Annotation - Chapter 1, Page 1
From Riddley Walker Annotations
- (1:29) "stumps pink and red ... Aulder trees in there and chard coal berners in amongst them working ther harts. You cud see 1 of them in there with his red jumper what they all ways wear"
The alder tree is traditionally associated with the human body because of its red sap. It burns poorly but is favored for charcoal. Alders figure greatly in the story of Bran.
The existence of a special guild of charcoal burners implies that technical skills are few and far between. Harts in this case means hearths or ovens (charcoal is made by burning wood in a particular way) but, as Riddley explains in the following story, can also mean hearts.