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== Who carved the first briar pipe? ==
'''''Jean-Christophe BIENFAIT'''''
'''''Jean-Christophe BIENFAIT'''''


When we look at the history of the briar pipe, there is one question we inevitably ask ourselves: who first had the idea of using briar for pipes, and when?
When we look at the history of the briar pipe, there is one question we inevitably ask ourselves: who first had the idea of using briar for pipes, and when?


As is often the case, there are several candidates for invention, and several stories have been told over time. And it seemed interesting to me to study how these variants came about, and at what period.
As is often the case, there are several candidates for invention, and several stories have been told over time. And it seemed interesting to me to study how these variants came about, and at what period. So I took the documentation at my disposal and I tried to list these different variants and their appearance. Of course, if anyone has older data to complete this, I'm interested.
So I took the documentation at my disposal and I tried to list these different variants and their appearance. Of course, if anyone has older data to complete this, I'm interested.
           
But let's start:<br>
The first person to offer a history of this discovery was Alfred Dunhill, in a book written in 1924, The Pipe Book, the earliest work on the pipe that I have (and one of the most famous).


So, what does Alfred tell us?
But let's start: The first person to offer a history of this discovery was Alfred Dunhill, in a book written in 1924, The Pipe Book, the earliest work on the pipe that I have (and one of the most famous).
       
He suggests what could be called the "Corsican Hypothesis":
<blockquote>"...The discovery of the ideal pipe material, the so-called briar root, was quite accidental, as such discoveries so often are.
It was incidental to the  revival of the cult of the great Napoleon, in the second decade following  his death in 1821, when the disasters of 1814 were forgotten. Those who wished to honor their late Emperor were not content to  visit the tomb at the Invalides, whither his ashes had been brought from St Helena, but made a pilgrimage also to the birthplace of the Little Corporal in Corsica.
Among these pilgrims was a French pipe maker, who during his stay had the misfortune to break or lose his meershaum pipe. He commisionned  a Corsican peasant to carve him another, and this was  done, the pipe proving  such a success that its possessor secured a specimen  of the wood from which it was made and brought it home with him. This wood, noted locally for its hardness and fine grain, was the root of the tree-heath, or bruyère,  to give it its French name, and from this date, somewhere in the early fifties, it was destined to supersede all other pipe materials. The specimen roots which the French pipe maker brought away  from Corsica were sent by him to a factory at St Claude from which he accustomed to buy wooden pipe-stems, where  i t was turned  into bowls and thus one more was added to the already far-famed articles de St Claude…" [1]</blockquote>


Then, in 1927, a French geographer, botanist and explorer, Auguste Chevalier, founder in 1921 of the Revue de Botanique Appliquée et d'Agriculture Coloniale, published in this same journal an article entitled: " Note sur l'Erica Arborea et sur l'emploi de ses souches dans la fabrication des pipes " (Note on Erica Arborea and the use of its strains in the manufacture of pipes).
So, what does Alfred tell us? He suggests what could be called the "Corsican Hypothesis":


Very interesting article in which he declares among other things: "... According to Mr. V. Davin, honorary sub-director of the Botanical Garden of Marseille, the industry of the pipe in root of Bruyère took birth around 1850 in Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet in the Eastern Pyrenees... " [2]  (note that he does not take this information to his account).
<blockquote>"... The discovery of the ideal pipe material, the so-called briar root, was quite accidental, as such discoveries so often are.
 
It was incidental to the revival of the cult of the great Napoleon, in the second decade following  his death in 1821, when the disasters of 1814 were forgotten. Those who wished to honor their late Emperor were not content to  visit the tomb at the Invalides, whither his ashes had been brought from St Helena, but made a pilgrimage also to the birthplace of the Little Corporal in Corsica.
 
Among these pilgrims was a French pipe maker, who during his stay had the misfortune to break or lose his meershaum pipe. He commisionned  a Corsican peasant to carve him another, and this was  done, the pipe proving  such a success that its possessor secured a specimen  of the wood from which it was made and brought it home with him. This wood, noted locally for its hardness and fine grain, was the root of the tree-heath, or bruyère,  to give it its French name, and from this date, somewhere in the early fifties, it was destined to supersede all other pipe materials. The specimen roots which the French pipe maker brought away  from Corsica were sent by him to a factory at St Claude from which he accustomed to buy wooden pipe-stems, where  i t was turned  into bowls and thus one more was added to the already far-famed articles de St Claude ..." [1]</blockquote>
 
Then, in 1927, a French geographer, botanist and explorer, Auguste Chevalier, founder in 1921 of the Revue de Botanique Appliquée et d'Agriculture Coloniale, published in this same journal an article entitled: "Note sur l'Erica Arborea et sur l'emploi de ses souches dans la fabrication des pipes" (Note on Erica Arborea and the use of its strains in the manufacture of pipes).
 
Very interesting article in which he declares among other things: "... According to Mr. V. Davin, honorary sub-director of the Botanical Garden of Marseille, the industry of the pipe in root of Bruyère took birth around 1850 in Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet in the Eastern Pyrenees ..." [2]  (note that he does not take this information to his account).


