Monument record 8479/1/2 - Brick kiln

{1} From 1772 to 1781 Robert Billson, along with Edward Cole, is registered as having land at the brickhill in the rate books. The 1778 map of the enclosure awards, records the land ownership of the site- Billson owned 6 acres, 3 rods and 14 perches. With the inclosure awaed of 1778 both Billson and Cole were awarded a new road, "one private carraige drift road of the breadth of 15ft from and out of the Turnpike road from Northampton towards Kingsthorpe".
It is probable that Billosn and Cole's brick kiln area were run as a single capitalist enterprise under John Turvey as the brickmaker.
1785-1789- The brick kilns were willed to Richard Earl
1789-c. 1793- The land was sold to Thomas Scriven
1793- Half of the land is sold on to the Cooper Family. It seems that the other half was sold to the Gordon family as their name appears in the rate book in 1793 for the first.
The rate book shows that Thomas Masters had taken over the Gordon's area in c.1811 but the 1822 rate book lists the brick kilns as being empty. At this point Masters seems to have moved to the other part of the Billson site.
The 1838 rate book shows the former Gordon land was owned by Elizabeth Holt and occupied by Samuel Johnson.
The parish rate books show that Franci Rouse took over Elizabeth Holt's part of the Billson land in around 1852, though Thomas Johnson carried occupying the land.
Masters occupation continued to c. 1852, when it was sold to George Cooke, and Thomas Johnson seems to have rented the site as the rate books show him as the occupier sometime between c. 1848 and 1852. In around 1862, A B Markham took over ownership of both parts of the site, although Thomas Johnson continued to occupy the site until c.1880.
The site was then rented out to two short-lived brickmakers: George Savage from c.1880-1886 and Henry Martin to the end of brickmaking on the site in c. 1894.

Ishmail-Bibby Z., 2000, A History Of St George's Conservation Area & Its Environs (Booklet). SNN100299.

<1> Atkins, R., 2003, Brickmaking in Holy Sepulchre Parish, Northampton, P. 85, 87, 90 (checked) (Article). SNN103917.

Record last edited

Feb 17 2014 12:58PM