Crusie Lamp and Betty Lamp

Sharon Lathan

Sharon Lathan is the best-selling author of The Darcy Saga, a ten-volume sequel series to Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.

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Robert Fletcher

Great article on Crusie lamps. The lamps were thought to have originated in Scotland and Crusie can be found in the Scottish online dictionary. Four channel (wick) Crusies can be found. I am lucky enough to possess a brass five channel Crusie with the hook and bowl ( another is on E-Bay).

Keith Myrom

Wow! A very nice collection! I have all of these lamps in my own collection. Your brief history is mostly accurate and I will not pick nits over terms. The only thing I would point out is the very top lamp is a specialized version of the ‘Betty’ lamp. The finials reveal this as a lamp used in underground mining and is of French make. In the mine lighting area of collecting they are called “frog” lamps, a pejorative reference to their French origins I suppose. The bird finial is a somewhat unrefined representation of a rooster. The rooster symbol has long been associated with wards against evil and in general a good luck charm. They were often included on this type of mine lamp for obvious reasons. I can’t imagine carrying one of these lamps with its feeble light source into the utter blackness of a coal mine, especially when carried into an area where firedamp was present.

Steve Nichols

What were the wicks made from?

cindie snyder

Interesting looking contraptions!lol

Glynis

These aren’t particularly attractive (even the more elaborate ones) and certainly not portable like a candle. I do remember caravans we stayed in when a lot younger had gas lamps. Thank heavens for electric lights!

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