Muriel is at the pit on the side of road to Glendale describing how her family used to cut peat. This is the first of two of descriptions. Because we had a technical problem we did a description of cutting and stacking the peat again on the way home from Glenadale. Those files are called MurielPeats-2

In the general section of this thesis are shortly characterized fossil fuel, peat bogs and peat, process of their origin, their types and importance. Another important part of this work is the extraction of peat, its trend, subsequent restoration and environmental problem of the peat extraction. The main part is the characteristic of the area Borkovická blata, mapping out mining process in the area and the present condition. Furthermore, there is shortly characterized the company Rašelina, a. s., which extracted in Borkovická blata peat for a long time and is still engaged in the extraction and processing of peat.

In its industrial heyday, Thorne Moors was the most extensive commercial peat operation in Britain. It became closely tied to nearby Hatfield Moors, and at both the methods of exploitation were essentially the same. Although much of Thorne Moors is situated in Yorkshire, the eastern extent lies in Lincolnshire. Recognizable differences in scale and methodology existed between the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire parts. After regional drainage in the 1620-30s, there was increased trade in the peat of Thorne Moors along the River Don. A succession of uses included unrefined and refined fuel, products from carbonization and distillation, and moss litter for working horses. From the mid-19th century, companies were formed to exploit the new uses, especially moss litter, and export became increasingly focused on railways. In 1896, the British Moss Litter Co. Ltd was set up (restructured 1899) to assume the Thorne/Hatfield interests of several smaller companies, including the Anglo-Dutch Griendtsveen Moss Litter Co. Ltd. The British Moss Litter Co. was acquired by Fisons Ltd in 1963. Following a contextual history, descriptions are given of both muscle-powered peat winning and transportation methodologies. These comprise exploitation in the 17th and 18th centuries, an examination of the 19th century writings of William Casson, and written allusions spanning 1863-1963. Information is imparted on the Griendtsveen Moss Litter Co. In addition to creating a 'Dutch' peat canal system, this company introduced an immigrant Dutch workforce, proficient in their native methods and intended inter alia to retrain local workers looking for employment with Griendtsveen. Dutch methodology persisted alongside the local methods for c.60 years. Accounts are also presented of the evolutionary limit of indigenous peat winning, and the use of narrow gauge railways. Finally the transition to mechanisation of peat cutting and narrow gauge haulage is outlined.

The present work maps a specific set of the traditional subsistence techniques by way of example of the abandoned village named Nová Ves u Klikova (1792-1953). In the 18th century occure changes in methods of forest exploitation in Central Europe in general. The increased demand for fuelwood and building wood gave rise to the "rationalization" of the forest management. Another source of energy for the developing industry was peat at that time. Nová Ves u Klikova was an example of the so called peat colonization. Small farmsteads were founded on the infertile peaty soil that was not able to ensure sufficient means of subsistence. As a consequence it was developed an important centre of production of straw baskets and chip baskets in the second half of the 19th century. The existing ethnological literature pursued the local production of baskets, whereas the topic of the cutting of peat and its further treating in relation to folk culture is still untreated. In view of that fact this text lays stress on the "cultural history of peat".