Men of the Forest
AN ACCOUNT OF PAST
AND PRESENT CHARCOAL BURNERS IN THE NEW FOREST
by J. S. P. AGG
Removing waste from
an empty kiln
CHARCOAL burning is probably
England's oldest industry. Under the solitary shade of the greenwood tree, even the
ancient Britons practised this smokey ritual, living the lives of hermits and superiorly
aloof from the reckless society around them. It must have been a pleasant surprise for the
Romans to find something which the ancient Britons could do, for the invaders certainly
needed the native charcoal burners for the manufacture of their earthenware vessels and
As far back as the bronze age
charcoal was used for cremation purposes. It seems incredible that a people utterly
ignorant of even the most rudimentary scientific knowledge should have hit upon the means
most recommended now for the disposal of human remains by scientists, but this appears to
have been the case.
From Roman times onwards charcoal
burning areas attracted industries in the same way that coal did in the last century.
Glassworks at Buckholt, in north west Hampshire, relied on the local burners, as did the
early brick producers of the New Forest. Most important of all was the iron industry which
flourished in late medieval times in Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey and elsewhere.
This is well illustrated in the
New Forest where ore was collected along the shores of the Solent and brought inland to
the forges among the trees for smelting. The east wall of the old church at Brockenhurst
and the entire former church at Hordle (which has now been demolished) are examples of
local iron work, and more are to be found in the Palace of Beaulieu.
Two sizeable mills at Sowley
Pond, on the Lymington road outside Beaulieu, were used for iron working until well into
the 1 7th century, and a local saying that the Sowley hammer can be heard still means rain
is on the way to the older generation in these parts.
It was Queen Elizabeth Ist who
brought about the first signs of decline in the New Forest charcoal industry through
encouraging the exploitation of coal deposits in various parts of her kingdom. She
initiated a law, which was known as "an Act that timber shall not be felled for
burning," which stipulated that all oak, beech and ash trees growing within 14 miles
of the coast should be left untouched.
This was obviously designed to
give the shipyards along the coast, at such centres the Lymington and Buckler's Hard, a
monopoly of the wood, and she went on to inaugurate a system of enclosures to protect
growing trees - a policy which was continued by James 1 and William 111. This was very
far-sighted of her, because in 1771, when indiscriminate felling for local building had
become fairly common, parliament noted with grave concern the lack of suitable timber for
Although Elizabeth's law severely
hit the charcoal industry, and caused the Sussex burners to leave the county in search of
better hunting grounds in the north, industry generally did not suffer because of the
increasing awareness of the value of coal, and its availability in many places at near
surface level. Indeed, sea coal had already been in domestic use in London for 200 years.
Ever since the time of the
Conquest, when the New Forest became William the Conqueror's favourite hunting ground, for
esters had been subjected to fierce penalties lest as their presence should adversely
affect royal sport. Even as late as George I's reign poaching was punishable by seven
years' transportation to America, and killing a deer or interfering with forest trees
could result in death.
Savage penalties are not always
effective deterrents, however, and right up to the last century the belfry of Lymington
Church was utilised as a poachers' larder. Charcoal burners, too, had to be careful not to
contravene the tree damaging acts, and although their numbers continued to decline, the
activity was still a regular one in the loneliest forest clearings.
Towards the end of last century
their lot was further worsened by the policy of certain big manufacturers who sent down
their own men to the Forest to do the burning. This policy naturally produced friction
between the foresters and the outsiders, and the influx of 'immigrant' burners had to be
limited after certain incidents more fitting to a boxing ring.
Until the beginning of this
century, three circles of charcoal burning remained, their turf-covered wig-wams looking
rather like small versions of Zulu kraals, surrounded by large circles of brushwood and
rough fences made of posts. The interiors were even more spartan; a large sack stuffed
with leaves would serve as a mattress, a rough piece of wood acted as a table, and in a
corner would be a big iron cooking pot. Here the charcoal burner would live whilst at
The production process worked on
the principle of generating as much heat as possible with the minimum intake of air, just
enough to maintain a smothered combustion. The forest charcoal burner would use 15 tons of
timber at each burning of the 'heath', but it was in the building of the cone that great
skill was required. The timber was split into convenient lengths then laid in a round
conical shaped pile, with ashes and rubbish thrown on top. Then the pile was carefully but
solidly beaten down and turf or bracken laid over it as a seal. Channels were then made to
ensure that just enough air could enter to effect the combustion process, and then the
heath was lit. Escape channels were then made for the combustion fumes, which were highly
poisonous, and one imagines that many have been the pursuants of this trade who have met
with an early death through lung cancer, long before cigarettes were even thought of.
