Charcoal Freedom pencil

I am reading a history of the pencil. It would seem that the discovery of graphite in Britain was the key event. Prior to this people could make marks with metallic lead, or scratch wax tablets, or use pen and ink. But once found, everyone wanted graphite, of course making loads of money for Britain which had the only good source. I have so far made it only to the early 1800s and things might change there forward.

But charcoal - is it so much worse than graphite? It is black, and carbon, and smeary and easy to make. I acknowledge that there exist artist tools which are charcoal in a pencil, and they are smeary and the artists like them that way. Also plain finger blackening charcoal sticks. But when one gets into the Continental graphite extending methods - mixing with sulfur (Germany) or with clay (France) I think this would take care of a lot of the smeary.

I propose a graphiteless Freedom Pencil which will obviate the need to deal with British graphite monopolists, and which will be composed of ground charcoal mixed with clay in a method analogous to the French one. Said substance will be enclosed in wood as with a standard pencil. I here assert that this will not be smeary like regular charcoal and will sidestep the dangers, disadvantages and expense of graphite.