Sunday 10 November 2013

Phil Sparham's East Midlands Collection

When I was looking for bricks at one of my usual sites, I met a chap who told me of Phil Sparham's wall made of bricks. So after contacting Phil, I went round. He had quiet a few in the wall which I had already recorded, but the most interesting ones were on top of the wall, here are a few, some with info. More of his bricks can be seen at 
http://uknamedbricks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/phil-sparham-collection.html



William Buckley, brickmaker of Steeple Grange, near Wirksworth, Derbys. is recorded in Drake's Trade Directory for 1862 & then in White's Trade Directory for 1870, Mrs Buckley, brickmaker of Steeple Grange.  Steeple House also known as Steeple Grange House was were they lived.
I have sent these 2 photos to a Wirksworth Web Site, which has since found more details about William. See link.

My first trade directory entry for John Marbrow of Newton Solney near Burton upon Trent is in Kelly's 1864 edition. In 1871, John is recorded as employing 6 men & 1 boy at his Newton Solney brickyard. He produced bricks, tiles, drainpipes & kiln tiles until 1890. The works are listed in Kelly's up to the 1891 edition. The brickworks had been founded by John's father-in-law, William Hopkins in 1811.


I have found in a gypsum mine article that Chellaston Minerals were to later follow T.P.Stableford at the Woodlands Brickworks sometime after 1916, but it may have not been until 1928, the year when the company is first listed in Kelly's Directory with Mr. J.E. Williamson as Managing Director. 
Bricks were in great demand during both World Wars especially the 2nd as the company had to keep a sufficient stock of bricks to rebuild Rolls Royce in case of major damage by enemy bombs.  
While digging for clay, gypsum was also dug & was sold to produced plaster by the company. The gypsum mine article states that the gypsum on this site had run out by 1965. The company continues to be listed in the brick & tile makers section of Kelly's Directory up to it's 1941 edition & the brickworks closed in 1977. 


I have recently found this good example in Derbyshire.



Bennett's had two brickworks in Derby, one on Uttoxeter Road and one in Spondon.  Richard Bennett of Slack Lane (Uttoxeter Road), Derby is recorded in White's Directory for 1891, 1899 & 1912.
                     

The New Byron Brick Co. is recorded in Kelly's from the 1922 edition  to the 1941 edition at Palterton, Chesterfield with Joesph Wilson Chapman as manager from 1922 to 1928 editions & Herbert Leslie Vass as manager from 1932 to 1941 editions.
History of the Byron Brickworks at Palterton, Derbys. can be read here.  http://www.richardsbygonetimes.co.uk/batties.htm


I have only found two Belper brickmakers recorded in any of Kelly's Trade Directories & I believe the Park Foundry Company who are listed as brickmakers in Kelly's 1899 edition are the makers of this brick. It may have only been around 1899 that the company made bricks as it's core business was to be in producing solid-fuel appliances. 
The Park Foundry Co. was founded in 1850 & was registered in 1900. The company is then recorded in 1949 as being part of the Radiation Company making the Siesta stove at Belper. The company later traded under the Parkray name & was then taken over by Tube Investments, then Hepworth. The Belper works closed in 2003. 


One of Slaters many commemorative bricks. William Henry Slater and Joseph Slater's works were in operation at Uttoxeter Old Road, Derby between 1860 and 1887, and in Denby between 1874 and 1941.






Sunday 3 November 2013

Henry Shaw, Brickmaker, Sutton in Ashfield


Henry Shaw was born in 1842 in Greasley, Notts., his father Joseph was a brickmaker & later a builder & Henry aged 19 was a miner in Greasley. We later find Henry moves to Sutton & I think I have the right man from the census, as the 1871 census records Henry Shaw a builder & married to Mary (nee May), living with Mary's parents on Forest Side, Sutton. Now Mary's father Thomas May was a shoe maker & this ties in with Henry being later recorded as a shoe maker as well. However we next find in the 1881 census that builder Henry is now married to Sarah who was eleven years younger than Henry & they had a daughter aged 2 called Elizabeth & they where living on Mansfield Road, Sutton. I am taking it Henry's first wife Mary had died. This info then all ties in with White's 1885 edition which records Henry Shaw as Builder, Contractor & Shoe Dealer on Forest Side, Sutton-in-Ashfield. So at this 1885 date I do not know if he had started making bricks as there is no reference to him as being a brickmaker. 

