The Recording of this live talk was broadcast on Wednesday 8th June 2026
A Bibliography for this talk is in the Members' area under KFHS Resources
David showed a list of Occupational Terms for those involved with brickmaking. He said brickmaker or one of the occupational terms are often given in the census and on BMD certificates and is probably where you will first see that your ancestors were involved in brickmaking.
Bricks were made in this country in Roman times but brickmaking discontinued once the Romans left these islands. The occupation was revived in the 15th century onwards with settlers arriving from the Low Countries.
Originally bricks were handmade by a team of about 6 workers. They worked from April to October during daylight hours (dawn to dusk), as brickmaking could only be carried out when it was not too wet or cold. So some, but not all, had another job especially in the winter months, such as shovelling coal in the Gas works.
All members of the family were employed including children as young as 6 years, before the Factories Acts 1878 to 1895 regulated their employment. Working with wet clay in the cold, possibly shoeless and the long hours working from dawn to dusk could affect a child’s health. The Act specified that children under the age of 16 had to pass a medical which was recorded in the brickfield’s register before being allowed to work. The register also recorded information such as the child’s date of birth and their parents names. Details of young persons under 18 years were also recorded in a register.
Other than the 6 people who actually made the bricks, men worked at other jobs in the brickfield such as general labouring, preparing the clay and seeing it was free from stones which could make the brick explode when in the kiln. Hacking, taking bricks to the Hack to dry before they were stacked ready for the kiln. Men who brought the bricks from the Hack ground to be stacked for the kiln was known as a Crowder. David said that Crowder was a derivation of the Dutch ‘Kruien’ = to push a barrow.
David showed several photographs of brickmakers and said that by the tools they were holding he could name their role within the team.
The Flattie or Kneader was the person who received the clay and kneaded and shaped it ready for the Moulder to mould into a brick.
The Moulder would mould the clay into a wooden mould. He was the also the person contracted by the Under-taker to make bricks at a set price per 1,000 bricks and was the only person directly employed. He selected his workers and when paid by the under-taker for the bricks made he shared it out amongst his workers. Payments per 1,000 bricks in the 19th/early 20th century was about 4 shillings per 1,000 bricks but depending on market influences could be as low as 3s/6d. The Under-taker, David explained was not a mortician, but the person in charge of the general management of the brickfield yard.
The Striker received the embryo brick from the Moulder and removed the excess clay from around the mould before the Crowder took the newly formed bricks to dry in the sun prior to be stacked ready for the kiln. The stacks of new bricks were covered so they were protected from rain, frost and too much sun whilst they were drying before being ‘burnt’ (baked or fired). Green bricks were very heavy due to the moisture and different types of clay held more moisture than others but they lost at least 2 lbs once they were burnt.
David said that Kent bricks were green in colour until fired when they became a yellowish colour. The colours could differ over the country, determined by the type of clay used which differed regionally.
Bricks were also named and graded and another job was to take them from the Clamp and group them accordingly. Stocks were quality grade bricks whilst others were graded for their strength and look if they were suitable for the face of a building or on an internal wall. Most bricks had a purpose, although a few were deemed of low strength, those fused together during the burning could be used for garden walls.
David continued by suggesting where you can find information on your brick making ancestors and said that Newspapers, can give details of production, wages and bankruptcy of businesses etc. Street directories and Trade Journals such as ‘The Builder’ were useful as were Estate Maps and Tithe Maps and the documents of Agreement between the Moulder and the Under-taker. .
He also provided an extensive Bibliography for members which is in the members area of the website. Link above. And mentioned the following books as useful for research.
‘Bricks to build a house’ by John Woodforde
‘Bricks and Brickies’ by Frank Wilmot
David gave an example of an organisation Flow Diagram entitled ‘How to research Trades and Work Places’, available from North West Kent Family History Society's website for NW Kent FHS members.
About the speaker
David Cufley is a former President of North West Kent Family History Society. He leads workshops and gives talks to family history and local history societies. David is also a member of the Guild of One Name Studies and a number of other Family History Societies. He has been researching his family since the late 1960s. David is currently writing about Brick Building and Brickmaking and is always pleased for people to contact him giving information and asking for help researching this occupation.
Report by Tricia Baxter
Speakers Secretary for Kent FHS's Virtual Meetings.