Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
'…was, in fact, the last in a long line of English bishop-statesmen who had built
on a scale rarely exceeded by their sovereigns'.
The ownership of Hampton Court Palace passed to King Henry VIII (1491-
1547) in 1528, as a result of Wolsey's failure to secure the king's divorce from
Queen Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536). Henry, in turn, carried on his own
large programme of building works there during the years that followed up to
his death in 1547.
Brickmaking in the Medieval and Tudor Periods
Brickmaking in the medieval and Tudor periods was essentially the same,
although changes and developments inevitably took place; particularly as
brickwork became highly desirable during the fifteenth century and a much
higher standard of brickwork is seen. The bricks were made either from estuar-
ine clay deposits on the banks of rivers and lakes, or shallow clay beds, often
termed 'brickearth', or loam clay found especially in the Thames valley and
eastern England.
Brick and tile making was a seasonal activity. Generally the clay was excav-
ated in shallow digs close to or within the proposed site, but without pumps
these could never be deep. Manual extraction of the clay, or being dug or
'won', was always completed before the onset of winter, generally the 1st of
November. It was then 'stirred and turned' and left to 'sour' before the 1st of
February and the last of the hard frosts that broke down the clay, which was
then 'wrought' (beaten) before spring; after the 1st of March. The 'tempered'
clay was then cast into a shallow pit to be trodden by people or oxen, ready
for shaping or 'moulding'; stones, chalk or other foreign bodies were normally
removed, where possible, at this stage. It was vital to get out the chalk, or other
sources of calcium carbonate, as in firing these would become quicklime and
blow the bricks due to expansion when in contact with moisture.
Utilising a timber mould box or 'forme' was well established in the thir-
teenth century. Various sizes of bricks are used during these years and some-
times these were stated within a building contract. As Wright (1972, 41),
however, states:
'The advantages of some standardisation were soon realised, and it was the prob-
lem of building repairs that prompted the council of Colchester (Essex) from 1425
or 1426 to keep in the moot Hall a model “fourme” for the brickmakers to copy'.
Casting the 'clot' (from the Dutch 'klutto' meaning lump) of 'green' or
unfired clay into the box resting directly on the grass or straw-covered ground.
Early bricks were large and often referred to as 'great' bricks, such as those at
 
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