A wooden candlebeam hanging by a rope. Our white candles are tallow but these are yellow beeswax.

Description: Tallow candles are made from heating animal fat. The best and whitest tallow come from the first skimming. The coarsest tallow came from squeezing the remaining animal bones and flesh in presses.

Candles were made by hand dipping wicks into molten fat or by pouring it into moulds. Wicks were made from twisted hemp or flax which were suspended from broaches or rods. These dip candles were usually made from the lowest grades of tallow. Cheap candles were made from pig fat, which smelt horrible and produced lots of thick black smoke.

To produce a good light the candle needs a thick wick that often needs snuffing to keep the flame in contact with the fat. Otherwise molten fat ran to waste down the side of the candle. Draughts caused candles to burn down more quickly, gutter and smoke. Unburnt candle fat was a waste of light and money.