Tom Patch
Brickyard Development
Picture 11. Signatures of Tom Patch III and John Johnson from the 1821 agreement (NRO ZB142/80/5)
But the good brick-earth didn’t stop at the boundary of Tom neighbour, James Facer (Thomas Spokes’s successor) died in 1830, John Johnson was soon negotiating for his cottage and the quarter acre of land behind it.22 And when the next cottage along became available, he went after that too. There was little land attached to it, but it caused him more problems than all the rest, and gave rise to an interesting bundle of correspondence between solicitors, including this extract from a letter of January 1838:23
Picture 12. Baldwin deeds 15 Conveyance of 1904 showing property adjoining the old brickyard
...My client Johnson has this day called to say that unless I can get him possession of the land adjoining the house which he purchased of Abbott immediately for the purpose of brickmaking, and also put matters in train for completing the purchase he shall certainly employ some other attorney to do the business...
Picture 13. Baldwin deeds 16 Conveyance of 1912 showing the subdivision of the property in the previous plan
It was to be April 1839 before the conveyance was completed (no doubt complicated by the fact that Mr and Mrs Abbott had, in the course of the protracted legal wrangling, emigrated to Canada). John Johnson was now master of the newly extended brickyard. Tom didn’t quite live to see it. He was buried in the village which had been his home for 76 years on 4th March 1839. John Johnson and his son appear to have retained ownership of the brickyard premises for the rest of the century, but when the production of bricks ceased is unknown. By the 20th century the property was owned by a Miss Seal.
Picture 14 A map of the East End of West Haddon showing the location of the Brickyard
22Baldwin 10, Conveyance of 1831
23Baldwin 11, Correspondence of 1838.