Castle Cary
— 13/11/2025Found by Ian Suddaby at Spittal Beach, Berwick. This example is not in my possession. Castlecary Fireclay & Lime Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Note the thumbprint to the top right corner. . .
Found by Ian Suddaby on the site of the old Bonnyside Brickworks, Bonnybridge.
The manufacturer of this brick is unknown.
The find location would suggest Scottish origins but …
The find location would suggest that this brick was manufactured by James Dougall, Bonnyside Brickworks, Bonnybridge.
Note the thumbprint to the top right.
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Below – The same stamp on 2 more bricks found at Bonnybridge by Ian Suddaby.

(Note – SBH – A similar example was found on a shingle bank at Berwick, England and in the Glasgow area by Eddie McLean).
Below – 1863 – Advert for the Morayshire Brick, Tile and Pottery Works, Lochside, Elgin. Wm M Priest and Co.
It is entirely possible that the ‘Moray’ firebricks were indeed made by Dougall and stamped ‘Moray’ and sent to the Morayshire Brickworks for them to sell alongside their own products as per this advert. Equally, if the Moray Brickworks had their own fireclay then they could have manufactured their own firebricks and somehow or other a number found their way onto the Bonnyside Brickworks, Bonnybridge.

Found by Ian Suddaby at Spittal Beach, Berwick. This example is not in my possession. Castlecary Fireclay & Lime Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Note the thumbprint to the top right corner. . .
Found by Lou Coletti. Lou states – Here is a photo of a brick I found, last spring at low water, at the old CPR shipyard in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. The shipyard operated from the 1890s to about 1960s. Several sternwheelers for travel on Kootenay Lake were assembled there in the early days Gartcraig…
Many thanks to Vladimir Smirnov for highlighting this brick to me which was found in the vicinity of the St. Petersburg Region, Gatchina Region, Russia by a brick collector, Alexander Korolev. It was discovered the stove of a private house. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein &…
Found by Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. Note the thumbprint to the bottom left. Heathfield Fireclay Works, Garnkirk. . . .
Found by Eddie McLean in the Glasgow area. Heathfield Fireclay Works, Garnkirk. Note the thumbprint to the top right. . . .
Found by Ian Suddaby on the shore at Prestongrange. This example is not in my possession. The manufacturer is unknown but it is very likely to be a product of the Prestongrange Works. It is also believed that ‘Lion’ may represent the customer and indeed this customer may be the Lion Foundry in Kirkintilloch near…
Found by Claudio Ernesto Rios. Claudio states – The bricks were found in the City of Zárate, Buenos Aires, Argentina. In a fridge (almost totally destroyed today) the fridge’s name was Smithfield Refrigerator of English capital, built in 1903, so I would believe those bricks were manufactured in the last decade of the 19th century….
Found at the Manuel Brickworks, Whitecross. This is a broken special product. The top, left and right sides are intact and shaped as you see them but it is broken along the bottom edge. The manufacturer is unknown but the find site would suggest it was made at the Manuel Brickworks. GAH may well represent…
Found by Harley Plowman an old 1800s hotel site in New Zealand. Cardowan Fire Clay Works, Stepps, Glasgow. Note the thumbprint. Note the upside-down ‘W’. . .
Found by Ian Suddaby at Bonnyside, Bonnybridge. This example is not in my possession. James Dougall & Sons Ltd, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire Alternative brickworks include: Bonnyside Brickworks, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. Below – A similar stamp with a thumbprint to the top right. Found by Ian Suddaby in the Ravenscraig, Motherwell area.