Saint Paul de Fenouillet is close to Perpignan to locate it (see below in the article the map of the implantation of the heather in the south of France). This village had many wood turners in the 19th century.
Saint Paul de Fenouillet is close to Perpignan to locate it (see below in the article the map of the implantation of the heather in the south of France). This village had many wood turners in the 19th century.


At about the same time, in 1929, another French geographer, André Mathieu, published an article in the Annales de Géographie entitled "Les Petites Industries de la Montagne dans le Jura Français (Small Mountain Industries in the French Jura)". He said that "A turner, returning from the Beaucaire fair in 1854, had the idea of using the briar root for the manufacture of the pipe. The new material, very hard, gave all satisfaction, and the industry took a remarkable rise..." [3]
At about the same time, in 1929, another French geographer, André Mathieu, published an article in the Annales de Géographie entitled "Les Petites Industries de la Montagne dans le Jura Français" (Small Mountain Industries in the French Jura). He said that "A turner, returning from the Beaucaire fair in 1854, had the idea of using the briar root for the manufacture of the pipe. The new material, very hard, gave all satisfaction, and the industry took a remarkable rise ..." [3]


Almost ten years later, in 1937, another French geographer (and long live the geographers !) Thérèse Colin published an article entitled "Les industries de Saint-Claude (Saint-Claude's industries)" in the journal Géocarrefour (founded in 1926, Géocarrefour - formerly Etudes Rhodaniennes and Revue de Géographie de Lyon - is one of the oldest French-speaking geography magazines).  
Almost ten years later, in 1937, another French geographer (and long live the geographers!) Thérèse Colin published an article entitled "Les industries de Saint-Claude" (Saint-Claude's industries) in the journal Géocarrefour (founded in 1926, Géocarrefour - formerly Etudes Rhodaniennes and Revue de Géographie de Lyon - is one of the oldest French-speaking geography magazines).


She says in particular that "...A happy chance brought the ideal material: a San Claudian (inhabitant of Saint-Claude) met in 1854 in Beaucaire, where he had gone to sell his products, a merchant of the South who advised him to try the heather. This shrub Arborica Scoparia (NB it is an error of T. Colin, who had confused the Erica Arborea or pipe heather, with the Arborica Scoparia or broom heather - This error will be pointed out to the magazine a little later by the Director of the Ecole des Eaux et Forêts of Nancy, whose letter the magazine will publish) is special to the Mediterranean flora and should not be confused with the Brittany heather. It has a height of 3 to 4 meters and forms a stump at ground level, a kind of onion of 60 to 80 centimeters in diameter weighing up to 50 kilos. These are the stumps that are used for the pipe's hearth. They must be at least thirty years old. The beautiful pipes come from hundred-year-old briars. The countries producing briar are Provence, Corsica, Sardinia, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Albania, Greece..". [4]    
She says in particular that "... A happy chance brought the ideal material: a San Claudian (inhabitant of Saint-Claude) met in 1854 in Beaucaire, where he had gone to sell his products, a merchant of the South who advised him to try the heather. This shrub Arborica Scoparia (NB it is an error of T. Colin, who had confused the Erica Arborea or pipe heather, with the Arborica Scoparia or broom heather - This error will be pointed out to the magazine a little later by the Director of the Ecole des Eaux et Forêts of Nancy, whose letter the magazine will publish) is special to the Mediterranean flora and should not be confused with the Brittany heather. It has a height of 3 to 4 meters and forms a stump at ground level, a kind of onion of 60 to 80 centimeters in diameter weighing up to 50 kilos. These are the stumps that are used for the pipe's hearth. They must be at least thirty years old. The beautiful pipes come from hundred-year-old briars. The countries producing briar are Provence, Corsica, Sardinia, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, Italy, Albania, Greece ...". [4]


After the War, a Frenchman, Georges Herment, published in 1952 the Treaty of the Pipe: He wrote:
After the War, a Frenchman, Georges Herment, published in 1952 the Treaty of the Pipe. He wrote:
<blockquote>"...It is in the Eastern Pyrenees that the best roots and the most voluminous ebauchons are found. But - although there is also an industry in Paris - it is Saint-Claude, in the Jura, which holds the speciality of the manufacture of the pipes in root of heather.... ". [5]</blockquote>
 
<blockquote>"... It is in the Eastern Pyrenees that the best roots and the most voluminous ebauchons are found. But - although there is also an industry in Paris - it is Saint-Claude, in the Jura, which holds the speciality of the manufacture of the pipes in root of heather ...". [5]</blockquote>


He adds later in an note:
He adds later in an note:
<blockquote>"-In truth, it is Cogolin, in the Var, which is the "ethnological" capital of the briar root pipe. Cogolin, in its two factories, groups almost all the roots of the Mediterranean basin. During the war, the root being subject to quotas, like all other products, Saint-Claude exchanged ebonite, which Cogolin lacked for its pipes, for ebauchons or cubes. One can only say that the manufacture of Saint-Claude is more careful, more meticulous - and the presentation more luxurious. Saint-Claude remains, despite Cogolin, the official capital of LA PIPE…" [5]</blockquote>


