Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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The prolific use of 'clamps' to fire bricks, where the close-stacking
arrangement of standard bricks and lack of firing control did not suit the
production of 'specials', which, like roofing tiles, generally needed to be
kiln-fired.
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The inherent quality of some brickearth/clays, when low-fired, to be easily
cut to shape and abraded to a precise profile and smooth finish.
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The employment of masons and the continuing development of some of
the highly-skilled brickmasons/bricklayers as 'hewers' able to expertly 'cut
and rub' bricks quickly and accurately to the desired shape.
Cutting Mouldings from 'Green' Clay
There is evidence on some enrichments from the second quarter of the fif-
teenth century that, occasionally, mouldings were also cut from the 'green'
(before firing) clay brick whilst semi-dry (Beswick, 2001, 24):
The bricks for most buildings were made on the spot by an itinerant brickmaker
employed for the purpose. Often he served as the bricklayer as well.
This important latter point is emphasised by Moore (1991, 233):
Some bricklayers also made bricks. Antony Yzebronde, apprentice bricklayer at
Kirby Muxloe, spent more time at the kiln than with his master…. At Camber
Castle in 1539 Gilbert Drynkherst was successively head bricklayer at 7d. a day,
brickmaker at 8d….
Peter Minter, proprietor of the Bulmer Brick & Tile Company in Suffolk and
respected authority on traditional brickmaking and historic bricks suggests that:
…this method could well have been carried out by the brickmaker under the
guidance of the brick mason speeding production.… the identification of cut
post-fired bricks as opposed to cut and green bricks, is as follows:
Cut after firing. The material, even at low-fired state, is hard and abrasive, and
requires the use of saw, scutch, rasp or any other tool capable of cutting down
and rubbing to a finish. Marking out done even with a sharp instrument would
only leave a shallow scratch in the surface of the brick, whilst a rasp tends to leave
striations on the face. Poorly prepared clay and other inclusions become exposed
when cutting into the core of the brick; these are then visible or in some cases fall
out of the body of the brick during its lifetime.
Cut green. Providing the clay is some three parts dry, it is possible to cut with a
knife or chisel in the way a carpenter would work wood. The marking out is bolder
due to the softness of the material and a more permanent mark is left, often
becoming more pronounced due to weathering. When cutting semi-dry clay, the
