Scotland's Brick and Tile Manufacturing Industry

William Hudspith & Co, Wishaw Fire Clay Works, Wishaw, North Lanarkshire.

Below – 1859 – The blue cross marks the Hudspith Brickworks.

21/12/1861 – Glasgow Saturday Post – Burgh appeal court – A court appeal against the assessment of 1s 6d per pound imposed on all property within the burgh bounds was held on Tuesday, the chief magistrate presiding. A few ratepayers were exempted on the ground of poverty. Appeals were also lodged against the assessment made on minerals, the plea that no minerals were present wrought within the boundary, by either proprietor on Wishaw and Coltness estates or their lessees. Mr Dean appealed against the assessment on his brick and tile works, and Mr Marshall on his stone quarries, on the same plea, both these gentlemen carrying on their several works beyond the boundary line.

29/06/1865 – Glasgow Herald – Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. Half-yearly meeting. New members included … William Hudspith, Wishaw Brickworks, Wishaw.

12/08/1865 – Hamilton Advertiser – W.Hudspith & Co (successors to Thos Dean) Manufacturers of agricultural drain pipes, common composition and fire bricks, composition pipes, plain and fawcett vitrified sewage pipes, horse mangers, cattle troughs, vent linings, chimney cans, garden edging, furnace blocks and every description of plain and fancy clay goods. Agents for Scotland to make and sell Foxley’s patent beaded bricks for garden walls. All orders promptly attended to. Wishaw and Berry Hill Brick, Tile, Fire Clay and Sewage Pipe Works.

Below – 03/10/1865 – Cumberland and Westmorland Advertiser – William Hudspith manufacturer of vitrified Fireclay, pig and cattle troughs, horse mangers, stable bricks, water troughs, sewage pipes, taps, sinks and every description of plain and ornamental goods in fire clay. South Tyne Works, Haltwhistle.

Wishaw Tiles from 1 inch to 18 inches in diameter. W. Huspith & Co are prepared to deliver these superior tiles in quantities from 3000 to 3000000 at any principal Station in Cumberland or Westmorland. Wishaw and Berry Hill Works by Motherwell. N.B. (Note – SBH – I believe the Berryhill Brickworks is another name for Hudspiths Wishaw works. See the 1896 map below – just to the South West of the works there is mention of the Berryhill Rows. The use of the name seems short-lived as the newspaper archives only reference in c. 1865).

19/01/1866 – Edinburgh Evening Courant  – Reference to Mr William Hudspeth, brick and tile manufacturer, Wishaw being involved in a committee trying to improve the North British Railway extension around Wishaw.

12/07/1866 – Whitehaven News – Inauguration dinner … Shareholders in the Millom Brick Company Limited (Cumbria) together with a few friends celebrated the opening of their new works by a dinner at the Station Hotel, Holborn Hill … Mr Mathews, the managing director was in the chair and the vice-chair was occupied by Mr Hudspith (Mr Mathews partner in a brickworks at Wishaw in Scotland) …

Below – 1867 – Advert – W Hudspith & Co, Wishaw, Motherwell.

31/07/1867 – Glasgow Herald – Highland and Agricultural Society Show, Glasgow – At stand 75, a display of fire clay from the works of Hudspith & Co, Wishaw. The application of the material in question to drain and sewage pipes, pig and cattle troughs, and ornamental flower stands is illustrated in a number of excellent specimens. The flower stands, designed after the similitude of old tree stumps, struck us as particularly successful.

1868 – William Hudspeth & Co, Wishaw Pottery and Brick Work, Motherwell.

04/08/1869 – North British Agriculturist – Highland and Agricultural Society’s Show of 1869 – Mr William Hudspith & Co., Wishaw, exhibited well-made drain-pipes, cattle-troughs, horse mangers, bricks for paving byres and stables, bricks for garden walls, chimney-cans, and other articles made of clay

13/08/1870 – Falkirk Herald – Man Found Drowned. About nine o’clock, Wednesday morning the body of a man was found in a pond near Hudspith’s brickwork, Berryhill Rows. The body has since been identified as that of collier named Owen Garry, residing in Brown Street, Wishaw, who had not been seen or heard since Saturday afternoon last, when he left his lodging.