In 1954, Alfred Henry Dunhill, the son of the company's founder, published a book entitled "The Gentle Art of Smoking". Here, he states, among other things, that:  
<blockquote>"In truth, it is Cogolin, in the Var, which is the "ethnological" capital of the briar root pipe. Cogolin, in its two factories, groups almost all the roots of the Mediterranean basin. During the war, the root being subject to quotas, like all other products, Saint-Claude exchanged ebonite, which Cogolin lacked for its pipes, for ebauchons or cubes. One can only say that the manufacture of Saint-Claude is more careful, more meticulous - and the presentation more luxurious. Saint-Claude remains, despite Cogolin, the official capital of LA PIPE ..." [5]</blockquote>
<blockquote>"…We may well guess what pipes we might have to-day were it not from the french pipe manufacturer who, on a visit to Napoleon birthplace, is alleged to have broken his meerschaum and to have ordered a Corsican paesant to copy it in the local briar. Doubtless someone else would have discovered this valuable material. As it was, the first specimen of briar were sent to St Claude, a remote village high in the Jura mountains, where the villagers, following the example of the monks, had established a thriving wood-carving industry. From that day they turn their attention from work in the local box-wood to the manufacture of "La Pipe…". [6]</blockquote>
 
In 1954, Alfred Henry Dunhill, the son of the company's founder, published a book entitled "The Gentle Art of Smoking". Here, he states, among other things, that:
 
<blockquote>"... We may well guess what pipes we might have to-day were it not from the french pipe manufacturer who, on a visit to Napoleon birthplace, is alleged to have broken his meerschaum and to have ordered a Corsican paesant to copy it in the local briar. Doubtless someone else would have discovered this valuable material. As it was, the first specimen of briar were sent to St Claude, a remote village high in the Jura mountains, where the villagers, following the example of the monks, had established a thriving wood-carving industry. From that day they turn their attention from work in the local box-wood to the manufacture of "La Pipe" ...". [6]</blockquote>


In these lines he takes up the theory of the Corsican peasant proposed by his father. For him, in any case, and according to this text, whatever the author of the discovery, it is well in Saint-Claude that it was worked in first.
In these lines he takes up the theory of the Corsican peasant proposed by his father. For him, in any case, and according to this text, whatever the author of the discovery, it is well in Saint-Claude that it was worked in first.


In 1963, another French geographer, Michel Chevalier, professor at the University of Besançon, published an article in the Cahiers de Géographie de Besançon (which he directed) entitled "Tableau industriel de la Franche-Comté 1960-1961". One finds there in particular this: The manufacture of pipes took its modern aspect and became one of the great specialities of St Claude only when, around 1855, the root of the tree heather, native of the Mediterranean countries, was used...". [7]
In 1963, another French geographer, Michel Chevalier, professor at the University of Besançon, published an article in the Cahiers de Géographie de Besançon (which he directed) entitled "Tableau industriel de la Franche-Comté 1960-1961". One finds there in particular this: The manufacture of pipes took its modern aspect and became one of the great specialities of St Claude only when, around 1855, the root of the tree heather, native of the Mediterranean countries, was used ...". [7]
 
Just before that, in 1962, the American pipemaker Carl B. Weber, founder of [[Weber Pipe Co.]], wrote The Weber's Guide to pipe in which he took up A. Dunhill's hypothesis, although simplifying it a little:


Just before that, in 1962, the American pipemaker Carl B. Weber, founder of Weber pipes, wrote The Weber's Guide to pipe in which he took up A. Dunhill's hypothesis, although simplifying it a little:
<blockquote>"... The introduction of briarwood as pipe material was quite accidental. It was linked to the cult of hero worship which sprang up shortly after the death in 1821 of the French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. One of those who glorified the emperor's memory was a French pipe maker, who decided to honor his hero by making a pilgrimage to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, Napoleon's birthplace.
<blockquote>"…The introduction of briarwood as pipe material was quite accidental. It was linked to the cult of hero worship which sprang up shortly after the death in 1821 of the French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. One of those who glorified the emperor's memory was a French pipe maker, who decided to honor his hero by making a pilgrimage to the Mediterranean island of Corsica, Napoleon's birthplace.  
Being  a passionate smoker, the pipe maker took one of his most beautiful meershaum pipes with him.  In a unlucky moment, however, he broke the bowl of his pipe, and was left without mean of smoking. Fortunately, in that same Corsican village there lived a farmer known for his skill in carving. The Frenchman promptly commissionned the farmer to carve a new pipe for him out of any suitable wood.
The farmer soon presented the pipe maker with an attractive pipe, made of a hard, close-grained, pale golden wood. The pipe had so many fine qualities that its owner brought back to France several specimens of the wood from which it was made,the burl of the tree-heath, or bruyere, as it is called in French. Eventually the name Bruyere was anglicized, first into "bruyer", then "brier" and later, "briar"."
"Enthusiastic over his discovery, the pipe maker brought his briar samples to St Claude, a small French town from whose factory he usually bought his wooden pipe stems. This town, located in a remote valley of the Jura mountains, had a remarkable history as a center of wood carving…" [8 ]</blockquote>


In 1973 André Paul Bastien published a reference work, entitled The Pipe.
Being a passionate smoker, the pipe maker took one of his most beautiful meershaum pipes with him. In a unlucky moment, however, he broke the bowl of his pipe, and was left without mean of smoking. Fortunately, in that same Corsican village there lived a farmer known for his skill in carving. The Frenchman promptly commissionned the farmer to carve a new pipe for him out of any suitable wood.
He takes up several hypotheses (but not the Corsican hypothesis), but above all he introduces a new testimony (that of Jules Ligier) for the first time to my knowledge. What does A.P.Bastien say ?
 
