Monday 23 October 2023

Colliers in the "English Broadside Ballad Archive"

I was recently made aware if the "English Broadside Ballad Archive" - an online archive of "9,359 Early Modern Broadside Ballads. Free to the Public as Text, Art, and Music" - housed at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Department of English this is fully accessible and a very interesting resource: http://ebba.english.ucsb.edu/

So I did the obvious thing - well obvious to me - of searching for the word "collier" (See my previous post of why I am confident the term Collier is the correct period term for what we now call "charcoal makers/burner": https://tudorwoodcollier.blogspot.com/2016/06/colliers-in-online-kent-county-archive.html)

Below are the mentions of Colliers up to around 1650 (I know outside my Elizabethan research window, but the archive is mainly 17th century so.. wait, anyway this is my blog so I decide the rules).

Spoiler alert: Colliers are not considered to be honest people... who would have guessed!?

Below are the examples I have found:

EBBA 20209, Title: A Mad Crue; Or, That shall be tryde. Published: 1625

Verse about Colliers:

I met then a Collier, that sold me good Coales,
Where two, of foure Bushels, ran out at the holes,
Yet more then full measure, the Collier still cryde.
Well, quoth the Pillory, that shall be tryde.

EBBA 20072 Title: A merry nevv catch of all Trades. Published: 1620?

Verse about Colliers:

The Collier sweares heele loose his eares,
But he will falsly deale:
And such are glad as mand the Pad,
For trifles for to steale. For trifles, etc.


Verse about Colliers:

The Collier hes a sack of mirth,
and though as black as soote,
Yet still he tunes, and whistles forth,
And this is all the Note.
Heigh downe, dery dery downe,
With the hackney Coaches downe:
They long made fooles
Of poore Carry-coales,
But now must leave the towne.


Verse about Colliers:

Grim the blacke Collier,
brings Coales to the towne,
In Sacks more then measure,
yet spends he his crowne,
From the broad Pillory,
to keepe himselfe downe.
Amongst the blue Beadles,
To purchase renowne,
Oh this is an honest Age,
Oh this is a mending Age.


Verse about Colliers:

Would Bakers all were honest;
and Colliers sell true measure,
Nor shrinke their Sackes to wrong the poore,
twould doe them mickle pleasure:
Would Souters use good Leather,
and Taylers leave their stealing,
The needy sort should better live,
if all usd honest dealing.

EBBA 20086, Title: Londons Ordinairie, / OR / Euery Man in his humour. Published 1634-1658?

The Carpenters will dine to the Axe,
the Colliers will dine at the Sacke,
Your Fruterer hee to the Cherry Tree,
good fellowes no liquor will lacke.

What stands out to me in these snippets:

1.  Colliers were selling their coals to townsfolk direct: "Grim the blacke Collier, brings Coales to the towne,"

2. There was very public punishment in place for selling short measure: "Well, quoth the Pillory, that shall be tryde.", "The Collier sweares heele loose his eares,", "From the broad Pillory, to keepe himselfe downe."        

3. Colliers were dirty and distinctive looking: "and though as black as soote,", "Grim the blacke Collier,"

4.  Lastly, They were well known for selling short measure: "Where two, of foure Bushels, ran out at the holes, Yet more than full measure, the Collier still cryde", "Would Bakers all were honest; and colliers sell true measure, Nor shrinke their sackes to wrong the poore"; these ballads were all published in London after the 1610 statute was enacted in the city regulating the size of colliers sacks to ensure short measure was not given... so a law that was obviously not enforced well as these issues are being sung about years later.

 The statute in question:








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