27/07/1871 – Glasgow Herald – Highland and Agricultural Society Show at Perth – Messrs Hudspith & Co., Wishaw and Haltwhistle, show a large and excellent assortment of fern and flower arboretes, and also a variety of articles in fireclay – dipping sheep troughs, irrigation tiles, and sanitary pipes, fitted with plain and faucet pipes.

26/07/1875 – Glasgow Herald – Firebrick moulder wanted. One accustomed to working with brass moulds also 2 or 3 good pipe makers. Apply to William Hudspith & Co, Fireclay Works, Wishaw.

1877 – Invoices – William Hudspith and Co, Brick, Tile, Fireclay and Sewage Pipe Works.

1877 – 1878 – Thomas Leslie, agent for Wm. Hudspith & Co., Wishaw and Haltwhistle Brick Tile, and Fire Clay Works.

1879 – 1880 – Thomas Leslie, agent for Wm. Hudspith & Co., Wishaw and Haltwhistle Brick Tile, and Fire Clay Works.

30/04/1880 – Glasgow Evening Citizen – Abort three o’clock yesterday afternoon an old vagrant between 60 and 70 years of age, named Samuel McCallum, originally a blacksmith, died in a shed at the works of Messrs. William Hudspeth & Co., brick and tile manufacturers, Wishaw.

1880 – 1881 – Thomas Leslie, agent for Wm. Hudspith & Co., Wishaw and Haltwhistle Brick Tile, and Fire Clay Works.

1882 – William Hudspith & Co, Fire clay goods manufacturers, Wishaw.

Below – 1882  -William Hudspith & Co, Fire clays, Wishaw. Coal masters, Green Colliery Wishaw.

1885 – William Hudspith & Co. Fire Clay Works, Wishaw.

1886 – William Hudspith & Co. Brickmaker, Wishaw.

Below – 1886  and 1889 – William Hudspith & Co.

04/06/1887 – Wishaw Press – Accident at the brickwork. An unfortunate accident occurred on Thursday afternoon at the tile works of Messrs William Hudspith Co. One of the labourers, James Donnelly, Steel Street, while engaged in feeding the pug mill used for preparing clay for the manufacture of drain pipes, got his right hand severely injured by allowing it accidentally to get between the rollers. He was attended by Dr Eaglesham and conveyed in the ambulance waggon to Glasgow Royal Infirmary, where it was found necessary to amputate four of the man’s fingers

1889 – Hudspith William & Co. Fire Clay Works, Wishaw, N.B.

1891 – 1893 – Invoices – William Hudspith and Co, Green Colliery and Fire Clay Works, Wishaw. Manufacturers of fire and common brick, plain and socket glazed pipes, drain tiles &c.

1893 – William Hudspith & Co, Brick and Tile and Fireclay Manufacturer, Glasgow Road.

1893 – Messers W Hudspith’s Brick and Fireclay Works – Started more than half a century ago, these works passed through many hands and it was not until 1864 that the present firm entered into possession of them. Messrs Hudspith & Co manufacture fireclay goods of almost every description including chimney cans, troughs, glazed pipes, coping, vases, garden borders etc besides bricks of various kinds. The fireclay is obtained from the firms Green Colliery adjoining Wishaw South Station.

Below – 1893 – Advert – William Hudspith.

1895 – 1897 – Invoices – William Hudspith and Co, Fire Clay Works Green and Carbarns Collieries, Wishaw. Manufacturers of fire brick, plain and socket glazed pipes, horse mangers and cattle troughs, chimney cans &c.

27/09/1895 – Edinburgh Gazette – I, John Hamilton Buchannan MD. Sowerby, Thirsk, Yorkshire hereby intimate that I have sold and assigned my interest in the firm of William Hudspith & Co, Coalmasters and Brick and Tile Manufacturers, Wishaw, in the County of Lanark, to William Hudspith and James Riddell, the remaining partners. The said William Hudspith and James Riddell will receive all debts due to, and pay all debts due by, the said Firm. John H Buchannan.

Below – 1896  – Advert- William Hudspith

Below – 1896 – Brick Tile and Fireclay Works, Wishaw – Hudspiths. Brickworks still evident on the 1910 OS map but they are gone by 1940.

Below – 1896 – Map showing the relationship between Green Colliery, Carbarns Colliery and Hudspiths Brick and Tile Works.

