ironstones

Noun

ironstone (countable and uncountable, plural ironstones)

1. Any ore of iron which is impure through the admixture of silica or clay.
   • During my stay at Kamalia there was a smelting furnace at a short distance from the hut where I lodged, and the owner and his workmen made no secret about the manner of conducting the operation, and readily allowed me to examine the furnace, and assist them in breaking the ironstone.1815, Mungo Park, chapter XXI, in Travels in the Interior of Africa, volume II, Cassell, published 1893
2. A type of vitreous pottery similar to stoneware.
   • More than 50 percent of the collection from Hall’s brothel is ironstone and porcelain. White ironstone tablewares became popular in the late 1850s, and the high percentage of this ware suggests attention to fashion.2000, Donna J. Seifert, Elizabeth Barthold O'Brien, Joseph Balicki, “Mary Ann Hall's first-class house: the archaeology of a capital brothel”, in Robert A. Schmidt, Barbara L. Voss, editors...