JOSEPH HOWLETT and MARIA GILBERT are the witnesses at the wedding of GEORGE (1796-1876) and Mary. Maria GILBERT1 is probably GEORGE (1796-1876)'s older sister HANNAH MARIA (b. 1794) who would be one month short of being 21. This wedding is nearly 2 years after GEORGE (1796-1876)'s oldest sister MARY ANN (b1790) married Joseph HOWLETT and at which GEORGE (1796-1876) left his mark as a witness even though he was only 17 years old at the time. By not being able to sign the marriage certificate, we can assume that GEORGE (1796-1876) could not write, unlike the Robert Gilbert (either George's brother or father) who signed the Parish Accounts in 1829.There was no formal schooling in the village for another 60 years2 - though GEORGE (1796-1876) could have been taught later on in his life.
We don't know when GEORGE (1796-1876) became a brickmaker, but we do know that his father owned brick kilns at his death in 1840 and that GEORGE (1796-1876) is listed as a brick maker in the 1841 census when he is 45 years old.
Banham is reported to have grown during the 18th and 19th century:
'with the establishment of a brick works at Hunt's Corner to the west of the village and the development of a local cider industry. Hunt's corner named after the owner of one of two separate works which in the 19thC supplied bricks and tiles over a large area of South Norfolk.' (Banham Heritage Register, 1991).From the 1841 census, I knew that GEORGE (1796-1876) lived at 55 Westgate Street and, from the map, the brick works were at Hunt's Corner, so I went to look for it on my visit to Banham.I was delighted to find the house in Grove Road (formerly Westgate Street) and, in 1997, the home of the cottage-industry sized Tey Pottery, run by Carol Tey, well known for being the maker of the Britain in Miniature series. This is definately where GEORGE (1796-1876), ran his brickmaking business from. I was kindly shown around by Carol who told me that the house was originally timber-framed and in-filled at the back with brick.
Brickmaker's Farm (1997)
There is also a site of another brick kiln site nearby recorded in 1797 3 but I don't know who lived there; maybe the Hunt's? It could be where the business started then moved to accommodate demand. The Banham Heritage Register (1991) cites that this brickmaker's was
“...there before 1836. Two separate brickworks (2 firms) in the same place. Former 'Brickmakers Arms' now 'Corner House' with row of brickmakers cottages next door, also a large house, possibly one of the owners houses, next to it. 2 kilns remain, and a barn made from waste bricks.”
Map of Banham (1797) showing location of brick kilns3
Carol showed me two brick 'bottle' shaped kilns in her garden; one used to house a goat, the other left in its original state. She explained that part of her garden was basically hard core from all the bricks crushed into the ground which made a good campsite.
One of the original kilns (1997)
Carol remembers being told that two pheasants were tithed (quarterly?) to the Duke of Norfolk and indeed, Banham was one of the manors of the Duke of Norfolk4 but this still needs to be confirmed.
On the side of the large barn where Carol worked and stored her stock, were patterned bricks built into the external wall. She preferred to think of this as a sort of 'catalogue' to show customers rather than waste bricks (as claimed in the Banham Heritage Register of 1991). Carol also had heard rumours that the brick makers had made the bricks for the Sandringham Estate 5. I have since checked this out and it seems unlikely, but the thistle brick is interesting!
Wall at Brickmaker's Farm made from waste bricks (or a catalogue?!) (1997)
The reason the bricks were so good was because of the clay pit just outside the village centre. The clay was the closest to be found near the fens and contained the right percentage of iron oxide to make the red 'brick' colour. In 1997 the clay pit was the site of the Monkey Sanctuary at Banham Zoo (and probably still is, if the Zoo hasn't changed it's layout).
At the time of the 1841 census, GEORGE (1796-1876) and Mary and their three children (JAMES (b circa 1816), JOHN (b circa 1821) and MARY ANN (b circa 1826) are still in Banham as are the families of ROBERT (b. 1791) and LIVY (b1805) whilst their brothers JOSEPH (b 1800) and WILLIAM (b 1802) with their respective families have already moved to Bury St Edmunds and their sisters MARY ANN (b 1790), HANNAH MARIA (b 1794) and SARAH (b. 1798) to outlying villages, on marrying. (REBEKAH ISABELL b 1790 and LUCY (b 1793) are where?)
Kelly's Directory and White's Directory of 1845 show that there were 150 people employed making bricks and tiles in Banham with GEORGE GILBERT (1796-1876) listed as a brickmaker as well as J.(John?) Hunt 6. Employing so many people at this time (approx 12% of the local population 7) would have meant that brickmaking would have been very important to the local economy and the livelihood of a large proportion of the village.
The 1851 census shows GEORGE (1796-1876) living at 55 Westgate Street aged 55. He is not only a brickmaker but a farmer of 50 acres employing 15 men, indicating they were well-off financially. MARY (nee Dove) is the same age and listed as a 'farmer's wife'. Their first born son, JAMES (b1815) is still living with them despite being aged 36. He is listed as 'Farmer's son'. GEORGE (1796-1876) and Mary have their grandson Robert GERMANY (b1847) aged 4 (listed in the census as a visitor) staying with them. Their daughter MARY ANN (b1826) had married a local farmer and yeoman John GERMANY8; about 1843 (she would have been only 17 years old) and went on to have 11 children. The young Robert GERMANY (b 1847) may have been being looked after whilst his mother is sick or having another baby, as MARY and John GERMANY's children arrived every 2 years!
