Candles have been used for light for millennia, and have hardly changed. As early as 3000 BC they were use in Crete and Egypt. Until the 16th Century, candles were expensive in Europe and were not widely used except by the Church and wealthy families. But during this period ordinary people's lives improved. As they became less poor, they could afford things such as candles. Candles were sold, then, by the pound weight and they were usually made from tallow.

Tallow candles were made from animal fat, and wax candles from beeswax. Chandlers formed their own Guilds and located their industries near to farms and slaughterhouses. The simplest tallow candles were called dips and were made by hanging a row of wicks, made out of cotton onto a rod called a broache. The broache was dipped into molten tallow, removed, and the tallow allowed to dry. This process was repeated until the dip was the right thickness. More sophisticated candles were made in pewter moulds, the wick being held tight while the molten tallow was poured in.

Beeswax candles were regarded as superior to tallow, being less smoky, providing brighter flames, and smelling of honey. Beeswax was (and is) obtained by melting and straining a honeycomb to remove impurities. The resulting wax was then bleached in the sun. Most Wax Chandlers imported their beeswax from abroad.

The Tudors lit their homes and carried on their lives after sunset by candlelight, using a wide range of candles, candleholders and snuffers to maximise and maintain a portable lighting system. Candleholders were found in all Tudor households. Brass, iron and pewter holders were common. Wealthy families used holders made out of porcelain or wood. There were two styles of candleholder: a stationery candleholder that could be large enough to hold several candles at once to illuminate a family meal, or, as a candelabra, to hang from the ceiling, and the portable candleholder that was light enough to carry around the house, or show the way up to bed.

As a tallow candle burned, the wick would eventually drop over the side of the candle causing it to gutter, which was thought to be both unsightly and wasteful. To overcome this, a special pair of scissors was created to trim the wicks. They were called snuffers, and had a small box at the top of the cutting blades to contain the burnt wick.

Tudors could not flick a switch and have instant lighting. Their lives might have been completely controlled by sunrise and sunset if not for candles. In fact, until improvements were made in oil and gas lighting in the 19th century, candles were the most used artificial lighting, and are the oldest answer to supplying light after dark. We know that candles were used in Crete and Egypt 5000 years ago.

How do people carry and control candles? This candleholder has a turned wooden base with a wide flat bottom so it can stand firmly on a table. The base supports a metal plate called a grease pan that stops hot wax dripping, painfully, onto one's hand. The stick is a flat strip of iron wound into a hollow spiral. The bottom of the stick is firmly embedded into the base, and the top curves out into an elegant hook, so that the candleholder can be hung from a ring on a wall.

The candle was placed into a small iron socket with a thin iron strap attached to it. The socket was wound down into the bottom of the candleholder. As the candle burned shorter, the socket was wound up the stick, allowing the candle to continue to light the room.