Context

Historic context

Victoria has developed exponentially since European settlement. Originally timber huts housed a small but growing population. A legacy of the gold rush of the 1850s was an oversupply of underemployed miners. The extensive basalt plains of Victoria were a fertile ground for stonemasons who built the magnificent cities we see in Victoria today. These masons could not keep up with the demand as working basalt is a slow process. Brick makers then filled this gap and brick works popped up all over the colony as the population grew more affluent and wanted a better standard of housing.

This cultural and industrial heritage has largely been lost. The brick kilns are now gone. But the bricks remain. They are everywhere. Australia is now, as has been for a long time, the world’s largest per capita consumer of bricks. Nobody gives them a second thought. Many new arrivals in post-war Australia worked making bricks. Maybe one of your relatives was such a person. Almost nothing has been done in Victoria by the State Government to record this history, except a half-hearted attempt in the early 1980s by the Victoria State Archaeological Survey to record a few brick that came their way at a few sites. What ever became of them? Although some good came of it because a paper on “The Analysis of Bricks from Archaeological Sites in Australia; IAIN STUART” was produced. See it at http://www.jcis.net.au/data/23-04-Stuart.pdf


Even half the bricks we use today smash like China tea-pots if you drop them from any sort of height. Not like the old Victorian bricks. Oh no, they knew how to build houses in those days.

“Blue Collar”, P16, Danny King



What I want to do here is to show pictures of some of the bricks I have come across in my travels and give a short story about their maker. If you have anything to add, please let me know. PS: I do not collect bricks, only photographs of bricks. If you have some old bricks, let me know and I may come and photograph them and maybe find a story about them.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Aspinall, Elijah

Name
Elijah Aspinall
Address
Peel Street Ballarat East
Occupation
Brickmaker
Born
1817, Bolton, Lancashire, England
Parents
Thomas and Elizabeth
Died
1877 Age 60
Burial

Occupation
Brick Maker
Period Active
1857 -1877
Married
Elizabeth Margaret Radcliffe, Bolton
Children
Elizabeth (Betsy) 1846-1914
Thomas  1851-1918
Maria 1859-1859
Sarah Ann 1862-1951
Arrived
In Melbourne, February  1855 on board the “Shalimar”

At a meeting of the Eastern Municipal Council on Tuesday the 8th of July 1862, the Town Clerk read a letter “from Elijah Aspinall stating that he had seen in the Star that Mr John Hurst of Mopoke Gully had made application to have the present surveyed street (Peel Street) and that a very little deviation would take it over a better course, &c.  If such deviation should be agreed (contended the writer) all of the brick clay used by him and five or six other persons who followed the avocation of brick makers would be interfered with as well as some twenty ratepayers who had registered frontages on the new line of the street.  He protested on anything of the kind being done, as it would ruin him and the rest of the brick makers.  He was struck dumb with astonishment at the utter selfishness and ingratitude of Mr Hurst’s application.  As it was he who had showed him where to set down to brick making in 1857 and it was all nonsense for Mr Hurst to say that he had expended £500 in plant &c, when £10 would start any brick makers in the business, and his business could be removed to the line of Peel Street for £20.” 

In August 1864, Elijah advertised 5,000 bricks for sale at £1 per thousand.

On Friday, the 7th of October 1864, Elijah was charged with “threatening behavior and obscene language.”  He was fined 20/- or 48 hours imprisonment.  Against whom is not known.

On Tuesday the 18th of October 1864, C.W.Sherard, Commissioner for Crown Lands forwarded an application from Elijah for the granting of a license for brick making near Brougham Street, Ballarat East.  The application was referred to the Engineer.

On Friday the 15th of February 1867, he was charged and convicted of failing to take out his license as a brick maker.  He was fined 40/- with costs.
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