Coals to Newcastle

The complete expression is to carry coals to Newcastle, which is the equivalent of embarking upon a useless or pointless undertaking. Newcastle-upon-Tyne has been a coalmining centre since The Middle Ages and was Britain’s first coal exporting port. The expression has been in use since the early 17th century. In 1606, Thomas Heywood wrote, “as common as coals from Newcastle”. In 1661, Thomas Fuller encapsulated the pointlessness of it all when he wrote, “To carry coals to Newcastle is to do what was done before; or to busy oneself in a needless employment.”