12/02/1900  – Carbarns Colliery is the property of Messrs William Hudspith & Co., and is situated near Cam’nethan Old Graveyard; in fact, it was known at one time as the Old Graveyard Pit. 3 die in pit explosion.

Below – 24/11/1902 – Newcastle Daily Chronicle – Alderman William Hudspith, of Greencroft, Haltwhistle, passed away on Sunday afternoon at 4.20, in the presence of the members of his family and friends. For many weeks the deceased passed through a severe and trying illness, and during the past few days he has lain in a semi-conscious condition. The decorated gentleman leaves a widow and a family of four daughters. The interment will take place at Haltwhistle Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon, at 2.45 the service being held in the Presbyterian Church. William Hudspith was born at Cowburn Rigg, a farm to the north of the Roman Wall and about four miles from Haltwhistle, in the year 1824. With little or no education in early life, owing to the distance from any school, he was obliged to resort to self-education and devoted his time in that direction when not engaged in assisting his parents on the farm. At the age of 18, he secured employment with the contractor who was engaged in making the North-Eastern Railway from Haltwhistle to Alston and acted in the capacity of the timekeeper. Probably owing to his keen business aptitude and the esteem in which he found favour with his employer when the latter died Mr Hudspith was appointed sole trustee. Later Mr Hudspith acquired the South Tyne Brick and Pipe Works from Messrs. Nelson, and which were then worked on a small scale. Always of a courageous and speculative mind, in April 1897, the first sod was cut by his daughter for the shaft which was expected to further extend the workings of the South Tyne Colliery. He was also a joint owner in a large brickworks and colliery at Wishaw and in the Langley Brick and Pipe Works. He also obtained large interests and took an important part in the iron and steel industry at Maryport and Workington and along with the late Mr Crawhall Wilson (Coanood Colliery) and Mr Hedley (Newcastle) took part in the formation of the Solway Hematite Iron Coy, a concern which he eventually became general manager and chairman of directors. He was also a director of the Mossbay Works, one of the largest concerns on the West Coast. The West Cumberland Storage Company also found him a director whose judgement was held in high appreciation …

28/11/1902 – Hamilton Herald – Death of William Hudspith (23/11/1902)  – The late Ex Baillie Hudspith – On Wednesday the grave closed over the mortal remains of the late ex-Bailie Hudspith. who died at his residence at Haltwhistle, Northumberland, on Sunday, at the ripe old age of 77. The deceased gentleman, who at one time played an important part in local affairs, was born at Cowbarn Farm, near Haltwhistle in 1825. Brought up in that district, he came to Wishaw in 1861 as one of the partners of William Hudspith & Co, who had acquired the Wishaw Fireclay Work, from the representatives of the late Thomas Dean. Mr Hudspith during his stay in Wishaw was well known in Scottish business circles. He also took a considerable and active interest in public affairs being a member of the local Commission Board and afterwards one of the Baillies.  In politics, he was an ardent Liberal, and a loyal supporter of Major, afterwards Lord Hamilton of Dalzell who represented this part of the County before the redistribution of seats. While in Wishaw. Mr Hudspith attended the Wishaw Established Church, of which the Rev. A Harper is at present the minister. Though Mr Hudspith bad been since 1870, residing in Northumberland, where he had considerable business interests, he had never given up his Wishaw connection, and latterly he and Mr James Riddell were the sole partners of the firm, Messrs Wm. Hudspith & Co., which conducted the Wishaw Fireclay Works and the Carbarns Colliery. As in Wishaw so in his native district Haltwhistle he took a keen interest in public affairs being a member of nearly all the public boards in the locality. Naturally, the removal of Mr Hudspith by death has been deeply felt in Haltwhistle and also in Wishaw.

1903 – Hudspith William & Co, fire clay goods manufacturers & coal masters. Wishaw fire clay works & Carbarns Colliery. TA Hudspith Wishaw.

1906 – 1907 – Invoices – William Hudspith and Co, Wishaw Fireclay Works and Carbarns Colliery, Wishaw, manufacturers of fire brick, plain and socket glazed pipes, horse mangers and cattle troughs, chimney cans &c.

1910 – Map depicting William Husdpith & Co.

1940 – Map does not show William Husdpith and Co works.

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Three salt glaze tree stump planters – source