An important and rare James II/William & Mary cast-iron mortar, dated 1688, probably Shropshire or West Midlands


Cast to the body with the lettering 'AN LEGAS' and the date '1688', and also with a square, with shaped lug handles and cast to the body with cords, the footrim slightly bulbous, 28.5cm mouth diameter x 22cm high
|It could be that this mortar was cast in the Sussex Weald, as its lettering relates to the famous iron tomb slabs in the church at Wadhurst, Sussex. Indeed, two of those tomb slabs are inscribed with the same name - Legas - that appears on this mortar and commemorate Judith Legas (d. 1747) and John Legas (d. 1752). The latter was a successful ironmaster and businessman of Wadhurst, Sussex. However, he is thought to have moved from his native Shropshire (he was born in Cleobury Mortimer in 1690) later, in or around 1717, and so this mortar was probably made for (and possibly by) a member of his family still resident in Shropshire in 1688. Shortly after John's birth, his father, Sebastian, is referred to as being employed at Downe Furnace. John Legas the elder, Sebastian's father, was a pot-founder at several furnaces and forges in the West Midlands in the 1660s and 1670s. Interestingly, Sebastian's wife and John Legas of Wadhurst's mother was called Anne. It is possible that this mortar, cast with the letters 'AN', was made for her. She was born Anne Littleton, of Brimfield, Hereforshire. She married Sebastian in 1686.Literature:See J. S. Hodgkinson, 'The Legas-Remnant Letters' in Wealden Iron Research Group, Bulletin No. 29, Second Series, 2009.