Billet (wood) was a specific and standardised form of

wood fuel Wood fuel (or fuelwood) is a fuel such as firewood, charcoal, chips, sheets, pellets, and sawdust. The particular form used depends upon factors such as source, quantity, quality and application. In many areas, wood is the most easily availabl ...

of significant importance in the traditional pre-

fossil fuel A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels m ...

economy. The term could also be applied to a

cudgel A club (also known as a cudgel, baton, bludgeon, truncheon, cosh, nightstick, or impact weapon) is a short staff or stick, usually made of wood, wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times. There are several examples of blunt-force trauma caused ...

Nature and use

Billets were especially designed for burning on open hearth fires, often in conjunction with spits.

Measurements and cost

The 16th C standardised a billet as three foot four inches in length, and ten inches around. A century later, Anthony A Wood recorded a load of billet wood as costing 12s 6d; while extravagance consisted of "burning in one yeare threescore pounds worth of the choicest billet".

Literary references

*The William Shakespeare play ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604, according to available records. It was published in the ''First Folio'' of 1623. The play's plot features its ...

'' contains the phrase "beat out my brains with billets".

References

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External links

Definition of billet
Firewood Fuels Wood fuel

Nature and use

Measurements and cost

Literary references

See also

References

External links