<blockquote>"...This root of the plant of heather (only part employed for the manufacture of the pipe) comes mainly from the Mediterranean basin. One collects it in France in the Var and Corsica, in Albania, in Spain, in North Africa and in Greece, (Nb He forgot Italy) from where come the most beautiful varieties...
The farmer soon presented the pipe maker with an attractive pipe, made of a hard, close-grained, pale golden wood. The pipe had so many fine qualities that its owner brought back to France several specimens of the wood from which it was made, the burl of the tree-heath, or bruyere, as it is called in French. Eventually the name Bruyere was anglicized, first into "bruyer", then "brier" and later, "briar"."
…From then on, a question immediately comes to mind: how, from the shores of the Mediterranean, did the heather arrive in St Claude?
 
"Enthusiastic over his discovery, the pipe maker brought his briar samples to St Claude, a small French town from whose factory he usually bought his wooden pipe stems. This town, located in a remote valley of the Jura mountains, had a remarkable history as a center of wood carving ..." [8]</blockquote>
 
In 1973 André Paul Bastien published a reference work, entitled The Pipe. He takes up several hypotheses (but not the Corsican hypothesis), but above all he introduces a new testimony (that of Jules Ligier) for the first time to my knowledge. What does A.P. Bastien say?
 
<blockquote>"... This root of the plant of heather (only part employed for the manufacture of the pipe) comes mainly from the Mediterranean basin. One collects it in France in the Var and Corsica, in Albania, in Spain, in North Africa and in Greece, (Nb He forgot Italy) from where come the most beautiful varieties ...
 
... From then on, a question immediately comes to mind: how, from the shores of the Mediterranean, did the heather arrive in St Claude?
Several hypotheses have been put forward on this subject.
Several hypotheses have been put forward on this subject.
Some historians claim that a turner from the area around St Claude, named David, met a local merchant at the Beaucaire fair (near Marseille in the south of France), where he had gone to sell his goods, who suggested that he use this famous root to make pipes.
Some historians claim that a turner from the area around St Claude, named David, met a local merchant at the Beaucaire fair (near Marseille in the south of France), where he had gone to sell his goods, who suggested that he use this famous root to make pipes.
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</gallery></center>
</gallery></center>


…"According to local legend a Saint-Claude turner named David is credited with the making the first briar pipe…" (St Claude in Pipedia). [10]
<blockquote>"According to local legend a Saint-Claude turner named David is credited with the making the first briar pipe…" ([[Saint-Claude]]). [10]</blockquote>


In 1975, a collective work was published in France, l’Encyclopédie du tabac et des fumeurs  (the Encyclopedia of tobacco and smokers).
In 1975, a collective work was published in France, l’Encyclopédie du tabac et des fumeurs  (the Encyclopedia of tobacco and smokers).
We find the Jules Ligier hypothesis and the Regad and Buat hypothesis. In another article, we also find the Corsican hypothesis:  
We find the Jules Ligier hypothesis and the Regad and Buat hypothesis. In another article, we also find the Corsican hypothesis:
 
<blockquote>"... Since the day when a French pipe maker, who came to collect himself in Napoleon's birthplace, having broken his meerschaum pipe, asked a Corsican peasant to copy it in a briar root taken from the scrubland, the vast majority of pipes smoked today throughout the world are made from this unique material...". [11]</blockquote>
<blockquote>"... Since the day when a French pipe maker, who came to collect himself in Napoleon's birthplace, having broken his meerschaum pipe, asked a Corsican peasant to copy it in a briar root taken from the scrubland, the vast majority of pipes smoked today throughout the world are made from this unique material...". [11]</blockquote>


In 1976, J.W. Cole, in his book The GBD St Claude story, speaking about the founders of the company, states that :  
In 1976, J.W. Cole, in his book The GBD St Claude story, speaking about the founders of the company, states that:
<blockquote>" ...Clearsighted as well, they realised the great possibilities of a new matérial, racine de bruyère (erica arborea) which was already being used with success in St Claude in the Jura, and by 1855 Briar GBD pipes were sold ..." [12]</blockquote>
<blockquote>"... Clearsighted as well, they realised the great possibilities of a new matérial, racine de bruyère (erica arborea) which was already being used with success in St Claude in the Jura, and by 1855 Briar GBD pipes were sold ..." [12]</blockquote>


In 1981, Eppe Ramazzotti and Bernard Many published a book entitled Pipes et Fumeurs de Pipes (Pipes and Pipe Smokers), in which the author declares that  
In 1981, Eppe Ramazzotti and Bernard Many published a book entitled Pipes et Fumeurs de Pipes (Pipes and Pipe Smokers), in which the author declares that
<blockquote>"...the first to use the briar for the manufacture of pipes were, it seems, the peasants of the Pyrenees. They cut them roughly in briar logs with a knife. They had a very elongated pyramid shape, with rounded corners; on one of the faces, near the base, the bowl was hollowed out..." [13]</blockquote>
<blockquote>"...the first to use the briar for the manufacture of pipes were, it seems, the peasants of the Pyrenees. They cut them roughly in briar logs with a knife. They had a very elongated pyramid shape, with rounded corners; on one of the faces, near the base, the bowl was hollowed out..." [13]</blockquote>


