🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Old iron stove door or something else?

[Nathan6309]

I was able to locate a brand new home site on my property and the first signal I dug was this strange iron piece. It looks like a stove door, with an intricate arrow pattern on the front with a small circular brass medallion in the middle. Only half the medallion survived the trip unfortunately, but it looks like I can see the name WAKELAM’S on the top and a picture of a man/woman wearing a crown. When on site, it looked like I also saw the numbers 3333 just beneath the bust. It also appears to be serrated on the edges and some more iron hardware on the back. Anybody know what this is? Thanks for any feedback.

 

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[Gare]

It is a interesting find for sure. I am not sure what it is for. SORRY i can't be of more help

 

[Nathan6309]

It is a interesting find for sure. I am not sure what it is for. SORRY i can't be of more help

Definitely a head scratcher for sure. Cant seem to find anything on the internet using the info I have available to me. That is totally alright and thank you for looking!

 

[Tony in SC]

Can you make out the lettering? Does look like a stove door?

 

[Nathan6309]

Can you make out the lettering? Does look like a stove door?

The only lettering I was able to get from the brass piece was WAKELAM'S. After doing a little research, I discovered two people named Samuel Wakelam and William Wakelam who were involved in the production of bank box/trunk/cabinet locks. If this piece is connected to them, then this is more than likely what was commonly referred to as a scarboro trunk lock. While doing some digging, I also found out that one of the Wakelams was taken to court in August of 1893 by a man named J. Legge, the patentee of this particular type of lock and the owner of J. Legge and Company Limited, over patent infringement. Both businesses were based in Willenhall, England. Based on this info, I'd assume it was some sort of imported lock for one of these above furniture pieces.

 

[Tony in SC]

Good job on the research!

 

[Nathan6309]

While surfing a Facebook metal detecting group, I stumbled across a find that is almost a picturesque copy of this relic, only slightly different in style. It is actually an early Victorian curry comb! I have no idea why I didn't think of this before, as I have found two others on this same site in the past. As it turns out, Samuel and William Wakelam were also a major manufacturer of curry combs, as well as the locks mentioned above. Also, the '333' label on the brass stamp makes perfect sense, as that was a common label for curry combs at the time. I am slowly leaning toward this site being a potential confederate cavalry camp, due to the confederate cavalry button found, a plethora of horseshoes, three curry combs, four shovel blades, a sheet iron pan, and other civil war uniform relics in this small vicinity.

A similar no. 333 comb produced by Carpenter and Co.

 

[VaGent]

While surfing a Facebook metal detecting group, I stumbled across a find that is almost a picturesque copy of this relic, only slightly different in style. It is actually an early Victorian curry comb! I have no idea why I didn't think of this before, as I have found two others on this same site in the past. As it turns out, Samuel and William Wakelam were also a major manufacturer of curry combs, as well as the locks mentioned above. Also, the '333' label on the brass stamp makes perfect sense, as that was a common label for curry combs at the time. I am slowly leaning toward this site being a potential confederate cavalry camp, due to the confederate cavalry button found, a plethora of horseshoes, three curry combs, four shovel blades, a sheet iron pan, and other civil war uniform relics in this small vicinity.

A similar no. 333 comb produced by Carpenter and Co.

My first thought was also curry comb, I have the almost rusted away remains of a similar one without the brass insignia.