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Events
> Pocklington Local History Group
  21st Mar - 18th Century Pocklington

> Pocklington Local History Group
  18th Apr - The AGM and The ER
  Archives by Hannah Stamp

> Pocklington Local History Group
  18th Jul - A guided tour of Allerthorpe
  to include Allerthorpe church

> Pocklington Local History Group
  19th Sep - Pocklington's connection
  with the sea

Gallery
Market Place Market Place
Note the new building in the photo on the corner.
Regent Street Regent Street
Note the 'Old Red Lion Hotel'
Chapmangate Chapmangate
Note the independent chapel built in 1807 to the left.
Publications
Woldgate History Woldgate History

"A History of Woldgate School"

* 60 pages
* Fully illustrated
* Only £5.00
epp Exploring Pocklington's Past

* Peter Halkon
* Summary of
Pocklington Archaeology
* Only £5.00
Heritage Trail Heritage Trail

"A Pock History & Heritage Trail"

* 2nd edition
* 27 pages
* Old photos
* Only £4.99

People and Places Thumb Old Pock

"People and Places of Old Pocklington"

* 40 pages
* Old photos
* Only £5.99
Adieu WW1 Book

"Adieu to dear old Pock"

  * ww1 diary
  * 53 profiles
  * Local News
  * 299 soldiers
  * 246 pages
Newsletter

PDLHG Newsletters
#1 Oct 2020
#2 Dec 2020
#3 May 2021

Brick & Tile Making
'The Pocklington White Brick and Tile Works' was situated in Burnby Lane. It was started following the introduction of the railway, which enabled cheap transportation of coal to fire the brick kilns. It seemed to cease operation around the time of the first world war.
 
1911 OS Map
1911 OS Map of Burnby Lane, Pocklington
 
Trade directory entries for Pocklington Brick makers:

1858 White's Directory - Charles Ogle, Brickmaker, Union Street
1858 White's Directory - Thomas Grant, Builder & Brickmaker
1868 Hull Daily News - 16 May 1868 - Carr & Co. Steam Brick Works Pocklington Advert for White Bricks
1879 Post Office Directory – Thomas Grant, Builder & Brickmaker
1879 Post Office Directory – John Nottingham, Brickmaker
1889 Kelly’s Directory  Hanks & Co. Brickmakers, Burnby Lane
1892 Bulmers Directory – Clare Walker, Brickmaker,  Burnby Lane
1897 Kelly’s Directory – Clement Walker, Brickmaker, Burnby Lane
1905 Kelly’s Directory – Alban Dunwell, Brickmaker, Burnby Lane
1909 Kelly’s Directory – James Dunwell (Trustees of), Brickmakers, Burnby Lane
1913 Kelly’s Directory – James Dunwell (Trustees of), Brickmakers, Burnby Lane
1921, 1929, 1933 & 1937 Kelly’s Directories – No Brickmakers mentioned

 
The first mention of brickmaking in Pocklington trade directories that I have found is in 1858 when Charles Ogle of Union Street said he was a brickmaker and in the same directory Thomas Grant (Pocklington Builder) was also a brickmaker. However Thomas Grant was not a brickmaker in Pocklington, he made bricks in the Bishop Wilton brickyard, as he was proprietor.

Carr
Hull Daily News - 16 May 1868
1873
Hull Daily News - 13 Sep 1873
Hanks Brick Works
The York Herald, January 5th, 1884
Douglas Bricks
The York Herald, July 29th, 1889
 
 

Bishop Wilton Brickyard

Thomas Grant was proprietor of the Bishop Wilton Brick Yard, which was owned by the Sykes family of Sledmere. According to research published in the Bishop Wilton History Group bulletin, it was in operation from 1854 to 1886. The clay pit was on the lane out of Bishop Wilton towards Pocklington. Coal would be brought from Pocklington Railway station and sand and gravel was available in the immediate vicinity around Pocklington. Wood for the fires would be locally available from the wold escarpment. All the ingredients were locally available. See the Sykes brick below - possibly made in Bishop Wilton.


Bishop Wilton Brick works
1892 OS map of the disused Bishop Wilton brickyard
ccop
Carr & Co. Pocklington - a brick from the Burnby Lane works c. 1868
hanks
Hanks were making bricks & tiles in Pocklington in the 1880's
pocklington
The frogs are identical to the other types
with the distinctive screw head impression
dunwell
Dunwells were making bricks in Burnby Lane from 1900-1915
 
Brick photographs are by kind courtesy of Andrew Boyce of the Bishop Wilton History Group. If you wish to add to the story of the Brick works, or correct any of the above information, then please contact me.
1744 Bielby brick morrill
An old brick found in Bielby by Richard Coe says on it:
"This brick was made 18 May 1741 by Wm Morrill"
1744 Bielby Brick
The brick is a handmade of 2 inch depth
Sykes Brick
A Sykes brick found at Sledmere by Carla Van Beveran
Dreain Brick
A 'dreain' (Yorkshire word for drain?) brick found in Clayfield Road, Pocklington by Carla Van Beveran
JNP Meltonby
A J N P brick found at Meltonby by Carla Van Beveran
possibly 'John Nottingham Pocklington' who was a brickmaker in the Burnby Lane brickworks in 1879
JNP Barmby Road
A J N P brick found at Barmby Road bomb dump by Carla Van Beveran
possibly 'John Nottingham Pocklington' who was a brickmaker in the Burnby Lane brickworks in 1879
JNP Yapham
A J N P brick found at Yapham by Carla Van Beveran
possibly 'John Nottingham Pocklington' who was a brickmaker in the Burnby Lane brickworks in 1879
PSS Season Ross
A P S S brick found at Seaton Ross by Carla Van Beveran
possibly someone with the initials 'P S' of Seaton Ross
Dunwell Sledmere
 

J & J Dunwell brick found at Sledmere by Carla Van Beveran

J & J Dunwell. Bullnose brick, with the same name in the frog on both sides and most likely made at the Burnby Lane Brickworks in Pocklington. John Nottingham has researched the Dunwell's and found the 1901 census had James Dunwell's brickmaking son Alban living on Burnby Lane (near the Workhouse, so was presumably then running the Pocklington Brick & Tile Yard). By 1911, he was running the brickyard in Darlington and the census return shows Alban and his family were living nearby. However, note that both their sons are recorded as having been born in Pocklington, their births being registered at Pocklington in 1902 and 1904 respectively, so it looks like they were living on Burnby Lane probably throughout the period of at least 1901-1904 (having married in Sheffield in 1900). John's opinion is that 'J & J Dunwell' were most likely to be James and his younger son Joseph (James's grandson also James was too young to be a brickmaker)

James Dunwell was a brickmaker from Leeds, then moved to the Mill House in Egton Bridge with his son Alban by the 1891 census. Both were brickmakers so presumably commuted by train to and from the big brickyard up the line at Grosmont (just North of the station, opposite the ironworkings). They may never have been based at Pocklington but, like the several others, were the owners and/or managers (Alban was living a couple of doors from the Workhouse on Burnby Lane in 1901). In 1901, James and younger son Joseph were living in Darlington, both brickmakers, so were most likely to be the 'J & J Dunwell'. (Note the 'screwheads' on the frogs, characteristic of other Pocklington products.)

James died in Darlington in Q3 of 1907 - cf. 'James Dunwell (Trustees of), Brickmakers' in the 1905 and 1909 Kelly's Directories for Pock (see above). It is uncertain to what then happened to Joseph but Alban was Manager at the brickworks in Darlington by 1911.

1873