19/01/1843 – The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW – Gilchrist and Alexander, 1 George Street, Sydney have for sale 20, 000 Garnkirk firebricks, very superior quality, lying at Campbells Wharf.
23/11/1850 – The South Australian Register, Adelaide – Aboard The Sacramento – 447 tones. Master Captain Dove. Left Leith (Edinburgh) 19/07/1850 – 7,600 firebricks, 33 casks of fireclay.
03/10/1854 – The Sydney Morning Herald – Purkis and Lambert will sell by auction 11,000 Garnkirk firebricks in fine condition and well adapted for making pavements!
30/08/1859 – The South Australian Register, Adelaide – Aboard The John Edward from Leith – 5,000 firebricks and 1,011 water pipes.
05/02/1861 – The Age – Robsons Bay – Aboard The Julia from Leith – 10,000 firebricks.
19/10/1861 – The Adelaide Observer – Port Augusta shipping. Aboard The Raphael from Leith – 1,900 firebricks, 100 casks of cement. The Raphael was under the command of Captain Phillips and was the first ship from Britain direct to Port Augusta.
06/01/1862 – The Star – Port Phillip – Aboard The Neva from Leith – 100 firebricks.
04/10/1862 – The Adelaide Observer – Port Augusta shipping. Aboard The Ormelie from Leith – 9,620 firebricks, 32 retorts and 12,000 slates.
25/05/1863 – The South Australian Register, Adelaide – Leith to Port Adelaide 26,000 firebricks – value £490.00.
10/06/1863 – The Star – Port Phillip. Aboard The Ensign from Leith – 10,000 firebricks.
19/03/1864 – The Adelaide Observer – Aboard The Stanley, brigantine 115 tons. John Gibson master. Left Leith 07/10/1863 arrived 13/03/1864 – 9,000 firebricks.
The ‘Stanley’ is a fine brigantine, on her first voyage from the stocks of Messrs. Menzies, of Granton, in whose yard she was purchased by her commander, Captain Gibson, an old trader between Adelaide and Tasmania. In making this addition to the mercantile fleet of the colonies good judgement, both with respect to capacity and speed seems to have been exercised by her owner. She is a vessel capable of loading 250 tons on about 11 feet draught of water. She is classed 12 years A1 at Lloyd’s and on the passage she has had no opportunity of distinguishing herself in a fair wind, yet on a bowline, she has quite surpassed the master’s expectations. She left Leith on October 7. Afterwards calling at Plymouth, where she remained till November 9. On the 21st day out passed Madeira, and crossed the line 17 days after: on January 19 passed the Cape and the island of St. Paul’s on February 10.
18/10/1864 – The Star – Port Phillip. Aboard The Silistria from Leith – 16,584 firebricks.
19/09/1870 – The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW – Learmonth, Dickinson and Co have the best quality Garnkirk firebricks for sale.
27/10/1871 – The Brisbane Courier – Arthur Martin has received instruction from Messrs Scott, Dawson and Stewart to sell 7,000 Heatheryknowe firebricks and 3,700 Garnkirk firebricks.
07/05/1872 – The Brisbane Courier – To sugar planters and others, Scott Dawson and Stewart, Creek and Elizabeth Streets, Brisbane – 3,000 Garnkirk firebricks for sale.
05/06/1872 – The Brisbane Courier – To sugar planters and others, Scott Dawson and Stewart, Creek and Elizabeth Streets, Brisbane – 3,000 Garnkirk firebricks for sale.
22/06/1875 – The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW – Cardowan, Garnkirk firebricks – Mason Brothers.
15/11/1876 – The Sydney Morning Herald – Being sold by Mason Brothers, Spring Street, Sydney – Garnkirk firebricks.
26/05/1877 – The Sydney Morning Herald – Being sold by Mason Brothers, Spring Street, Sydney – Garnkirk firebricks.
20/04/1878 – Parbury Lamb & Co, Importers, Brisbane – Cardowan Firebrick squares for sale.
14/09/1878 – The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW – Now landing aboard The Craigard 20,000 Cardowan firebricks for Mason Brothers.
17/10/1879 – The Argus, Melbourne – Alex Sutherland and Co are selling Glenboig Star firebricks.
14/02/1880 -Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser – Parbury, Lamb and Co, Brisbane, Importers – Firebricks Cardowan squares.
26/02/1880 – The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW – Scott Henderson & Co agents for Glenboig Star firebricks.
08/03/1883 – The Brisbane Courier – Gibbs, Bright & Co, Sole Agents in Queensland for Gartcraig firebricks.
