Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-08-18
BRICKS BROUGHT FROM ENGLAND.
Testimony Goes to show That All
Were Made In America.

To the Editor OF the Washington Post;
| In the social column Of Sundays Post
your types were made 10 say that the
walls OF Miss Faulkner's ancestral home.
built by General Boyd were made Of brick
brought over from England" This state
ment affords a splendid opportunity 10
call attention 10 a contribution OF the
| president Of William and Mary College,
| Mr.. Lyon C Tyler, TO the Century Maya
zine Of February. this year. I'm which he
proved absolutely that no bricks were
ever transported from England 10 this
country. This fallacy or tradition Is
completely demolished by proof Of re-
| cords and letters written in Colonial
times. For instance. rev. Alexander
| Whitaker, writing Of Virginia soil I'm
1872 said: THE higher ground is much
like the molds Of France, but II
we dig any depth as we have done for
our bricks we find it 20 be red clay. full
Of glistening spangles." lie also shows
that Alexander StOner, a brick maker.
took out a patent for an acre OF land IN
jamestown Island, near the brick Kiln.
In the York county records Mr.. Tyler
finds a suit at law about a house for the
safeguard for the bricks made upon Colo
mel Baldrys land for building Fort James
at Tyndalrs Point" now Gloucester Point
Mr. Tyler puts at rest the argument
used to show that bricks were brought
over as ballast by saying they would
absorb vast quantities Of water en-
dangering the vessel. and bring no ade-
quate return" Ships I'm those days We're
small. and had no room for such awkward
and unwieldly freight as bricks. Many
ships went to England with tobacco,
says Mr.. Tyler from Maryland and Nir-
gnia. but they came back freighted, not
with brick. but with immigrants, servants
and dry goods
1t Is shown I'm this same article that n
careful examination of the Virginia
Gazette Q736 10 1880 failed 10 record a
single cargo Of brick entering the James,
York. Rappahannock. or Potomac rivers,
save one OF 10000 from New England
for some pressing demand
To further show that bricks were made
I'm Virginia I'm the earliest days Of James
town. Mr.. Tyler copies from New Lie
of Virginia" published I'm London by au-
thority of the Council: "Bcins thus IN
vited: here they pitched: the spade-men
fell TO digging. the brick-men burnt their
bricks. = the carpenters fell TO
squaring out the sawyers TO saving
Thus it Will be seen that bricks were
or lgl years prior TO the building Of Gene
raj Boyds house $3.50. Does il stand TO
reason. then, that every building I'm Nary
land and Virginia built I'm The latter part
OF the eighteenth century Were built OF
bricks brought over from England
English bricks" Mr Tyler observes,
did not mean bricks imported from Eng
land: it meant bricks made in English
molds. as distinguished from a Dutch or
Holland Mould
when we look upon n building whose
bricks were brought over from Eng
land" il inspires something OF awe and
Increases the interest of the historian the
sentlmontalst. the relic-hunter or van
dal. and the romancer; but this tradition
IS founded on so frail and untcnable q
theory that # is completely dissipated'
and ceases to exist I'm the mind after once
reading Mr.. Tylcr's able reasoning on
the subject. G. VI. SlAL4Ll.
August 10Th.