GARTCRAIG


T.C. York said...
hey i found a cream brick that says GARTCRAIG on the front of it. have tryed to look it up on line and have found nothing. can any one help me out with some history of the company.

37 comments:

  1. There is a Scottish brick branded GARTCRAIG.
    See a photo HERE

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  2. I'm the Heritage Coordinator for the City of Peterborough Ontario and during the clean up of a redevelopment site I came across two fire bricks marked: "Heatheryknowe- Patent- Glasgow" and "GARTCRAIG" I understand both are Glasgow brickworks but I'm wondering how they ended up in Canada. Were the imported, possibly as ballast, or did brickworks license their names to brickworks in other places? Any help is appreciated.

    Erik Hanson
    City of Peterborough, Ontario

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  3. Hi Erik,

    I have a GARTCRAIG firebrick that came from a fellow in California, and have found HEATHERYKNOWE firebrick
    in old limekilns near Kingston,New York.

    The State of California, if I recall correctly, commissioned Robert Piwarzyk, of Santa Cruz, CA, to chart some lime kiln fields on State land. His findings disclosed numerous brands of Scotch made firebrick. I would suspect that the reason for finding as much Scotch firebrick as the case appears to be, may be be attributed to the early development of the "Iron Age" in Europe. That took place before the iron age began here. With this in mind, we may suspect that the manufacture of firebrick also developed in support of the iron industry in Europe. As the need for firebrick rose in America, the facilities to produce them (at the time) were less developed. Now, bring in the laws of supply and demand.

    European firebrick manufacturers were already off and running, in support of the iron industry there, and probably had sufficient extra capacity with which to meet any unsatisfiable American requirement and perhaps at less cost, too.

    So far, my limited knowledge of the matter tends to indicate that Scotch firebrick seem to be more often reported as found in areas where lime kilns were located. Early iron ore blast furnaces in the NY and CT areas appear to have used American made firebrick .

    As for the firebrick being ship's ballast, I would entertain the idea that the brick were a material that may have been put on the ship as an easy-to-place commodity item, which could - serve as ballast weight, ... be reported as ballast weight to avoid tariff regulations, but actually be readily sold as a construction material on speculation. In essence, it would seem that firebrick would be too expensive to make and handle than to be discarded or dumped overboard upon reaching destination.

    As for European manufacturing firms licensing American manufacturers in firebrick making, I would be skeptical .
    There were a brick importers located in NY and Boston, MA and probably in other important trading cities I would suspect the same in Canada.

    Perhaps some visitors out there will have information to share. Fred

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  4. Fred, thanks for this very useful info. Am I right in assuming that these brick works existed for a long time? If so, I suppose it is difficult to date a brick solely by its maker's mark. Peterborough is about 30 miles north of the Lake Ontario Shoreline so the bricks would have to have come by barge, or possibly by the 1870s by rail to the town site. Its interesting to think that they would have been a cheap material to get to say, Toronto, or Montreal, but from there the shipping cost must have added greatly to their value. I'm guessing this kiln site dates to the 1850s or 60s judging by some associated material we uncovered. Would that correspond with the dates of operation for the brickworks?

    Erik

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  5. I'm from Cumberland British Columbia, Cumberland was an old coal mining town. I was out walking the dogs this morning near one of the old mines and I found a brick marked with "Gartcraig"....I found your comments very interesting....thanks for the information.

    Laurie

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  6. I found a few bricks today with Gartcraig on them. These were found at French Fort Cove on the Miramichi River in New Brunswick, Canada.

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  7. To All, I have found several bricks marked - Gartcraig Scotland here in Franklin, NH. They seem to be old (perhaps 1800's). Do you have, or might there be, any information on this type?Can anyone direct me to a site where I might get further information?
    Thanks for your help. Wayne

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  8. I found fire bricks impressed GARTGRAIG at the site of the whaling station at Catchalot near Kyuquot, British Columbia. This Whaling station closed down in the twenties

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  9. I found a lot of "Gartcraig" bricks in the old deserted mill town of Davidson, Maine. Very interesting historical place.

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  10. I have found many bricks marked "Gartcraig" in an old mill settlement area named Treesville in the south west corner of Australia. According to some research I have done they were used as balast on ships coming to Australia from the UK and somehow ended up in small settlements around Australia. Apparently they were used for making chimneys in the old huts. There are even some in a musuem in Perth WA.

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    Replies
    1. Found a Gartcraig brick in central Qld today...white in colour.

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    2. Nikki Franks 19/4/2017
      we went to an old mine near Inverell and found Gartcraig bricks

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  11. Last week I found one brick in a mound in my lane that I was digging up. I live near Perth, Ontario Canada. I found 2 other bricks but only the one with Gartcrai on it. Actually until I found this site I thought it read Cartcrai . The brick is broke off and the "g" is missing. There were a number of flat stones in the mound. I can only wonder what was located there - a smokehouse ?

