68 CHARCOAL BURNERS IN EPPING FOREST.
The chief term which is unfamiliar here is the name of
"charm," which is given to the second grade of coal. Mr.
P. Thompson has drawn my attention to the fact that
"le charme" is the French name of the hornbeam. This can
scarcely be a chance coincidence, as the hornbeam wood is
extensively used in the industry. Although it would obviously
be rash to assume from this that the industry was introduced
into this country by the French, yet it is certainly strongly
suggestive of French influence. This is especially the case
when we remember what an important industry charcoal-burning
is in France.
On the other hand, there are other parts of the terminology
which are purely Saxon. When the charcoal has been sufficiently
burnt, the outer covering of ashes is carefully raked off, a small
section at a time, and pails of water thrown in. The space thus
exposed is then covered over again as rapidly as possible with a
damp covering. This process is called "keeling the fire," and
the term "keeling" I find to be pure Saxon, from the Saxon
verb Ulan, to cool. After the fire has been left for some hours
in this condition to smoulder out, the heap is pulled to pieces,
and the last remains of fire put out with water. The "coal,"
"the charm," and the "dust" are then sifted out, as described
above, and put into sacks ready for the market. This is the
final operation of "drawing the coal."
Perpetual attention is required in order to prevent the fire
from breaking through the covering of ashes, or "hearth-dust,"
as it is called. It is never safe to leave the fire, night or day,
for more than a few minutes at a time, during the whole of the
three or four days that each fire takes in burning. This
is the reason that the charcoal-burners erect their hut-shelter
on the spot, as it gives them protection and warmth, while they
can at the same time keep a constant watch upon the progress
of the fire.
This hut is of extremely primitive construction. Indeed, I
think there can be little doubt that the forest charcoal-burners
have preserved to us the prehistoric hut, in its simplest and most
primitive form, in unbroken tradition from the days of the Stone
Age. It is, of course, well known that extremely primitive forms
of dwelling are still in use in the remoter parts of these Islands;
but it is not a little remarkable to find such a simple form of