⁉️ What the Friday is that?

Luna 24 January 2025 0
Candle Snuffer (2)
Welcome back to our fortnightly posts where we revisit an important artefact in our archive storage. Last year we were very impressed with the number of different guesses of the Knitting Stick (well done to those that guessed correctly).
This week we present to you a ‘Candle Snuffer’. Did you guess correctly?
Here’s a bit of history:
  • The snuffer was developed by Christopher Pinchbeck the Younger, and patented by him in 1776 in England.
  • His device actually looks like a pair of stunted scissors with a raised bowl atop them.
  • They work by snipping the wick, which is turn was caught in the bowl, therefore extinguishing the candle safely with no soot or wax on the surrounding furniture or walls from blowing, or hot wicks catching anything on fire.
  • The Pinchbeck snuffer was so popular that it spawned an epic poem “Ode to Mr. Pinchbeck, upon his newly invented Candle Snuffers” by Malcolm MacGreggor in 1777.
Did you know we hold an inspirational collection of documents and artefacts that play an important role in Bude, Stratton and the surrounding parishes rich heritage. You can also visit us seven days a week as we are open from 10am every day (including bank holidays).