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The Pitmen's cracket The cracket evolved down the pit and then progressed to the miner's cottage. Crackets were an essential bit of gear below ground, especially when pitmen hewed coal in narrow seams. They sat on them if the seam was high enough, rested their heads and/or shoulders on them when lying down to work, and could put them below their thighs when crouched working 'on their hunkers'