quarion

plural quarions · alternative quariar · alternative quarrier

1. obsoleterareA square lump of wax (with a wick in the center), to be burned like a candle.

   The candles to be used were purest wax. Not a rushlight, nor a stinking torch nor quarion would be lighted.

   1950, Westcott, Jan, The Hepburn, page 178

   5 more examples

   "The Percy household allowance of Wax was cciiij score vij lb. dimid. (287.5 pounds of wax) of Wax for th' expensys of my House for oone hole Tere (one whole year). Viz. Sysez, Fryhetts, Quarions, and Torches [types or forms of candles] after ix d. the lb. by estimacion [estimated cost was nine pence per pound].

   1512, Furnivall, Frederick James, Early English meals and manners: John Russell's Boke of nurture, Wynkyn de Worde's Boke of keruynge, The boke of curtasye, R. Weste's Booke of demeanor, Seager's Schoole of vertue, The babees book, Aristotle's A B C, Urbanitatis, Stans puer ad mensam, The lytylle childrenes lytil boke, For to serve a lord, Old Symon, The birched school-boy, &c. &c., with some forewords on education in early England, page 189

   He marshaled them into the drawing-room, where by dim firelight they could just discern the Professor […] the man hastily stirred up the fire, lighted the gas […] “She’s coming to see the quarion!” […] There was a small conservatory or glazed niche on one side of the room, into which the boy dragged Lenore, and Julius followed, dimly sensible of what the quarion might be […]

   1876, Charlotte M. Yonge, The Three Brides, page 257

   Light was highly esteemed by the earl if we can judge from the illuminating power lying hid in the four thousand eighty-seven and one-half pounds of wax, requiring fifty-one pounds of wick for its manufacture into sizes, prickets, quarions, and torches, and the ninety-one dozen and two pounds of Paris candles which were to be made from tallow provided by the house. The torches had rosin also in their composition, twenty-nine pounds of which was ordered. [Footnote] A "quarion" was a square lump of wax with a wick in the middle, later known at a "mortice."

   1918, Jones, Paul Van Brunt, The household of a Tudor nobleman, page 82

   Jory [...] purchased carpets, wardrobes, high-backed padded settles, quarion stands that held square candles, and dozens of cushions.

   2006, Virginia Henley, Infamous, page 178

   He lit the square quarion candle and saw that the door to the adjoining chamber was closed. […] The fire had burned low, so he built it up and set a fireguard before it.

   2009, Virginia Henley, The Border Hostage, page 101