CENTRE FOR NEWFOUNDLAND STUDIES TOTAL OF 10 PAGES ONLY MAY BE XEROXED (Without Author's Permission) The Adoption of the Wood Stove as an Agent of Material Culture in Newfoundland: A Historical Geography By © Jennifer Bose A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts Department of Geography Memorial University of Newfoundland September 2005 St. John's Newfoundland ABSTRACT This thesis examines the methods by which the Newfoundland population provided themselves with the warmth essential to survival, from the seventeenth century onwards. The provision of warmth was crucial to life on the island. It underlay all other activities and imposed its patterns on such fundamental geographical properties as t he development of settlement and ecology. Two main components of creating this warmth were firewood from local forests and the cast iron stove, both of which are discussed here. Local forest resources were the staple fuel for much of the Newfoundland population. They were a fundamental component of seasonal work patterns and ofthe cashless subsistence economy. Three potential types of fuel wood shortages are identi­ fied, and the extent to which each may have occurred in Newfoundland is discussed. The adop­ tion of the new technology of the cast iron stove is also examined, from its first appearance in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries to its common acceptance in homes by 1870. A variety of sources contribute to a preliminary picture of the heating and cooking technology used, and of the utilization of fuel wood resources. These include such archival sources as merchant ledgers and local manufacturing records, as well as published sources like censuses and newspa­ per advertisements. This study also describes the decline in wood stove use during the twentieth century as other fuel options became available. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Financial support throughout my program was provided for one year by a University Fellowship and Teaching Assistantship, and for the second year by an SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship. Many, many thanks are due to my supervisors Michael Staveley and Jo Shawyer of the Depart­ ment of Geography, whose optimism and guidance have made this research possible. Their en­ thusiasm and dedication is much appreciated, and their knowledge of Newfoundland culture has been invaluable. I would also like to thank John Mannion, whose course got me started on this subject. The library and archival staff! encountered during my research were all of tremendous help. I would especially like to thank the staff at the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labra­ dor, particularly Greg Walsh, the staff of the Centre for Newfoundland Studies, and the staff at the Maritime History Archive. As well, numerous individuals kindly answered my various in­ quiries and gave suggestions, and thanks are due to them all, especially Roger Angel, Bruce Boland, William Kirwin, David Mills, Aly O'Brien, Shane O'Dea, Gerald Pocius, Bill Wells, and Blair Withycombe. I would also like to thank Mariana Trindade, Jin Xiongbing, and Bas Straatman, who so kindly let me use their computers when mine stopped working, and to Andrea Marich, Jennifer Higdon, and Charlie Conway for their mapping assistance. The faculty, students, and staff of the geography department all made me feel welcome and helped make my time here an enjoyable one. A spe- 111 cial thank you goes to all the other graduate students for the many fond memories of the times we have shared. Finally, thank you to my family for their interest and encouragement. Most of all, I owe an enormous thank you to Bas, who was always there for me during my research, and whose friend­ ship has made my Newfoundland experience an unforgettable one. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................. v List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... x List of Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... xiv List ofUnit Conversions .................................................................................................. xiv Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................... 4 Chapter Two: Literature Review and Sources ..................................................................... 9 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 1 0 2.2.1 Historical Deforestation in Europe and North America ................................... 1 0 2.2.2 Types ofFuel Wood Shortages ......................................................................... 16 2.2.3 The Development and Introduction of the Cast Iron Stove .............................. 21 2.2.4 Newfoundland Use of Land and Forest Resources ........................................... 23 2.2.5 Domestic Heating and Cooking Technology in Newfoundland ....................... 27 2.2.6 Geography and the Study of Home Interiors .................................................... 27 2.3 Sources ...................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter Three: The Physical Environment and Cultural Adaptations in Eighteenth Century Newfoundland ....................................................... 32 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 32 3.2 General Characteristics of the Newfoundland Climate and Forests ......................... 32 3.3 Population Characteristics of Eighteenth Century Newfoundland ........................... 39 3.4 Eighteenth Century Heating and Cooking Technology ........................................... .46 3.4.1 The Structure and Use of Open Hearths in England, Ireland, and Newfoundland ................................................................................................... 46 3.4.2 Cooking on the Open Hearth ............................................................................ 52 3.4.3 Fuels used on the Open Hearth ......................................................................... 55 3.5 Eighteenth Century Use of Forest Resources ........................................................... 57 3.6 Summary ................................................................................................................... 74 v Chapter Four: Imported Stoves: Heating and Cooking Technology in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century ............................................... 76 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 76 4.2 Nineteenth Century Population Growth and Resource Use ...................................... 77 4.3 Nineteenth Century Heating and Cooking Technology ............................................ 87 4.3.1 Newspaper Evidence of Imported Cast Iron Stoves ......................................... 88 4.3.2 Evidence of Cast Iron Stoves from Commercial Records .............................. 106 4.3 .3 Summary of the Nineteenth Century Heating and Cooking Technology ................................................................................................ 115 4.3.4 Comparison with Other Parts ofNorth America ............................................ 116 4.3.5 The Origins oflmported Stoves ...................................................................... 118 4.3.6 Methods of Obtaining a Stove ........................................................................ 126 4.4 Nineteenth Century Use ofForest Resources ......................................... ............... 129 4.5 Summary ................................................................................................................. 133 Chapter Five: Locally Manufactured Stoves .................................................................. 136 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 136 5.2 Population Characteristics ...................................................................................... 136 5.3 Newfoundland Foundries ........................................................................................ 137 5.3.1 Records of Stoves Sold by the UNF ............................................................... 147 5.3.2 The Origins of Stove Manufacturing Knowledge in Newfoundland ............. 174 5.4 Early Twentieth Century Use of Fuel Wood Resources ......................................... 17 5 5.4.1 Firewood Data from the Censuses .................................................................. 176 5.4. 3 Access to Forest Resources