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<Blockquote>"It is necessary to all these attempts of paternity of discovery of the heather, to retain the thesis which always raises in the trade many controversies and to listen to Mr. René Courrieu, pipe maker in Cogolin in the Var in the south of France). "We find traces of the existence of the Courrieu company in Napoleonic archives. The firm started in 1801, founded by my grandfather Jean-Baptiste.
<Blockquote>"It is necessary to all these attempts of paternity of discovery of the heather, to retain the thesis which always raises in the trade many controversies and to listen to Mr. René Courrieu, pipe maker in Cogolin in the Var in the south of France). "We find traces of the existence of the Courrieu company in Napoleonic archives. The firm started in 1801, founded by my grandfather Jean-Baptiste.


We are now in the twelfth generation. The heather of the Maures was exploited at the very beginning. Other writings give an account of this fact by which a stump puller from Bormes-les-mimosas, Mr. CHIEZA, undertook to sell to the COURRIEU company all the roots that he would pull out. The descendants of the forester CHIEZA have always attested to the fact that this commercial act was offered to the commune of Bormes-les-mimosas.  During an exhibition, it was stolen. In spite of the complaint lodged by Mr. AUVET, great-nephew of the woodcutter, no trace of it was found.  
We are now in the twelfth generation. The heather of the Maures was exploited at the very beginning. Other writings give an account of this fact by which a stump puller from Bormes-les-mimosas, Mr. CHIEZA, undertook to sell to the COURRIEU company all the roots that he would pull out. The descendants of the forester CHIEZA have always attested to the fact that this commercial act was offered to the commune of Bormes-les-mimosas.  During an exhibition, it was stolen. In spite of the complaint lodged by Mr. AUVET, great-nephew of the woodcutter, no trace of it was found.


We also have archives (1835) on the proof of exploitation of the heather on the island of Levant. It was then decided to make the convicts of the island's penitentiary work on the pipe. The extraction and the flow were done on the spot, the boiling and the drying of the stumps in Cogolin. After the material was returned to the prison, the final manufacturing was carried out by the inmates. All these pipes were marketed on behalf of the Courrieu company in addition to its own production. The commercial transactions were subject to regulations with the Ministry of Justice, the Prefecture of the Var and the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The island was indeed bought by the French Army at the beginning of the 20th century. The old chimney, the oven, and the ruins of the fort could still be seen more than twenty years ago. Classified as a military site, practically everything on the island has been razed...". [16]</Blockquote>
We also have archives (1835) on the proof of exploitation of the heather on the island of Levant. It was then decided to make the convicts of the island's penitentiary work on the pipe. The extraction and the flow were done on the spot, the boiling and the drying of the stumps in Cogolin. After the material was returned to the prison, the final manufacturing was carried out by the inmates. All these pipes were marketed on behalf of the Courrieu company in addition to its own production. The commercial transactions were subject to regulations with the Ministry of Justice, the Prefecture of the Var and the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The island was indeed bought by the French Army at the beginning of the 20th century. The old chimney, the oven, and the ruins of the fort could still be seen more than twenty years ago. Classified as a military site, practically everything on the island has been razed...". [16]</Blockquote>
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In 1879, in London, surrounded by a team of French technicians, Henri opened the first pipe factory and began building tools and machines to make better briar pipes. In the 20th century, a new generation of Comoy joined the family business and expanded its market to America. In 1913 the business was moved to Rosberry Avenue, London, and seven years later an addition was built to form the huge building that is now the Comoy's headquarters. Other annexes were opened in the following years. With the outbreak of war, Comoy's was converted to wartime use. The cessation of hostilities saw Comoy's return to making the pipes that are well known throughout the world today."
In 1879, in London, surrounded by a team of French technicians, Henri opened the first pipe factory and began building tools and machines to make better briar pipes. In the 20th century, a new generation of Comoy joined the family business and expanded its market to America. In 1913 the business was moved to Rosberry Avenue, London, and seven years later an addition was built to form the huge building that is now the Comoy's headquarters. Other annexes were opened in the following years. With the outbreak of war, Comoy's was converted to wartime use. The cessation of hostilities saw Comoy's return to making the pipes that are well known throughout the world today."


So what?
So what?


To make it simple, we have : the Corsican hypothesis, the Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet hypothesis, the Cogolin hypothesis, for the place of discovery ; the David hypothesis, the Berrod-Regad hypothesis, those of the turner or the anonymous trader that can be brought closer to the two previous ones, the Comoy hypothesis and finally the Ligier (Taffanel) hypothesis for the discoverer.
To make it simple, we have : the Corsican hypothesis, the Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet hypothesis, the Cogolin hypothesis, for the place of discovery ; the David hypothesis, the Berrod-Regad hypothesis, those of the turner or the anonymous trader that can be brought closer to the two previous ones, the Comoy hypothesis and finally the Ligier (Taffanel) hypothesis for the discoverer.


