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How to Research Nineteenth and Twentieth century Brickmakers.

The British Brick Society.

In 2020 in answer to a query about researching brickfields and brickmakers in the British Brick Society (BBS) Journal an article ‘How to Research Nineteenth and Twentieth century Brickmakers’ was written by our President David Cufley. This article is in the BBS Journal Information No 144, p 5-8, published in January 2020 is available below. The article includes a research flow diagram that is also available as a separate download below.

The editor of the journal David H Hammett has given us permission to reproduce the article on our web site. It is also available on the British Brick Society web site http://britishbricksoc.co.uk.

A copy of the journal has been donated and lodged in our library (LocationID NGR0148) on the open shelves.

The BBS enquiries Secretary is Michael Hammet (email mike9bc@gmail.com)

Tonbridge Brickmakers

Research into Burgess Hill Farm, Tonbridge for the Weald and Downland living Museum has led to the history of the local brickmakers and their brick works.

The Tonbridge Historical Society in 2005 had published ‘Tonbridge Industrial History’ by Anthony Wilson. This work included in the various industrial sites by reference to their locations and history. Among the industries he found 13 brickmaking works and these were given a reference number from C10 to C22.

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Information 144
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Boys Book of trades c1860

The article “Burgess Hill Farm” and its companion map uses the same numeric references for the same sites. The map and article provide details of 34 brickmaking works from two sites in Hadlow south through the Tonbridge area to eleven sites in Southborough.

This article was written in 2019 and has been lodged by Tonbridge Historical Society in their archives stored at Tonbridge Castle. See their website for contact details and their archives catalogue. A hard copy of this article is catalogued under the B/04/012 item number.

The data for each of these brickfields and their workers has been taken from the ‘Brickmakers Index’. If you want to enquire of this index please email the Society using the library email address, library@nwkfhs.org.uk.

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Petersfield Drying Shed reconstructed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum at Singleton Sussex

How to Research Nineteenth and Twentieth century Brickmakers. PDF's

Please feel free to peruse our PDF's below.

Tonbridge Brickmakers PDF's

Please feel free to peruse our PDF's below.