FUEL. 



IT has been thought best still to include fuel under the head of Agri- 

 cultural Produce, to secure uniformity with the preceding volumes. But 

 the proportion of entries of mineral coal is much greater in this volume, 

 and towards the end of the period little else is recorded. Quotations 

 from no less than twelve places are recorded, and not a single year is 

 altogether unrepresented. Sea-coal is distinguished from pit-coal, the 

 former, of course, being the product of the Northumbrian pits, the latter 

 probably coming from the South Staffordshire fields. It is curious that 

 while sea-coal is always measured by the chaldron, or divisions of the 

 chaldron, pit-coal is weighed by the ton, the hundredweight, or the load. 

 The supply for London came mainly, if not entirely, from the North. 

 Coal is described as Binshaw, Hounslet, Blyth, Sunderland, Flockton, 

 Haighmoor, Banks, Sir William Lowther's, Wedgbury, Mr. Brandling's, 

 Newcastle, and once as stone-coals. The accounts often mention that 

 the coal is bought for the house or for the limepit as the case may be, and 

 sometimes the cost of porterage is included. This generally comes to 

 4</. to 6</. a chaldron. 



Charcoal is bought throughout the period at the two Universities, being 

 no doubt burnt in hall. The construction of the buildings was a great 

 hindrance to the introduction of a grate and the use of fuel requiring 

 a draught. 



Wood of various kinds was in use faggots, kids (as they are 

 called in the North) of furze, garsil (that is, broken boughs), espe- 

 wood, &c. Turves are found at the beginning of the period, and so 

 is sedge. 



The measures employed vary greatly, the most usual quantity being 

 the chaldron, a heaped measure containing usually in the South 36 

 bushels, and in the North 32. But in 1729 at St. John's it contains 

 between 36 and 37 bushels, in 1722 apparently 40 bushels. In the 

 North Riding the mete ( 1 6 to the chaldron) is used indifferently with the 

 bushel The load, further distinguished as the cartload, the fother, and 

 the corve are also found. Charcoal is sold by the load, the sack, the 

 bushel. In 1705, 12 sacks go to a load; in 1707, 6 bushels to a sack ; 

 but in 1726, 56 sacks go to a load, and in 1728, 5 bushels to a sack. 

 Charcoal is also bought by the bag and the quarter. Wood is bought by 

 the load, other kinds of fuel by the long hundred. 



All entries, unless otherwise described, are of coal. 