The burning had to be
continuously supervised for it always had to take place slowly to produce the maximum
heat. If the pile caught alight too fiercely it was quenched with water. The pile remained
alight for four days, at the end of which it was an incandescent mass. The cooling process
was a long one, too, and it took many more hours before the charcoal could be handled.
During the last war the industry went through a brief revival, for 40 million gas
respirators needed charcoal filters, and the New Forest burners provided them. After the
war the demand for charcoal dropped alarmingly, but today there has been something of a
new lease o f life for the industry, as the chemical concerns use a large quantity for
their workings with carbon. The oil industry and filter manufacturers also use charcoal
for small applications.
Oak and elm are generally used by
the burners today. Firs are not suitable in view of their highly resinous nature.
The most famous charcoal burner
of all time was undoubtedly Purkis, who transported the lifeless body of King William 11
in his cart from the fatal spot near Stoney Cross where the arrow pierced the monarch 's
forehead, to Winchester, the then capital of England. This would have been a familiar
journey for him, for the burners often used to travel to the City from all parts of the
Forest to sell their charcoal.
The trade was practised by the
Purkis family at Castle Malwood right up to the end of last century when another local
family the Tinsleys, took over most of the production. Now, however, the old encampments
at Castle Malwood ( near Stoney Cross) and Mark Ash have disappeared, and a new era of
burners hold sway, their mode of life more in keeping with the 20th century.
Three different firms pursue the
trade in the Forest today, all making it their number one activity. The large st site is
at Pondhead Enclosure, situated near Lyndhurst just off the Beaulieu Road. Nine kilns are
working here surrounded by neat piles of oak wood, cut and stacked ready for burning. The
kilns these days remain alight for only 24 hours, whereupon th e charcoal is removed and
shovelled into sacks, ready for collection by the firm's transport.
tractors today heave the oak trunks to the kilns in place of the old carthorses, and the
kilns are all metal cylindrical structures in stead of the old, conical shaped logs
covered with turf. Most of these modern metal kilns are made specially for the burners by
Mr. Philip Blake, the village blacksmith at Broughton in Hampshire.
The burners of today live during
the week in caravans on the site, returning at the weekends to their cottages somewhere in
the Forest where their wives and family live. Fifty years ago they would have spent the
working week in a tent, made with a framework of poles and heaped with sacks and turf, to
keep out the rain and keep in the warmth.
The charcoal burner has always
lived a rough and lonely existence. His world is the rustle of the forest by night, the
mournful hoot of the owl, the furtive scratching of the badger. Sometimes the day will
pass without sigh ting a single mortal, the outside world invisible through the thick
curtain of green which encompasses him on every side.
Not so very long ago his food
consisted of hedgehog roasted in clay, nettle tea, snails toasted in hot ashes, or
pheasant - the diet of the gipsies. 20th century civilisation has improved his lot to the
extent of tinned food displacing the hedgehog and perhaps a radio to compete with the owl,
but still the forest is the same -- the aloof whispering giants of oak which witnessed the
hunting parties of the kings of long ago. What a tragedy for the spirit of romanticism if
the materialism of our century proves too strong a call for the last of the burners, and
the ancient smokey rites are performed for the last time.
kiln burns steadily.
Note: this article comes from
pages taken out of a magazine, but unfortunately nowhere on the pages does it tell me from
which magazine. I believe the pages to be approximately twenty years old - so when you
read about the situation for charcoal burners in current times, in the article, remember
it refers to some time ago.
you want to see a more modern description of Charcoal Burning made in the
context of supporting sustainable woodland management, then click on the picture