ABSTRACT
Over the century after 1750 this situation changed. Rapid popula tion growth and urbanization created more extensive demand* for the domestic use of coal, as urban hearths could hardly be expected to rely entirely on supplies of wood. And in the nineteenth century coal became linked with the rise of gas and electricity. Coal was a source of fuel for the brick and pottery industries, for salt boiling and brewing, and for sugar refining and glassmaking; and some of these industries were also growing after 1750, notably in the Staffordshire pottery towns and the glassmaking areas of south Lancashire. The growth of the iron and steel industries also created more demand for coal as a result of two developments: a major breakthrough in the method of smelting iron with coke, and the use of steam power (both of which are discussed below). By the early nineteenth century a much greater range of iron and steel products was available because of these
improvements. Iron was used, as it had been traditionally, for making nails and various types of hardware. It was an essential material for locomotives, rolling stock, iron rails and engineering equipment. Cast iron was used for flywheels, engine beds, beams and cylinders. Steelcutting tools were needed by craftsmen to make cutlery and razors; and steel edges were a vital part of metal-working tools, scythes, planes and chisels.