Among all these assumptions, there are several constants:<BR>
Among all these assumptions, there are several constants:<BR>
===1 -The place first :===
 
== 1) The place first ==
The unanimity seems to be done, even among our English or American cousins, to attribute the paternity of the discovery to the French pipe makers.
The unanimity seems to be done, even among our English or American cousins, to attribute the paternity of the discovery to the French pipe makers.


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One learns there, but one knew it already, that the articles of Saint-Claude included many wooden pipe stems but also wooden pipes, but not yet much in briar, wooden pipes which were manufactured in Saint-Claude since at least the beginning of the XIXth century probably.
One learns there, but one knew it already, that the articles of Saint-Claude included many wooden pipe stems but also wooden pipes, but not yet much in briar, wooden pipes which were manufactured in Saint-Claude since at least the beginning of the XIXth century probably.


Incidentally, I would like to see one of these "MARSEILLAISES" which had nothing to do with Marseille and nothing with the clay pipes that Hippolyte Bonnaud made there. But I am not sure that even one of them has been preserved.  
Incidentally, I would like to see one of these "MARSEILLAISES" which had nothing to do with Marseille and nothing with the clay pipes that Hippolyte Bonnaud made there. But I am not sure that even one of them has been preserved.


Henri Vuillard, in his testimony quoted above, reminds us that pipes were turned in all sorts of wood at the beginning of the second half of the 19th century, before the exploitation of briar: "In any case my father, who was a skilled pipe turner living with his parents, farmers in the vicinity of Saint-Claude, often told me that around 1860 he worked with a foot lathe and made pipes in French wood: boxwood, cherry, cherry, beech, etc..." [16]
Henri Vuillard, in his testimony quoted above, reminds us that pipes were turned in all sorts of wood at the beginning of the second half of the 19th century, before the exploitation of briar: "In any case my father, who was a skilled pipe turner living with his parents, farmers in the vicinity of Saint-Claude, often told me that around 1860 he worked with a foot lathe and made pipes in French wood: boxwood, cherry, cherry, beech, etc..." [16]
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Corsica, first, near Napoleon's birthplace (Napoleon was born at the Villa Bozzi in Ajaccio and it is true that there is heather around Ajaccio). For Corsica, the Comoy hypothesis supports it. It should be noted that it is not known whether Comoy sourced heather from Corsica, the Maures or the Pyrénées Orientales, or even a little of all three (in my opinion, the cost of transport must have had an influence).
Corsica, first, near Napoleon's birthplace (Napoleon was born at the Villa Bozzi in Ajaccio and it is true that there is heather around Ajaccio). For Corsica, the Comoy hypothesis supports it. It should be noted that it is not known whether Comoy sourced heather from Corsica, the Maures or the Pyrénées Orientales, or even a little of all three (in my opinion, the cost of transport must have had an influence).
The Pyrenees Orientales then (Saint-Paul de Fenouillet), there is Erica Arborea in the area and there were indeed wood turners in Saint Paul de Fenouillet, who undoubtedly turned wooden pipes, like a little everywhere at the time.  
The Pyrenees Orientales then (Saint-Paul de Fenouillet), there is Erica Arborea in the area and there were indeed wood turners in Saint Paul de Fenouillet, who undoubtedly turned wooden pipes, like a little everywhere at the time.


Moreover, in the Revue des deux Mondes of 1864, an article entitled "Le Travail et les Mœurs dans les Montagnes du Jura - Saint-Claude et Morez" (Work and customs in the Jura Mountains - Saint-Claude and Morez) tells us that "...Today, among the raw materials that are taken from the Jura, we must rank boxwood, whose former stock has been exhausted. This shrub, which grows so slowly, comes almost exclusively from the Pyrenees. The part most sought after by industry is not, as is generally supposed, the root, but an intermediate part called the burl, placed above the roots before the branches and still buried between the stones that cover the ground. The burl provides these veined and flamed articles whose surface can receive the polish of marble and has almost the hardness of it. Just as boxwood, a plant material that is very much in use today, heather root, is collected in the Pyrenees...". [18]
Moreover, in the Revue des deux Mondes of 1864, an article entitled "Le Travail et les Mœurs dans les Montagnes du Jura - Saint-Claude et Morez" (Work and customs in the Jura Mountains - Saint-Claude and Morez) tells us that "...Today, among the raw materials that are taken from the Jura, we must rank boxwood, whose former stock has been exhausted. This shrub, which grows so slowly, comes almost exclusively from the Pyrenees. The part most sought after by industry is not, as is generally supposed, the root, but an intermediate part called the burl, placed above the roots before the branches and still buried between the stones that cover the ground. The burl provides these veined and flamed articles whose surface can receive the polish of marble and has almost the hardness of it. Just as boxwood, a plant material that is very much in use today, heather root, is collected in the Pyrenees...". [18]
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[[File:French-Map-1981-EricaArborea.jpg]]
[[File:French-Map-1981-EricaArborea.jpg]]


