Object number
53/595
Description
This furze hitcher was attached to the end of a long stick and used to extract brushwood from a stack or rick. A large source of fuel available in West Cornwall was brushwood from stunted trees, and timber washed up by the sea on the rocky coastline. Brushwood was generally collected in late July or early August in the lull between the hay and the corn harvests, and was stored in ricks in the farm or cottage yard.
Physical description
1 furze hitcher; metal; good condition
Label Text
Furze hitcher. This furze hitcher was attached to the end of a long stick and used to extract brushwood from a stack or rick. A large source of fuel available in West Cornwall was brushwood (furze) from stunted trees, and timber washed up by the sea. Brushwood was generally collected in mid-summer and was stored in ricks. The name furze was much more widespread than in the West Country. Relatively local to the MERL, the village of Furze Platt near Maidenhead is named after a small triangle of land - the Platt - which was covered by oak trees and furze.
Archival history
MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'West Cornwall with its hard granite surface is almost devoid of any tree growth, and since neither coal nor peat occurs in the area, the inhabitant has always found it difficult to find fuel for heating his home. The only fuel available locally is brushwood from the stunted trees of the area, and timber washed up by the sea on the rocky coast line. Brushwood was generally collected in late July or early August in the lull between the hay and the corn harvests, and was stored in ricks in the farm or cottage yard. A hitcher of this type fixed to the end of a long stick was used to extract the brushwood from the stack.'
Object name
Material
Associated subject
Associated person/institution
External document
- L:\MERL\Objects\JISC 2012\60 series negatives\60_264.tif - High resolution image
