A Brief History of the Pipe

While various forms of pipe have been found in Europe dating back a couple of thousand years, these were mainly terracotta or iron, and were used to smoke aromatic herbs.  Pipe smoking as we know it was practised by Native Americans for centuries before the Europeans started appearing on the scene in the late 15th and early 16th centuries.  The first shipment of tobacco and clay pipes is thought to have been brought to England by Captain Ralph Lane in 1586, although it is Sir Walter Raleigh who really popularised pipe smoking among the upper classes when he returned from the colonies.

The art of tobacco smoking increased dramatically during the early 1600’s even though James 1st of England was a fervent anti-smoker to the extent that he forbad the growing of it in England (widely ignored) and imposed a punitive tobacco tax.  Most pipes at this time were made from clay, and in the mid 1650’s, the main centres of pipe manufacture were in London and Bristol which both had over 100 clay pipe makers.  An abundant supply of clay for these pipes was to be found in Devon, and these moulded pipes were typically 9 to 15 inches long with a design quite often found on the bowl.  These pipes were cheap to produce, which was just as well as they were also rather fragile and had a limited usable life.

At the start of the Eighteenth century, an alternative material for pipe making was discovered.  Meerschaum (literally sea foam in German) was found underground in parts of Turkey and Africa.  It is formed from the fossilised remains of minute sea creatures, is easy to carve and is white in appearance though with use it changes to a golden brown due to its porosity.  Meerschaum was favoured by the upper classes as it could be carved into really intricate designs making them relatively expensive to buy compared to the humble clay.

Briar is now the most common material used for pipes these days, and this was discovered as being particularly suitable for pipe production in the mid 19th century.  Briar is a corruption of the French word bruyere or heath tree (erica arborea) which is to be found mainly around the Mediterranean.  Initially, the briar pipe was made in the Jura region of France where there were skilled wood carvers.  Subsequently, a number of these craftsmen moved to London and set up production there.  The briar pipe is made from the clump type root of this shrub, and while being very hard, it is fairly easy to work, will withstand high temperatures and will last years if properly cared for.