Local historian, Luther Lindley wrote in his 1907 book, that Henry Shaw was a builder, contractor & brickmaker, with the address of Eastfield Side who had established his business in 1868 & was employing 50 males with Mr. R.W. Doughty as Works Manager. I then found Robert Doughty was his son-in-law & was married to his daughter Elizabeth. With this 1907 account of Henry Shaw recording him as a brickmaker I found Henry is recorded as a brickmaker in Skegby in White's 1894 edition. This entry is then followed by the entries for Henry in Kelly's 1904, 08, 12 & 16 editions at Skegby as a brickmaker. I have established the location of his brickworks from other brick makers working in Skegby & some later info regarding another Mr. Shaw who I write about later. I have used the 1899 OS map below to show Henry's works which I have coloured purple & this works was accessed off Dalestorth Road. Please note the dotted line along this road denotes the parish boundary between Skegby & Sutton with Henry's brickworks being in Skegby. Henry died in February 1917 & I am taking it this is when the brickworks closed. It appears son-in-law Robert Doughty continued to run the building & contractors side of the business as he is named together with wife Elizabeth (Henry's daughter) as joint beneficiaries of his Will which equated to £6083. 15s. &  8d.

© Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey 1898.


This example is a normal house brick, found in a garden not to far from Henry's works. The brick shown at the top of this post is plinth stretcher brick.

I now fast forward to 1928 & we find Kelly's 1928 edition records this purple coloured works as being owned by The Sutton-in-Ashfield Brick Company on Dalestorth Road. This is the only entry for this company & information gathered from Nottingham Archives & the London Gazette has revealed the answer why this is the only entry.

On the Company's letterhead deposited with the Archives & dated 15th September 1926, the name, address & owner of the works is given as The Sutton in Ashfield Brick Co. works, Skegby, Managing Director, Mr. Shaw with James Leece as secretary. So who this Mr Shaw is I am not 100% sure. I have found a Walter Shaw who is recorded in Kelly's 1904 edition as brickmaking at Forest Side, but I have not been able to trace him in the census or establish exactly which brickworks he was running as all works can be accounted for at this date, unless he was working for Louisa Barke who is recorded as a brickmaker on Mansfield Road in 1904 with her husband now working at a second works in Skegby in 1904. It seems to fit ?  Then is this Walter Shaw related to Henry Shaw the previous owner of this works ? Henry did not have any sons as far as I can trace, unless Walter was born to Henry & Mary, Henry's first marriage ? Then if this is correct why isn't there any trace of this Walter Shaw in the census ? This Walter Shaw could easily have been Henry's nephew. If I get the answer, I will update the post. 

So this 1926 S-in-A Brick Co. letter is to Bennett & Sayers, brick machinery manufacturers in Derby to supply new machinery & parts.
The next letter dated 17th July 1928 from Bennett & Sayers to the S-in-A Brick Co. states that B & S can no longer supply any more goods until "your account has been substantially been reduced, please send remittance as promised in June as we can no longer afford to give such prolonged credit."
There is an exchange of several letters during the next few months with B & S then threatening to take legal action under the Hire Purchase Agreement. In one reply in August, the brick company blamed a misunderstanding with the clerk & sent £20 0s 0d & promised to send more money. But this did not happen because in October, James Leece writes to B & S saying "because no bricks have been sold we cannot send anymore money & I will put this problem to the Directors next week." 
This resulted in a letter dated 28th October 1928 to B & S from Arthur Edward Cripwell, accountant for the Company stating that the Shareholders had agreed a motion to go into Voluntary Liquidation & Mr. Cripwell had been appointed Liquidator. In reply B & S said they would come & remove supplied machinery as under the Hire Purchase Agreement. Mr. Cripwell then made a request to delay this as he had already received one or two inquiries about the sale of the yard. B & S agreed.
As time went on & the sale did not happen, B & S then said they would now remove the machinery, but this did not happen either as Barclay's Bank who were part of  the Hire Purchase Agreement stopped this, saying that "The plant would be sold with the yard."
I am sorry to say that I do not know what happen next as there is no more correspondence between the several parties concerned deposited with the Archives. With no buyers for the yard or evidence in Trade Directories of New Owners, one can only assume that everything was sold at auction or taken back by Bennett & Sayer. The London Gazette dated 13th of December 1932 records the Sutton in Ashfield Brick Co. Ltd. had been struck off the Companies Register.  


