Scotland's Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry

1807 – 1809 – John Bell, fire brick maker, Barrack Street, Gallowgate, Glasgow and Robert Bell, brickmaker and builder, opposite the Barracks.

1810 – 1812 – John Bell, fire brick maker, Barrack Street, Gallowgate, Glasgow and Robert Bell, brickmaker and builder, opposite the Barracks.

(Note – SBH – I am uncertain if the 2 entries above relate to these works but they appear to be in the same location – Barrack Street, Gallowgate, Glasgow. I have added them here to ensure they are recorded).

1828 – Thomas Borland and Co, firebrick makers, Barrack Street, Glasgow.

1835 – 1836 – Borland & Sommerville, Fire Brick & Grinding Work, Graham’s Sq.

Thomas Borland brickmaker, Barrack Street.

1836 -1837 – Borland & Sommerville, Fire Brick & Grinding Work, Graham’s Sq.

Thomas Borland, brickmaker, Barrack Street.

1840 – 1841 – Borland & Sommerville, Fire Brick & Grinding Work, Graham’s Sq.

1841 – 1842 – Borland & Sommerville, Fire Brick & Grinding Work. Market St. Gallowgate.

1842 – Borland & Sommerville, Graham Sq. Brickmakers.

1845 – 1846 – Borland & Sommerville, Fire Brick & Grinding Work, Market St. Gallowgate.

Below – 13/03/1848 – Glasgow Herald – Fire brick and grinding work for let. (This is likely to be the Borland and Somerville Works).

Below – 06/10/1848 – Glasgow Herald – Fire brick and grinding work for sale.

1849 – 1850 – Borland and Steven, fire brick and grinding works, 26 Market Street, Gallowgate.

28/05/1849 – John Sommerville dies at Glasgow, aged 71 years.

Below – 15/06/1849 – Glasgow Herald – Notice requesting the whereabouts of Janet Sommerville, daughter of the late John Sommerville, fire brick maker, Gallowgate as she is a beneficiary to her father’s estate.

1852 – Borland & Steven, fire brick makers, 26 Market Street, Gallowgate, Glasgow.

1852 – 1853 – Borland & Steven, brick makers, 26 Market Street, Gallowgate, Glasgow.

Below – 1857 – Brickworks, Market Street, Glasgow.

1858 – 1859 – Robert Borland, of Borland & Steven. House, 502 Gallowgate.

Borland & Steven, firebrick and Roman, cement grinding works, 26 East Market Street.

1861 – Borland and Steven – Fire brickmakers, 26 Market Street, Gallowgate.

1862 – 1863 – Borland and Steven, firebrick and roman cement grinding works, 26 East Market Street, Glasgow Gallowgate.

Robert Borland of Borland and Steven. House 543 Gallowgate.

Thomas Steven of Borland and Steven. House 17 Bellgrove Street. (Page 276)

1863 – 1864 – Robert Borland (of Borland & Steven). House, 543 Gallowgate.

Borland & Steven, firebrick and Roman cement grinding works, 26 East Market Street.

24/06/1864 – Glasgow Morning Journal – Petitions granted – Borland and Steven of Fire Brick and Cement Grinding Works, 26 East Market Street, to erect two additional flats to part of their present work at 26 East Market Street.

02/09/1865 – Paisley Herald – Death. At 17 Bellgrove Street, Glasgow on the 27th, Mr Thomas Steven, fire brick manufacturer, 26 East Market Street.

1871 – 1872 – Robert Borland (of Borland & Steven). House, 326 Duke Street.

Robert Borland, Jun. (at Borland & Steven’s). House, 326 Duke Street.

Borland & Steven, firebrick manufacturers and general grinders, 26 East Market Street.

1872 – 1873 – Robert Borland (of Borland & Steven). House, 326 Duke Street.

Robert Borland, Jun. (at Borland & Steven’s). House, 326 Duke Street.

Borland & Steven, firebrick manufacturers and general grinders, 26 East Market Street.

27/01/1876 – Glasgow Herald – The copartnery of Cunningham and McHaffi, Orchard Cement Manufacturers at Orchard and 4 Cook Street, Glasgow dissolved on 11th October 1875 by mutual consent of the subscribers, the sole partners of said firm. Peter Dewar the subscriber, having withdrawn from the business will be carried on in the same premises under the same firm by Robert Borland, senior, the subscriber, who is authorised to collect and pay the debts of the dissolved firm. – Robert Borland Sen and Peter Dewar…

01/05/1880 – Glasgow Herald – The subscriber Robert Borland Senr, hereby gives notice that he has retired from the business of working and manufacturing cement at Orchard, hitherto carried on by the firm of Cunningham and McHaffie. His son Robert Borland Jr has arranged for a lease of the works and will continue to carry on the business in his own name and for his own behoof. The subscriber begs to thank his customers for the support he has received and to solicit a continuance of it in favour of his son, Robert Borland Jr. – Robert Borland Sen.

In reference to the above notice the subscriber Robert Borland Jr, respectfully requests a continuance of the support hitherto accorded to his father. He hopes by attention to business to maintain the high reputation in the trade of the Orchard Cement.

1882 – Borland & Steven, 26 East Market Street, Glasgow.

19/07/1884 – Invoice – Robert Borland Junr, Cement Works Orchard, Glasgow. Office and mill 56 Market Street, Glasgow. The only manufacturer of the Orchard cement.

1886 – Borland & Steven, brick and tile makers, 26 East Market Street, Glasgow.

1891 – Invoices x 2 – Robert Borland Junr, Cement Works Orchard, Glasgow. Office and mill 56 Market Street, Glasgow. The only manufacturer of the Orchard cement.

1893 – The site is listed as a cement works.

John Somerville or Somervell born c.1780 in Lanarkshire. He was a partner in a fire brick manufacturing company in Glasgow called Borland and Somerville and is described in his will as a resident of Glasgow at the time of his death in May 1849. The family lived in the St John’s Parish part of town. He married Janet Lennox in 1806. They had a  daughter Mary who in 1841 was working in a cotton factory and who married a warper in a cotton factory named Robert Tod or Todd in 1841 at Calton, Barony. The death record for John Somerville’s son James shows he was buried in the south necropolis at Glasgow.  (Posted by Megan Hastie in 2008)