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.

EBBA 30361, Title: The Coaches Overthrow. OR, A Joviall Exaltation of divers Tradesmen, and others, for the suppression of troublesome Hackney Coaches. To the tune of, Old King Harry. Published:1636

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.

EBBA 20066, Title: The Golden Age: Or, An Age of plaine-dealing To a pleasant new Court tune: Or, Whoope doe me no harme good man. Published: 1625-1635?

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.

EBBA 30310, Title: VVat VVilliamas VVill. / Well-wishing Williams Will and Testament, / Which to the Ballad-singer he hath sent, / To be dispers'd to all good people kinde, / That would doe well, and beare an honest minde. Published: 1601-1640?

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:

Images of Charcoal Makers

I am collecting as many images of Woodcolliers as I can from the late sixteenth, and early seventeenth century. That said, it is fair to say that being the marginal group that Woodcolliers were there aren't that many images around.  Here are a few I have found so far, or course I will post any more as I find them.


This is one I found on a 'Cries of Rome' pamphlet dated 1612, interesting sausage shaped sacks, not very big.....

Image online at https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/8d/ce/69/8dce6988c6a7c483ad338ee42506472c.jpg

...when compared to the ones in  this 1610 statute  from London that specifies the size of sacks as:  "The length of a Colliers Sacke, one yard and a half. The breadth three quarters of a yard." That is 54 inches long and 27 inches wide.

I am not sure of the provenance of this image, I was sent this image by a friend some time ago and I can't remember who it was!

I think this shows a collier emptying a sack into an inspectors 'regulation' sack to prove his is the correct size.... or the chap holding the sack open might be the charcoal maker?  What makes me think otherwise is his stick - a measuring device?

This is the one  depiction of an English collier I have and a nice depiction of 'high shoes', commonly called startups by modern re-enactors - though there is some dispute over this term. Also  a nice image of a purse hanging from his belt.

I have made a few charcoal sacks to the 'regulation' size and they are a fair size, below is a picture of myself stood next to one full of charcoal.  It took two of us to lift this; unlike the muscle bound collier above!

The last image I have found was drawn by French artist Jaques Callot (C.1592 -1635) and is of St Alexander of Comana, also known as 'the Charcoal Burner', who died around 251 AD. 

Image online at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_of_Comana

He is the patron saint of Charcoal Burners and although this is a depiction of a figure from the early days of Christianity who lived in what is modern day Turkey, he seems to be wearing contemporary early seventeenth century western clothing.  Not sure I would want to carry a sack of charcoal on my back though!