Scotland's Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry

(Note – SBH – There were a number of brickworks in Porter Street and ascertaining which was which and what information relates to individual brickworks is very confusing. See also the Porter Street Brickworks, Camlachie operated by William Hodge as this may well be one of the same as the brickworks detailed on this page) … (Note – SBH – See the entry dated 02/01/1866 which confirms that several individuals were operating side by side on William Guilds land).

24/02/1845 – Glasgow Herald – Subjects in Camlachie. To be promptly sold on Wednesday 26th February next at 1 o’clock pm within the Royal Exchange salerooms under the powers in a bond and disposition in security. All and whole that piece of ground in Camlachie with the whole buildings and erections thereon containing 1 acre, 12 falls and 6 ells or thereby, Scotch measure, sometimes occupied as a tileworks and bounded by ground now or formerly belonging to William McKechnie, brickmaker, Glasgow, on the North: by property belonging to the successors of James Anderson, on the south; by ground feued by the said William McKechnie to Thomas Beveridge and sold by him to Ebeneezer Jamieson, on the West.; and partly by ground feued to Hislop and Smith, and partly by the Camlachie Mill dam on the East, as more particularly bounded and described in the title deeds. From the extent of ground and supply of water and being within the Burgh of Glasgow, the subjects form an excellent and highly desirable situation for a public work …

(Note – SBH – I am uncertain if this article refers directly to the land used by Camlachie Brickworks but it is entirely possible it does so I have added the information here meantime).

02/07/1855 – Glasgow Herald – Notice – I pay John Porter, or any of my workmen their wages daily or hourly if required. Archibald Binnie, Camlachie Brickwork.

Below – 10/09/1856 – Glasgow Herald – Brickfield at Camlachie to let. Thomas Stark and Co, brickmakers. (Note – SBH – This advert may or may not be connected with the Camlachie Brickworks.)

Below – 1857 – Newlands Brickfields and 3 other brickfields including a clay mill. These are situated off Porter Street.

(Note – SBH – There are 4 brickfields at this location and I think they may be the Newlands Brickfield as shown on the map and at least one of the other brickfields was possibly that belonging to the Camlachie Brickworks which are also stated as being on Porter Street or to the South of the Shotts Road? I think William Guild was the proprietor and Archibald Binnie was a one time tenant. See also William Hodge‘s brickworks in Porter Street. It is rather confusing though!) … (Note – SBH – See the entry dated 02/01/1866 which confirms that several individuals were operating side by side on William Guilds land).

19/10/1857 – Glasgow Herald – To be let – A clay field, capable of producing 2 tables of bricks, also 2 stables of 4 and 8 stalls respectively with hay lofts and 2 small dwelling houses attached. The above are situated at Camlachie and will be let together or separately with immediate entry. For further particulars apply to William Guild, Proprietor, Porter Street, Camlachie.

1858 – 1859 – William Guild, brickmaker, Porter Street, Camlachie. House, 5 Newhall Terrace, Greenhead.

21/05/1858 – Glasgow Herald – To potters and ironmasters. Pugged clay for sale at Camlachie Brickwork, Porter Street wither on the field or delivered by the ton or for the season. Orders sent to Wm Guild, at the field, or to Peter Young, 475 Gallowgate.

30/06/1858 – Glasgow Herald – George Todd, contractor, pays his men daily or hourly if required. Porter Street Brickworks, Camlachie. 30/06/1858.

18/10/1858 – Glasgow Herald – At the Brickfield, Porter Street, Great Eastern Road, Camlachie. 1,000,000 bricks by auction. To be put into lots to suit buyers. Now on view. Approved bills at three months or discount for cash. To let the brickfield – The clay is of the best quality and very plentiful. Tile making can be carried on if desired. The engine and plant may either be rented or had at a valuation. For further particulars apply to Mr Guild at the field; Mr Young, 11 Miller Street or the auctioneers.

Below – 07/05/1860 – Glasgow Herald – New bricks @ 21s per 1000, run of kiln. Do for partitions or iron moulding. Soft at 21s per 1000. Orders sent to William Guild, Camlachie Brickwork, 22 Porter Street or Peter Young, 11 Miller Street.

07/07/1860 – Glasgow Herald – Scotch Bankrupts – Examinations – Archibald Binnie, brickmaker, Camlachie, Glasgow, to be examined within the Chambers of Mr Sheriff Strathern, Court House, Glasgow, 13th July, at twelve o’clock. Creditors to meet within the Counting House of George McFarlane, accountant, 116 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, 24th July, at one o’clock.

Below – 13/08/1860 – Glasgow Herald – Brickworks at Camlachie, to the South of Shotts Road to let. Proprietor Mr Guild.

Below – 31/08/1860 – Glasgow Herald – The Estate of Archibald Binnie, brickmaker, Camlachie for sale.