Further research has revealed that Richard Carter worked at this yard before Henry Shaw with Richard being recorded as brickmaker in Skegby in White's 1872 & Kelly's 1876 editions. It was from a Mansfield Advertiser  "For Sale by Private Contract Notice" dated 1st of March 1878 for this works that revealed the location of Carter's yard. The notice is as follows - " A valuable & freehold estate comprising of around 12 & half acres, including all plant & machinery, buildings & kilns. The land is also very valuable for building purposes. It has an excellent bed of clay which is seven feet thick & the entire property is in the parish of Skegby with having a large frontage to Wragg's Lane from Sutton Forest Side to Dalestorth. The above Estate will be sold with or without mineral rights. The brickyard has being doing good business under the occupation of Mr. R. Carter. For more details please contact W.A. Vallance, Builder & Valuer of Mansfield, agent for Mrs. Shelton the owner of the land." 
So this account records Carter's brick yard as being on Wragg's Lane & this road was later renamed Dalestorth Road & is shown as such on a map dated 1887. Today this road is still known as Dalestorth Road & leads up to the 18th century Dalestorth House. Today modern houses now occupy this former brickworks site which I remember being built, but what year I cannot remember, possibly in the 1960's/70's. The houses which front this site on Dalestorth Road were built in the 1940's/50's. 







Beeley Bros. Brickmakers, Sutton in Ashfield



Samuel Hibbert Beeley & Fredrick William Beeley are recorded as Builders, Contractors & Farmers on High Pavement, Sutton in Ashfield, a family business which had been established by these two brothers in 1743, according to local historian, Luther Lindley. This company is recorded from 1899 to 1941 in White's Trade Directories & was run over the years by several members of the Beeley family. 

I next find in the trade directories, William Beeley junior, who I believe is related to the Beeley's above. In Kelly's 1876 & 1881 editions William Beeley junior is recorded as brickmaker in Sutton-in-Ashfield, residing in Mansfield. The location of his brickworks is not recorded.
From the 1861 Census I have found that William aged 33 in 1876, had a brother John aged 26 in 1876, who may have be working with him, with this brick being stamped Brothers or William jnr. could have just been using the family business name as above ? 


 © Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey 1887
Originally I was unable to name the owner of the brickworks, which was next to Blackmires Farm on this 1887 map. I have recently found out that it was owned & run by William Beeley (senior).
William is recorded in the 1864 edition of the Nottingham History Directory & Gazette as farmer & brickmaker at Blackmires. 
William Beeley is next recorded at Forest Street, S-in-A in White's 1885 edition & residing at Blackmires. As there is no works recorded for William junior in the trade directories, he may have worked with his father ? 
I have just found this map at the library & although it is dated 1899 it shows a brick kiln on Priestsic Road just off Forest Street (marked green), this is where I think William or William junior & John could have made their bricks after moving from Blackmires Farm as recorded in White's 1885 Directory.

 © Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey 1900

My next finding is an advert in the Derbyshire Times dated 15th April 1891. This is the sale of Blackmires Farm, Brick Works, Hotel, Public House & Contractor's plant by J. Jeeley, Auctioneer & Valuer. The article mentions probate transfers, so I take it that William senior has passed away. 

On the 1900 Ordinance Survey Map of the area, Blackmires brickworks is no longer recorded only the farm, which in the 1901 Census is now owned by William Antill (farmer) & his family. Factories & industrial units are now built on the land which was formerly the farm & brickworks.

At first I thought that the two recorded William's may have been the same person, but with me finding the 1876 entry as William junior & living at Mansfield, I now know that the 1864 William at Blackmires was his father & this has been backed up by the 1861 Census.

I have one further little bit of information found by Marg at Sutton Library that in the 1861 Census, a William Tomlinson, Master Brickmaker was living/boarding with William Clay at Blackmires Cottage. This cottage could have been on Blackmires Lane, which ran from Newark Road to Blackmires Farm & is now named Hamilton Road. So this William Tomlinson may have worked at or owned the Blackmires brickworks before William Beeley ?







