A few weeks ago, there was some discussion about what a "fuzee" was. I
don't recall how exactly that concluded, but I thought some might be
interested in a reference I found last night.
Two miners were walking the four miles home from Durham (which they had
reached at about 12 midnight having come from the Newcaslte pantomime -
intersting in itself, I thought), when they were witnesses to a violent
and suspicious death.
One of them told the post mortem enquiry, "On getting to the finger post
on the other side of Cassop Moor House, I pulled my pipe out to light
it, and O'Neil pulled his watch out to see what time it was. On striking
a fuzee we found it was exactly half-past one in the morning." (Durham
Chronicle 2nd March 1877)
I don't know if that throws any light on the subject ; - )
Mike Syer
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