Ok, just found something on Google Books, from the book Caldecote: The Development and Desertion of a Hertfordshire Village by Guy Beresford, an estate inventory includes “In the Hall, …[furniture], [dishes], one warming pan, one clock, one fyer scieve, [more furniture and dishes], two pokers, one pair of tongs, four brass candlesticks, one brass pint pot, one brass fender, one pair of doggs, one pot hook, one iron cleaver, ONE PAIR OF SHILLIARDS, one pair of bellows, one pestol and mortar.”

So they may be a sort of fireplace tool or cooking tool. Maybe the “pea” referenced in the wills is a stand or other type of containment for the shilliards.

Ok, not so much a puzzle as before.

- Nanxy

To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at
https://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html

This list is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).