Considering its current definition (see below) and the wish to be politically correct, I wonder whether the word has come to acquire any racist overtone.
What is a coal miner hewer-Ask.com. Coal miner hewer is a person who hews or cuts the coal from its natural situation. The hewer is the actual coal-digger removing it from the coal face.
Definition of heugh. plural. -s. 1 chiefly Scottish a : a steep crag or cliff b : a ravine or glen with overhanging sides. 2 chiefly Scottish a : a shaft of a coal mine b : an open coal pit.