The Jura then. On this subject, concerning the place, it is necessary however to distinguish the place of birth of the heather (the Mediterranean basin inevitably) and the place of birth of the pipe in heather. Indeed if the Erica Arborea does not grow in the Jura, most of the sources agree to say that it is with heather brought back from Beaucaire that the Sanclaudians made the first pipes. It is not known, however, whether it was briar from the Maures, or from the Pyrénées Orientales (both hypotheses are possible).
The Jura then. On this subject, concerning the place, it is necessary however to distinguish the place of birth of the heather (the Mediterranean basin inevitably) and the place of birth of the pipe in heather. Indeed if the Erica Arborea does not grow in the Jura, most of the sources agree to say that it is with heather brought back from Beaucaire that the Sanclaudians made the first pipes. It is not known, however, whether it was briar from the Maures, or from the Pyrénées Orientales (both hypotheses are possible).


===2- Then the date :===  
== 2) Then the date ==
Almost all the authors quoted here, French, English, American, and the testimonies of the time, agree on a period between 1850 and 1860.
Almost all the authors quoted here, French, English, American, and the testimonies of the time, agree on a period between 1850 and 1860.


Alfred Dunhill, who launches the Corsican hypothesis, specifies that the pipe maker's visit to Corsica took place "...in the second decade following his death in 1821...", that is to say from 1841. Dunhill also states that "...and from that date, somewhere in the early fifties, it was destined to supersede all other pipe materials...". Even the hypothesis of the birth of the briar pipe in Saint Paul de Fenouillet dates it to 1850.
Alfred Dunhill, who launches the Corsican hypothesis, specifies that the pipe maker's visit to Corsica took place "...in the second decade following his death in 1821...", that is to say from 1841. Dunhill also states that "...and from that date, somewhere in the early fifties, it was destined to supersede all other pipe materials...". Even the hypothesis of the birth of the briar pipe in Saint Paul de Fenouillet dates it to 1850.


In the French Revue des deux Mondes of 1864, an article entitled "Le Travail et les Mœurs dans les Montagnes du Jura - Saint-Claude et Morez" (Work and customs in the Jura Mountains - Saint-Claude and Morez) tells us that "...Today in Saint-Claude it is the pipe, the pipe made of briar root, which provides the work with its principal food. The vogue enjoyed by the rosary before 1790 and the snuffbox before 1830 has passed entirely, for the last five or six years, to these pipes of the simplest work, of a reddish color, that the city and the countryside have also adopted...". [18] .That is to say the first productions between 1850 and 1860.  
In the French Revue des deux Mondes of 1864, an article entitled "Le Travail et les Mœurs dans les Montagnes du Jura - Saint-Claude et Morez" (Work and customs in the Jura Mountains - Saint-Claude and Morez) tells us that "...Today in Saint-Claude it is the pipe, the pipe made of briar root, which provides the work with its principal food. The vogue enjoyed by the rosary before 1790 and the snuffbox before 1830 has passed entirely, for the last five or six years, to these pipes of the simplest work, of a reddish color, that the city and the countryside have also adopted...". [18] .That is to say the first productions between 1850 and 1860.
   
 
In The Gentleman's Magazine, July-December 1895, it is stated that "...the old clay pipes and skimmers once famous have been supersede by the elegant and inexpensive "briar pipes" or more correctly "bruyère pipes". For thirty years this semi-mineral has been steadily rising in favour, until to-day..." [20] That is to say again circa 1865.  
In The Gentleman's Magazine, July-December 1895, it is stated that "...the old clay pipes and skimmers once famous have been supersede by the elegant and inexpensive "briar pipes" or more correctly "bruyère pipes". For thirty years this semi-mineral has been steadily rising in favour, until to-day..." [20] That is to say again circa 1865.


But on the site of the French company Courrieu, of Cogolin, in the South of France, it is written in particular: As early as 1802, Ulysse Courrieu, a farmer in the region, is said to have made the first heather bouffard and then created the Courrieu factory.
But on the site of the French company Courrieu, of Cogolin, in the South of France, it is written in particular: As early as 1802, Ulysse Courrieu, a farmer in the region, is said to have made the first heather bouffard and then created the Courrieu factory.
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It is possible that Ulysse Courrieu started to supply the Grande Armée with pipes as early as 1802. But clay pipes probably, as Basse-Provence (where the Maures massif is located) was at the time not only rich in briar but also in pipe clay, which it supplied to Marseille factories (Hippolyte Bonnaud's factory f.ex.) at the beginning of the 19th century.  Wooden pipes too, why not, but probably not in briar. If two or three pipes of briar were made at that time, why not also, it is not outlier that the region of the Maures incited a local pipe maker to use an abundant raw material (at that period).
It is possible that Ulysse Courrieu started to supply the Grande Armée with pipes as early as 1802. But clay pipes probably, as Basse-Provence (where the Maures massif is located) was at the time not only rich in briar but also in pipe clay, which it supplied to Marseille factories (Hippolyte Bonnaud's factory f.ex.) at the beginning of the 19th century.  Wooden pipes too, why not, but probably not in briar. If two or three pipes of briar were made at that time, why not also, it is not outlier that the region of the Maures incited a local pipe maker to use an abundant raw material (at that period).


