Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Maurice Emmett
Maurice Emmett (also spelt Morris Emmott) (1646-94) was born in London
and apprenticed to his father, Maurice Emmett Snr, who had briefly held the
post of Master Bricklayer in the Office of Works in 1660. The younger Maurice
Emmett held the office of Master Bricklayer in the Office of Works from 1677
until his death in November 1694.
Colvin (1995, 347) states:
As a master bricklayer Emmett was employed at Chelsea Hospital from 1682, at
Winchester Palace 1683-4, at Windsor Castle in 1685-6, at Whitehall in 1685-7,
and at Kensington Palace in 1689-90.
On most of these aforementioned buildings are examples of the skilled gauged
work of Emmett, his younger brother George, cousin Stephen, and many of
his team of craftsmen. Of interest is the specimen of an account supplied for
brickwork at Hampton Court Palace by Emmett for Sir Christopher Wren (The
Wren Society, Bolton and Hendry, 1927, Volume IV, 45). Here, as was standard
practice, the 'gaged' work is itemised separately from general brickwork or, in
the seventeenth-century parlance, as 'over and above':
For work measured from the bottom of the water table to bottom of the first floor, together with the
foundation of additional walls and chimneys and 2 wells in the Parke Garden
£
sh.
d.
For 148 Rodd of new brickwork reduced to brick & a half in thickness
192
8
0
For 850 ft 10 in of rubbed and gaged work over windows and doors
28
7
3
For 61 ft 4 in of coins rubbed and gaged
1
10
8
For 6 neeches each 9.0 and 4 ft wide at £2 each
12
0
0
For 70 ft of arch 7 brick and half
2
3
9
For 48 ft of arch 5 brick
1
0
0
For 100 ft of arch 4
1
⁄
2
brick
1
17
6
For 22 ft of arch 4 brick
0
7
4
For 40 ft of arch 3
1
⁄
2
brick
0
11
8
For 191 ft of arch 2 brick
0
11
10
For 162 ft of arch 1
1
⁄
2
0
12
9
Emmett's gauged work at Hampton Court Palace, as at his other buildings,
echoes in Metselaarsgildekamer in Amsterdam, and in particular the manner
of how he constructs his brick niches (Fig. 73).
Edward Helder
The surname of Edward Helder (Holder or Elder) is highly suggestive of Nether-
landish extraction, and communication with the Low Countries substantiates