Thomas Slack, Brickmaker, Sutton in Ashfield


I first found in the 1871 census that Thomas Slack b.1831 in Sutton in Ashfield is listed as a Journeyman Brickmaker & was living with his wife & young children on Blackmires Lane, Sutton. Now there was brickworks at Blackmires Farm which was owned by farmer/brickmaker William Beeley, so I am assuming Thomas was working for William Beeley at this date. 

The 1881 census now records Thomas Slack as a Brick & Tile Manufacturer living at Grange Cottage, Dalestorth Road with his wife Alice & four sons, John (24), Herbert (22) & Joseph (18) who are all listed as brickmakers, then Thomas junior (15) is listed as a labourer. With this brick yard being shown on the 1887 map Thomas Slack may have established this works in the mid 1870's with him moving to Grange Cottage. 

The 1891 census records Thomas Slack aged 60 still living at Grange Cottage with his wife Alice (58) & children, Elizabeth (26) dressmaker, Thomas junior (25) & listed as Brick Carrier & Hannah (24). 

Trade directories record Thomas Slack as brickmaker at Grange Cottage, Sutton in Ashfield, first in Wright's 1883 edition & then in Kelly's directories for the years 1891, 1893, 1895 & 1899. As no works address is given for Thomas Slack in trade directories I have identified that Thomas owned the yard just a short distance from his home. The 1898 O.S. map below shows Thomas' brickworks & his home, Grange Cottage, both coloured yellow. Today Grange Cottage has been replaced with a modern house & is now numbered 50 Dalestorth Road, with the garden still occupying all of the yellow area. A row of bungalows have also been built on the land between this plot & Dalestorth Road. Please note the houses on the opposite side of Dalestorth Road are in Skegby & the dotted line represents the parish boundary between Sutton & Skegby.  


 © Crown Copyright. Reproduced with permission of Ordnance Survey 1898.

The next owner of this brickworks was George Boot around 1907. 







George Boot, Brickmaker, Sutton in Ashfield


George Boot is first recorded as builder & contractor on Mansfield Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Notts. in Kelly's 1886 edition, then again in Kelly's 1899 edition. The first record of George Boot owning a brickworks is this 8th of March 1901 advert which appeared in the Hucknall Morning Star & Advertiser. This advert also records the location of George's brickworks as being on Dalestorth Road (coloured blue on the 1917 OS map below). 

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Kelly's 1904 edition is the first trade directory recording George Boot as a builder & brickmaker with the address of Mansfield Road which was his builders yard. 

 © Crown Copyright. Reproduced by permission of Ordnance Survey 1917.
I originally though George Boot owned the yellow coloured brickworks on this map with it's clay pit bordering onto Mansfield Road, but I have now discounted this option because it was his builders yard which was on Mansfield Road. I just note this yellow coloured brickworks was accessed via a lane off Skegby Road which is now Hill Crescent. Kelly's 1908 edition correctly lists George Boot's brickworks as being on Dalestorth Road, Sutton in Ashfield.

George Boot built himself a grand house at the entrance to yard, which still stands to day. It has ornate brickwork around the doors & windows & it shows his craft to it's fullest. The couple who now own this house were very interested to hear about my interest in the house, as they wanted to rebuild the 3rd floor, which had been taken down many years ago, but they had not got any plans or photos of the building at that time. So I asked an elderly lady I knew who lives on that road, if she had any photos but the answer was no, but she did remember the 3rd storey. Then the gentleman said, come around the back. There was a large pile of bricks which had come from the 3rd floor. Not one brick had George's name stamped in them, they were all plain bricks ! Kelly's 1916 edition is the last entry for George Boot at the Dalestorth Road works.

In Kelly's 1922 & 25 editions we now find new owners at this brickworks & they are listed as S.E. Carding & Son, Dalestorth Road, Sutton in Ashfield, but then we find in the next directory in 1928 that the works are now back in the hands of the Boot family & recorded as Boot Bros. Dalestorth Road, S in A. This is followed by the same entry in Kelly's 1932 edition & then Cope's 1933-34 edition. Kelly's 1936 edition no longer records the Boot Brothers & on the 1938 O.S. map, houses have now been built along the front of their yard on Dalestorth Road, with open fields to the rear.

This brickyard is recorded on the 1877 O.S. map & I have found Thomas Slack owned this works from the 1881 census to Kelly's 1899 edition, so Slack may have established this yard ?


      One of George's moulded bricks & reverse with name.






Variation found 13.9.14 in Derbyshire.

Photo by Darren Haywood.