Also François Comoy would have discovered the Corsican heather in 1825.
Also François Comoy would have discovered the Corsican heather in 1825.
 
===3 -the circumstances finally:===


== 3) The circumstances finally ==
Concerning the fortuitous discovery of the heather by a shepherd, I can't imagine an idle shepherd, finding an Erica Arborea, unstripping it, splitting the burl and saying to himself "Here, I'm making a pipe in it".  But why not?
Concerning the fortuitous discovery of the heather by a shepherd, I can't imagine an idle shepherd, finding an Erica Arborea, unstripping it, splitting the burl and saying to himself "Here, I'm making a pipe in it".  But why not?


According to Jules Ligier, Taffanel brought a pipe smoked by a shepherd of his region, which according to him "... was taken from a stump of heather, similar to the stumps of boxwood... which are found in abundance in our region ". [16]  If heather was regularly used in Provence at that time, the shepherd, like others, could have made a pipe from a piece of heather picked up here or there.  The practice could be quite common, but remain confined to the region.  
According to Jules Ligier, Taffanel brought a pipe smoked by a shepherd of his region, which according to him "... was taken from a stump of heather, similar to the stumps of boxwood... which are found in abundance in our region ". [16]  If heather was regularly used in Provence at that time, the shepherd, like others, could have made a pipe from a piece of heather picked up here or there.  The practice could be quite common, but remain confined to the region.


I believe more in the hypothesis of the Beaucaire Wood Fair where wood professionals met, who knew the different species and tested them, and who may well have discovered the briar burl while looking for a substitute for boxwood, and this, perhaps quite early.
I believe more in the hypothesis of the Beaucaire Wood Fair where wood professionals met, who knew the different species and tested them, and who may well have discovered the briar burl while looking for a substitute for boxwood, and this, perhaps quite early.
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I am a bit divided on the Comoy hypothesis : François Comoy knew wood by his job, wood pipes were already being turned in his region, but the "study trip" of a Jura lumberman to Corsica in 1825 leaves me dubitous (unless he found a sample - at the Beaucaire fair, for example - but probably not in 1825).
I am a bit divided on the Comoy hypothesis : François Comoy knew wood by his job, wood pipes were already being turned in his region, but the "study trip" of a Jura lumberman to Corsica in 1825 leaves me dubitous (unless he found a sample - at the Beaucaire fair, for example - but probably not in 1825).


===Conclusion===
== Conclusion ==
To conclude, I believe not only that one should not take one side or the other, but especially that it is impossible.  
To conclude, I believe not only that one should not take one side or the other, but especially that it is impossible.


*That the first briar pipe was first cut in the place where the pipe briar was growing is a very probable fact, but one that can never be proved.  And at what date, we will never know either.
*That the first briar pipe was first cut in the place where the pipe briar was growing is a very probable fact, but one that can never be proved.  And at what date, we will never know either.
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As for who was responsible for this discovery, that's another history. And what does it matter? In my opinion at least....Each of these stories has its charm, and for me they allowed me to discover things that I did not suspect.
As for who was responsible for this discovery, that's another history. And what does it matter? In my opinion at least....Each of these stories has its charm, and for me they allowed me to discover things that I did not suspect.


===Notes===
== References ==
[1] Dunhill Alfred The Pipe Book, London. First published by A & C Black Ltd, London 1924, and by the Mac Millan Company New York, 1924. The Lyons Press edition 1999, 2002 with preface by Richard Dunhill.<BR>
[1] Dunhill Alfred The Pipe Book, London. First published by A & C Black Ltd, London 1924, and by the Mac Millan Company New York, 1924. The Lyons Press edition 1999, 2002 with preface by Richard Dunhill.<BR>
[2] Auguste Chevalier  Note sur l'Erica arborea et sur l'emploi de ses souches dans la fabrication des pipes. Revue de botanique appliquée et d'agriculture coloniale, 7ᵉ année, bulletin n°74, octobre 1927<BR>
[2] Auguste Chevalier  Note sur l'Erica arborea et sur l'emploi de ses souches dans la fabrication des pipes. Revue de botanique appliquée et d'agriculture coloniale, 7ᵉ année, bulletin n°74, octobre 1927<BR>
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[6] Alfred Henry Dunhill The Gentle Art of Smoking 1954 Max Reinhardt London<BR>
[6] Alfred Henry Dunhill The Gentle Art of Smoking 1954 Max Reinhardt London<BR>
[7] Michel Chevalier Tableau industriel de la Franche-Comté 1960-1961 Cahiers de Géographie de Besançon n° 9<BR>
[7] Michel Chevalier Tableau industriel de la Franche-Comté 1960-1961 Cahiers de Géographie de Besançon n° 9<BR>
[8] Weber Carl. The Weber’s Guide to pipe, 1962,  Cornerstone Library Publications, New York<BR>
[8] Weber Carl. The Weber’s Guide to pipe, 1962,  Cornerstone Library Publications, New York<BR>
[9] André Paul Bastien La Pipe 1973, Payot  Lausanne<BR>
[9] André Paul Bastien La Pipe 1973, Payot  Lausanne<BR>
[10] Pipedia St Claude<BR>
[10] Pipedia St Claude<BR>
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