreuzschnabel CC BY-SA 3.0