THE COTTAGE FIRESIDE 



83 



adjustment, as will be seen on looking at the illustration of six 

 hangers, where the two outer ones on each side are of this kind. 

 The chief use of the hanger was to suspend the great 

 iron pot, or for anything of the pot, kettle, or girdle 

 kind that had a hanging handle. Among these was the 

 cheese-cauldron for warming milk in preparation for 

 making the curd. 



The old open fireplace was called the ' down ' hearth. 



& 



\ 



\ 



Chimney-Crane with Wrought- 

 Iron Ornament 



Iron fire-dogs were invariably used, both 



to give a little draught under the wood-fire 



and to carry two loose square iron bars that 



might be drawn together at any point to support 



a cooking-pot. The old word andiron was not often 



used, but brand-iron and brand-dog were frequent. 



They were made both in wrought and cast iron. 



The small pair on the left in the picture were the 



pattern most common in the ordinary cottage. The 



taller right-hand pair are of wrought iron throughout, 



and have hooks at the buck to support a spit. 



The two simple cast-iron fire-dogs, of which the 

 upper one, whose back-leg is lost, is of distinctly Gothic 

 design, are of great antiquity. 



The design of the other, though in any case of 



rude treatment, is somewhat spoilt by the two wrought- 



iron spit-hooks and their bands that clip round, that 



were added at some later time. 



The wrought-iron cup dogs were fairly frequent in farms 



and the better class of cottage. The branched top held 