09/11/1860 – Edinburgh Gazette – George MacFarlane, Accountant in Glasgow, Trustee on the sequestrated estate of Archibald Binnie, Brickmaker, Camlachie, Glasgow, hereby intimates, that his accounts with the said estate, till 25th ultimo, have been audited by the Commissioners, who postpone declaring a dividend till next stated period. George MacFarlane, Trustee. Glasgow, November 7, 1860.

12/06/1861 – Edinburgh Evening Courant – Scotch Bankrupts – Dividends – Creditors of Archibald Binnie, Brickmaker, Society Street, Glasgow will receive a dividend at the chambers of George McFarlane, accountant there, 26 July.

03/07/1863 – Glasgow Herald – A brickfield to let – At Porter Street, Camlachie, capable of working two tables and upwards. Machinery on the ground and clay for a million bricks raised, ready to commence making. Also, another brickfield adjoining, capable of working five tables (Entry at Candlemas, 1864), to which an additional acre of ground can be attached.  Offers to be sent, for one or both Fields, before 2nd August, to Mr Peter Young, 11 Miller Street, Glasgow; or the Proprietor, Mr William Guild, Broomhill, by Greenhill (Post Town, Denny). (Note  – SBH – Was on sale from 25/05/1863 – Glasgow Herald).

02/01/1866 – William Guild died on 02/01/1866, unmarried. leaving a trust disposition and settlement and two codicils, dated respectively 20/08/1861, 13/07/1863 and 21/12/1865. Marion Guild or Learmonth, Janet Guild and Beatrice Guild or Lyon were the only sisters of the truster and were aged respectively 61, 64 and 50. Mrs Learmonth had no children. Under the disposition and settlement, the trustees were directed to hold the residue of the truster’s means and estate for behoof of the parties therein mentioned and divide the same, inter aliainter alia, to the extent of one fifth to each of the sisters for their liferent use allenarly. Besides personal property, which was insufficient to pay his debts, the truster’s estate consisted of heritable property at Camlachie, in the municipality of Glasgow, comprising feu duties, dwelling houses and about 12 acres of land, in which there existed near the surface a thick stratum of clay. Part of these 12 acres had been let for the purpose of excavating the clay and had been wrought by Mr Hodge, brickmaker, Glasgow from 1845 – 1855. From 1855 to 1864 Mr Guild, the truster, wrought and used the clay in the said part of the 12 acres for brickmaking and shortly before his death, but before the execution of the last codicil, he gave up brickmaking and let the clay in the said portion of the 12 acres to William Steven, brickmaker, Glasgow for 10 years from Candlemas 1865. The extent of the brickfield was about 15,000 square yards. Another part of the said 12 acres, extending to about 31,000 square yards had been wrought as a clay field from 1854 first by Hodge and MacDonald for about 10 years and afterwards by Hodge and Son under a new arrangement made by the truster with them, for a lease of eleven years from Candlemas 1964. The arrangements above mentioned were made by binding missives between the truster and each of the tenants, but no formal lease had been executed prior to the truster’s death. Formal leases were subsequently entered into between the trustees and the tenants in implement of the said missives. The lease to Messrs Hodge and Son provided for a fixed rent of £150 per annum, payable whether the clay was worked or not, with a lordship for all bricks made exceeding 3 tables or 1,650,000 bricks per annum, in the proportion which that number bears to the fixed rent of £150. Mr Stevens lease was in similar terms, the fixed rent being £120. The gross income of the residue of the estate was about £750 per annum, about £270 of which was derived from the brickfields. The remainder was made up from house rents and feu duties. There were bonds over the property and the nett income was about £400 per annum. The brickfields were said to be steadily rising in value. The trustees had no power to sell any part of the heritable property till the testator’s young nephew or niece alive should have attained the age of 21 years which could not be the case until December 1874. At the time of the testator’s death, the fair value of the ground let to Mr Steven and Messrs Hodge and Son was £4600. Its present fair value was 6s per square yard subject to a deduction of 30 %, in consequence of the rubbish filled into the excavations not having yet become sufficiently consolidated to sustain buildings. The truster was in the habit of furnishing returns to the lands valuation assessor, in which he stated the annual value of the brickfields at the fixed rents payable by his tenants. The rents appeared in the valuation rolls as the annual value of the brickfields and on this valuation, the testator paid taxes … (William Guild was formerly of Whitevale, Glasgow).

1871 – 1872 – William Steven, brickmaker, builder, and contractor; Office, 481 London Road; House, 483 do.; Brickworks, Porter Street and Society Street, G. Eastern Road; Mauldslie, London Road; Crosshill, Cathcart Road, south side.

05/06/1875 – Paisley Herald – On Monday forenoon a tramp named Henry Devlinwas found lying in an unconscious state in front of a brick kiln in Steven’s Brickwork, Camlachieand on being examined by Dr Young, was discovered to be in so weak a condition that his prompt removal to the infirmary was ordered and at once executed. He appears to have lain in front of the fires all night and to have inhaled a large quantity of the noxious gases emitted by the coal and his recovery is considered doubtful.