Clement Tosier Skillet

Metalworking provided employment for roughly 10% of the city’s workforce. Clement Tosier, a metal founder from Bristol, lived in Salisbury from 1678 with his wife and children. His foundry on Culver Street - known at the time as the bell-founders’ street – was purposefully located to the east of Salisbury. This minimised the risk of fire used for melting metal, being spread by the prevailing winds.

Clement worked in partnership with Elizabeth Floweree. Female metal founders were extremely rare. Together they made two bells for Salisbury Cathedral’s bell tower, since demolished. Elizabeth may have been illiterate as she made her ‘mark’ (symbols by which a maker was identified) instead of signing the contract for the work.

Skillets were cooking pots made with three legs so that they could stand in the open fire. Made by pouring hot metal into clay moulds for the body, legs and handles, and then joined together after cooling and setting. Clay skillet moulds have been found in Guilder Lane in Salisbury.