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    1. I found 2 bricks tonight along the St John River in northernmost Maine. The first was labeled with a large GARTCRAIG indented in a rather rough reddish hue cast brick with a raised edging. The other was a very smooth cream colored brick labeled Gartcraig scotland caskil. There were also some plain bricks lying in the same area.I wondered if it was from a river drive cook stove??? The river is very low this year and I was able to explore further out into the river bed. This brick is located near a large rock where there was a boom chain attached for log drives.

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  12. I found one Gartcraig brick on the shore of Newport R.I. today the edges are rounded from the ocean.

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  13. hi, I found a gartcraig stone in a very old house in lacken co.Mayo in the west of Ireland and I am curious to find out where it originated. So if anyone can help me please leave a comment!!

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  14. hi, i found a GARTCRAIG stone in ker & co ltd. so if anyone can help me please?

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  15. Hi folks - these bricks certainly do travel!

    http://www.scottishbrickhistory.co.uk/wp-admin/post.php?post=6635&action=edit

    Regarding Jans last entry on January 4 2014 and the anon entry on July 25 2012.

    If possible could you visit my site above and perhaps send photos via the contact form of your Scottish bricks please. I would love to add them to my Scottish brick site.

    best regards

    Mark

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  16. Please ignore the link on my last post - it will not work. Please try this

    http://www.scottishbrickhistory.co.uk/?s=gartcraig

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  17. today i found a brick with the markings"gartcraig pressed glasgow"in a cottage i am renovating in sligo,west of ireland.

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    1. Hello John,

      I have a site for Scottish brickmarks.

      www.scottishbrickhistory.co.uk

      This is a link to my Gartcraig bricks

      http://www.scottishbrickhistory.co.uk/tag/gartcraig/

      I have not seen a Gartcraig pressed Glasgow' mark before and as such I would love to add it to the database. If you are agreeable could you send me a photo to markcranston1962@gmail.com

      I will of course credit you with the find. Did you find more than one such mark and indeed were there any other different brickmakrs along side it.

      best regards

      Mark

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  18. John Keirstead Nov. 05, 2015

    Hi Folks. I didn't find a gartcraig brick, but a "GART FIRE SCOTLAND" brick in St. Andrews N.B. this past summer. I see no mention of it on the internet but I wonder could it have come from the same company. Has anybody else seen one?

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  19. Hello John

    Your Gart fire Scotland brick interests me very much. Please see my website www.scottishbrickhistory.co.uk for a gartfire brick but without the Scotland reference. Could you send me a photo via my site ? best regards Mark, Jedburgh Scotland

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  20. Hello

    Could John Docherty and John Keirstead please email me at markcranston1962@gmail.com as I would like to add your bricks to a Scottish National database.

    Gart Fire Scotland and gartcraig pressed glasgow are not yet on the list !

    best regards

    Mark from Scotland

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  21. I recently found one of those bricks labeled Gartcraig on the beach in Auke Bay, Alaska near the capitol city of Juneau. There are also quite a few red bricks on the beach in the same area. It was the site of a salmon cannery in the early 1900s.

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    1. Howdy from Scotland - the home of the Gartcraig. No doubt firebricks would have been used in the cannery so that is likely where the Gartcraig lived its working life. I would love to add a pic of your Gartcraig brick to my website and in particular the section for 'Scottish bricks overseas'. Would you be able to send me one to markcranston1962@gmail.com?

      many thanks

      Mark

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    2. I just found a "Gartcraig Scotland" firebrick while digging up my yard, just north of Boston, Ma. Very excited to read the history behind this brick.

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    3. Hello Folks - I would be interested to hear from anyone who finds a Gartcraig or indeed any Scottish brick on foreign shores. Please see my website www.scottishbrickhistory.co.uk
      Please email me at brickmarks@gmail.com

      best regards

      Mark

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  22. I just found a gart craig brick ina small brook behind my house in augusta maine. My house is circa 1780 and was used for housing for millworkers so i assume its from the mill that burned down.

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  23. I found an old red brick marked gart craig 8n the brook behind my house that merges w the kennebec river in augusta maine. My house is circa 1870 according to our historical society and was a house for a mill worker and his family. The mill burned down long ago but im guessing this is from the mill

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  24. Found on my beach in Murray Corner, nb August 2019.

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  25. Hi,I have a Gartcraig brick , cream in colour which was found in the garden at the rear of a house in the Main Street of Nairne South Australia

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  26. i found one here in the phillipines..

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  27. Found two GARTCRAIG bricks, ploughed up from a field in central British Columbia, Canada. Plus a RAEBURN (with backwards N) and two that start with REGA but missing the rest of the word.

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  28. I found one here in the Philippines buried on a cane field. Theres a lot of them, actually.

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  29. Found Gartcraig Bricks found at minesite (DaveyHurst) WA Goldfields at what looks to be an old Goldroom?? as walls were .5m in depth<>
    Site workers

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