21/07/1883 – The Brisbane Courier – Commercial markets Cardowan bricks fell at £8.10s and Gartcraig £8.5s and Heathery Knowe £7.15s.
26/02/1887 – Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate, NSW. Port of Newcastle. Aboard The Gareloch from Glasgow, 5,000 firebricks.
12/07/1887 – The Brisbane Courier – Parbury Lamb & Co now have to arrive aboard the Peebleshire from Glasgow – Garnkirk firebricks.
24/12/1887 – South Australian Register, Adelaide. J Stilling & Co, Cavendish Chambers, Grenfell Street, Adelaide are sole agents in South Australia for Glenboig Fireclay Company’s firebricks
16/10/1900 – The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW. Aboard the Arctic Stream from Glasgow – 20,800 firebricks.
26/07/1902 – The Western Australian. The federal tariff (tax), official decisions – Firebricks marked Gartcraig – 15%.
31/10/1908 – Kalgoorlie Miner – Lancefield Gold Mining Co … In figuring on the remodelling of the roasters we considered we were making sufficient provision for safety in improving on the ordinary bricks in the crowns by putting in Statham firebricks. This Mr Bigelow still further improves on by recommending that the crowns should be of the best Gartcraig firebricks. We entirely approve of this course but are prohibited from adopting it unless with a further expenditure of money.
07/05/1910 – The Sydney Morning Herald, NSW. Clipper Loch Katrine from Glasgow with cargo including firebricks drifting unknown location off Australia.
30/01/1914 – Forbes Advocate – Forbes Gasworks New South Wales … The only recommendation I would make at this time is that 1 bed of 4 retorts be rebuilt and that 4 Glenboig retorts and 2,000 firebricks be imported for the purpose. The retorts will cost £9/10/- each and the firebricks about £10 per 1,000 … Alderman Raymond was informed that the firebricks had to be imported as the Australian made ones would not stand the heat.
The following bricks were found in Suriname, South America by Marnix (John) Visser. Marnix states – I have found several bricks on an old Scottish plantation in Suriname South America with the name Waterloo and located in Nickerie at the border with Guyana. James Balfour was the plantation owner. . . Below – Hurlford –…
Found by Hector Miguez in the area of Mendoza, Argentina. Prestongrange Brick, Tile and Fireclay Works, Prestonpans, East Lothian. . . . .
Found by Michèle Côté and Marc Trudel on the beach along the Gaspé shore of Percé, Québec Canada. The ‘Gartcraig’ brick is most definitely Scottish. It was found near to a brick stamped ‘Vulcan’ which may also be Scottish as ‘Vulcan’ is a trademark of Campbell & Co, Roughcastle Fireclay Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. (However, ‘Vulcan’…
Many thanks to Bruce MacDonald for the following photographs which were taken at The Sunbury Plantation House, St Philip Parish Barbados. All the bricks present were fire bricks and included English manufacturers such as Ruffors of Stourbridge, Cowen of Newcastle and Duddell of Fenton. 90% of the bricks present appear to have been stamped ‘Glenboig’….
Found by Eddie Mclean in the Glasgow area. Glenboig Union Fireclay Company, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Alternative brickworks include: Glenboig Star Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Glenboig Fireclay Works, (Old Works) Glenboig, Lanarkshire .
Found by Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. Glenboig Union Fireclay Company, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Alternative brickworks include: Glenboig Star Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Glenboig Fireclay Works, (Old Works) Glenboig, Lanarkshire .
Many thanks to Charlie Terry for the following photographs and information. Charlie states – My great-grandfather worked at the Beaconsfield and Lefroy gold mines in Tasmania. He was an assayer. Some of the bricks are still in their original boxes and have been stored in a shed for decades. Below – An example of one…
This brick is in the possession of John Hicks, West Monroe, Louisiana, USA. John is uncertain where the Docken brick was found in the USA as he picked it up at a brick swap meeting. James Dougall & Sons Ltd, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. Alternative brickworks include: Bonnyside Brickworks, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. .
Found by Joe Fletcher at “Turonville” in Tarana, NSW Australia. The property is a farm dating back to the 1850s. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. . . . .
The following Scottish bricks were found by Tracie Perrie on the shore at Borden, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Below – ‘Glenboig’. Glenboig Union Fireclay Company, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Alternative brickworks include: Glenboig Star Fireclay Works, Glenboig, Lanarkshire. Glenboig Fireclay Works, (Old Works) Glenboig, Lanarkshire Below – ‘Gartcraig Scotland Gaskil’. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow….