GEORGE (1796-1876) and MARY also have a scholar and servant ANN LANCASTER (aged 19) from Fersfield staying with them in 1851. They are still doing well if they have a servant staying with them. The name doesn't seem to appear in the family so is probably not a relative.
We also can see that GEORGE (1796-1876) sees himself more as a farmer than a brickmaker at this time, so may have handed most of the brickmaking business over to the Hunt's.
Hunts Corner, Banham (1997)
By the time of the 1871 census, GEORGE (1796-1876) is living at 137 Hunt's Corner and is a widower, aged 74. He is still a farmer with 37 acres and employing 2 men. He has a housekeeper, Elizabeth Rush born in East Harling (maybe a connection with his sister SARAH (b1798) who lives in that village with her husband George WOODCOCK). His eldest son,
JAMES (b1815), now 53, is still unmarried, a famer's son and living with his father. They have another servant; Charlotte Twist aged 18 from Old Buckenham.
In the 1871 Census (?) the description of the parish says '...including the Garden House with Hunt's Corner, Gilbert's and Cook's Place 9.
In the 1871 Census (?) the description of the parish says '...including the Garden House with Hunt's Corner, Gilbert's and Cook's Place 9.
GEORGE (1796-1876) dies at 79 years old on 25th January 1876. His death is witnessed by his Grand-daughter EMA (sic) JANE GILBERT who lives in Norwich. It would need to be checked out, but of GEORGE's three children, JAMES (b c1815) stays at home and is handicapped in some way, MARY ANN marries John GERMANY, so her off-spring would carry the family name of Germany, so if EMA is a 'true' grand-daughter she is probably the daughter of JOHN (b.circa 1821). To still have the family name, she is probably a spinster and may have been nursing GEORGE (1796-1876) in his last days. Possibly, there is a Norwich family line which can be followed from the 1851 census as JOHN (b1821) is still in Banham in the 1841 census.
George Gilbert's Death Certificate (1876)
In the 1881 census (five year later), his eldest son, JAMES (b circa1815) is 60 years old and living with his younger sister MARY ANN (b1826) and her husband John GERMANY, one assumes this will have been since GEORGE (1796-1876)'s death. JAMES is identified in that census as as “Handicapped / Imbicile” for the first time.
By 1892, John Hunt is listed as the only brickmaker in Banham. He farms as well 10. Hunt's Corner remains a landmark in the village, the reference to Gilbert's Place and Cook's Place appear to have vanished with time.
Section of Banham Ordnance Survey Map (1884) showing Hunt's Corner, Brick Kilns and Corn Windmill.
Footnotes:
1. MARY ANN GILBERT (b.1790) married in 1813 and so, in 1815 when GEORGE (b.1796) married, she would have been Mary Ann HOWLETT. It may be able to be proved otherwise, but this is why I am assuming that MARIA GILBERT is HANNAH MARIA GILBERT (b. 1794). It was not uncommon for people to be known by their middle names until well into the 20th Century.
2."A School Board of 5 members was formed compulsorily May 20 1875; Jn Roper, clerk to the board & attendance officer. Board School, built in 1878, for 183 children; average attendance 150;" Source: Kelly's Directory of Norfolk & Suffolk 1929.
3. Map of Banham 1797, Source: A Topographical Map of the County of Norfolk Surveyed and Measured in the Years 1790, 91, 92, 93 and 94. By Thos Donald, Thos Milne and Assistants. Planned from a Scale of on Inch to a Statute Mile. The Whole Executed and Published at the expense of the Proprietor William Faden. Geographer to His Majesty and to HRH the Prince of Wales. London August 12th 1797
4.History, Gazeteer, and Directory of Norfolk,etc... by William White. (aka White's Directory) 1836, 1845
5. I checked with the Sandringham archivist (2009).Sandringham Hall was built in 1771, then demolished by the Prince of Wales in 1862 and re-built in 1870, so it is highly unlikely that 'Gilbert' bricks were used at Sandringham unless it was for outhouses. It is conceivable that bricks from Banham were used when the Hunt family had taken over but there are no existing records to confirm this.
6. A James Hunt is the witness at GEORGE (1796-1876)'s brother ROBERT (b1791)'s wedding to Ann HEWITT 20.07.1812. It is highly likely that this is a member of the same Hunt family that were brickmaking along with the Gilberts and indicates a good relationship at the time.
In 1836 JAMES HUNT is a Joiner but later in 1845 and 1850, the Hunt family are closely interlinked with ROBERT's brother GEORGE (b 1796) as tile makers. Refer to Kelly's Directory 1845, White's Directory 1845, Hunt & Co's Directory 1850.
7. Total population of Banham in 1841 was 1165. Source: White's Directory, 1845.
8. The Germany family appears in Banham in the Directories from 1836 – 1883 but are not in the 1892 directory. Then GEORGE GERMANY (b1857?) appears in the 1929 Kelly's Directory as a farmer.
9.Isaac Cook was a farmer and member of the School Board living at The Grove 1883, White's Directory 1883.
10. By 1892 John Birkbeck Hunt is the only brickmaker listed in Banham (Kelly's Directory, 1892) and by 1929 there are no brickmakers living in Banham and Brickmaker's Farm is inhabited by a farmer Thomas Newton. (Kelly's Directory, 1929)
10. By 1892 John Birkbeck Hunt is the only brickmaker listed in Banham (Kelly's Directory, 1892) and by 1929 there are no brickmakers living in Banham and Brickmaker's Farm is inhabited by a farmer Thomas Newton. (Kelly's Directory, 1929)
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