9 



it was ordained that "no man, of what condition soevef, 

 shall be served at disner manger ne sopere, with more than 

 two courses, each mess of two sorts of victuals at the utmost 

 with the common sorts of pottage, without sauce or any other 

 sort of viaundez." And the act continues, si home voei 

 avoir sawes p' messe, les eit, siq ils ne soient pas faitz de 

 grauntz coustz. 



During the latter half of this reign, two Colliers are ad- 

 mitted ; from which it may be inferred that Coal had become 

 an article of trade and domestic consumption in York about the 

 middle of the 14th century : although some writers state that 

 it was not brought into common use until the reign of Charles I. 

 The earliest mention of coal is said to be in a document dated 

 in 1245. * In 1807, King Edwatrd I. issued a proclamation^ 

 prohibiting the use of it as fuel in the neighbouthood of London, 

 because it infested the air with a noisome smell and a thick 

 smoke to the great endangering of the health of the inhabitants. 

 It is recorded, that in 1327, ten shillings worth of Newcastle 

 Coal was purchased for the coronation of Edward III., which 

 took place in the month of January. It is only 25 years later, 

 that the first Coillier ^ appears on the register : so that the 

 citizens of York had not been backward in discovering the use- 

 fulness of this valuable mineral. With which they were, doubt- 

 less, supplied by sea from the Port of Newcastle. The 

 circumstance of one of our streets having the name of 

 CoUiergate, by which it was certainly known in the 14th cen- 

 tury, would favour this conclusion. Indeed there is distinct 

 evidence that sea-coal, or, in other words, mineral coal conveyed 

 by sea, and hence called carho marinus^ was an article of^ 

 commerce in York early in the 15th century. In a compotus 

 of 1445, it is recorded that Wm. Stanes paid a fine of 4d. "pro 

 vendicione catbonum maritimorumJ'* 



* The Wardrobe Account of 28 Edw. I., 1299, contains the following en- 

 tries : — " De 6 quarter' di' carhonum maritimonun recept' de stauro Regis apud 

 Berewycum." p. 151. — " De 96 quarter' carbonum mar' Tend' de stauro predioto-^ 

 precium quarter' 6d §." p. 9 



• " Hugo BullSur, Coillier de Boutham." 29th Edw. III. 1352. 



C 



