Places St Albans

The Brickmakers of St Albans Benjamin Fowler  1764-1821 and family

Occupations Brickmakers

Joseph Fowler  1786-1834

Benjamin Fowler  1792-1838

Nothing is known for certain about Benjamin Fowler's origins, but he may have been the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Fowler, who was baptised at Luton on 5th May 1765 [familysearch]. The earliest definite information we have is that Benjamin and Sarah Fowler had four children baptised at St Albans Abbey: Joseph (baptised 1786), Elizabeth (baptised 1791), Benjamin (baptised 1792) and Jabez (baptised 1794). Only Joseph and Benjamin have been noted in later records [Abbey]

In 1794 Benjamin carried out some building work on the St Albans Session House and did further work on the Town Hall in 1800 and later years [Quarter]. Initially he is described as a bricklayer, although he probably made his own bricks. In 1813 he applied to enclose part of the waste at Bernards Heath belonging to the Manor of Sandridge, with a view to erecting brick kilns [Sandridge Court]. He was granted three rood or thereabout situate on the right hand side of the High Road leaving from the town of St Albans to Luton at a rent of 10 shillings on quarter days, for his own life, and that of his sons Joseph (aged 28) and Benjamin (aged 22). Clearly this was not enough as he encroached onto the Heath in 1815, when the Sandridge Court Book [Sandridge Court] recorded:

Based on T. Goodman's map of 1822 [Goodman]

This was not allowed, and neither was another encroachment in 1822 when it was reported [Sandridge Court]  that Benjamin Fowler is now erecting upon the waste at Bernard Heath a large shed for the purposes of his business as a brickmaker.

This last reference must be to Benjamin Fowler junior as his father had died in 1821, aged 57, and was buried in St Peter's churchyard [tombstone] . Benjamin Fowler junior had married Elizabeth Collins on 6 Dec 1813 at Saint Peter, Saint Albans, and the following children are recorded in the St Peters register: - Sarah (21 Apr 1815); Benjamin (10 May 1816); Elizabeth (24 Mar 1818); Ann (9 Jul 1819), Joseph (20 Oct 1820); and George Jabez (11 Jan 1823).  His first wife died in September 1823 and on  24 Oct 1826 Benjamin remarried at Sandridge, his bride being Elizabeth Foreman of Ivinghoe, Bucks

Between 1822 and 1825 he was regularly carrying out work on the House of Correction, including the sinking of a well, and the building of a treadmill [Session]. In 1824 Mr B Fowler agreed to build a 2-roomed cottage for Mr T. Oakley of Camp House [Memorandum].

Benjamin Fowler, senior, who died intestate, had erected a house [house] on the land he had acquired in 1813. and in 1827 the copyhold property was re-granted for the natural lives of Joseph Fowler (40), his brother Benjamin (34) and Joseph’s wife Ann (30) for a fine of 30 guineas and a rent of 10s payable on quarter days. At the same time as the copyhold lease was extended it was reported that Joseph Fowler has left the pits dug by him on Bernard Heath aforesaid for brick earth in a dangerous state and the said Joseph Fowler being present in court undertook to fill in the same [Sandridge Court] .

It seems likely that Joseph and his wife occupied the house, and Joseph was the "Mr Fowler" who paid 5s in the Sandridge August 1831 rate assessment for "a house on Bernards Heath" [Sandridge Rates]. It is possible that Joseph Fowler made the bricks for Heath Farm, Bernards Heath, which was completed in 1830 [Heath Farm] on land immediately adjacent to the brickworks.

One of the problems of making bricks on Bernards Heath would have been the lack of water. If there were stones in the clay, as can be seen in the sides of nearby Beech Bottom [BB], and as happened at the Hill End brickworks in the early 20th century [Hill End], it would have been necessary to slurry the clay with water and filter off the stones. It appears that at some stage deep wells were dug through the underlying chalk, a copious supply of water was tapped, and pumps installed. This may well be the reason why, in 1833, Joseph Fowler established a waterworks and was given permission to lay pipes in the public roads. However Joseph Fowler died in 1834 [tombstone], his widow [Widow] being shown as the occupier of the house on the Heath in January 1835 [Sandridge Rates].

Benjamin Fowler junior died in 1838 and was buried in St Peters Churchyard with his first wife, who died in 1823 [tombstone]. Also in the grave was his daughter Elizabeth, wife of James Grey [Grey]. The family appears to have dispersed [Mary] . In 1838 Ann Fowler married Mathew Saville in St Albans, and they moved north, and are recorded in the 1841 census  as living at Rasbottom, near Ashton under Lyne.  In 1840 Benjamin Fowler's daughter Sarah married Thomas Howorth in Ashton. The marriage certificate described her father as an architect and gave her address as Rasbottom, Stalybridge,  Aston under Lyne, and Mathew Saville was a witness.

No information about the family can be found in the 1841 census in the St Albans area of Hertfordshire. Benjamin's widow, Elizabeth Fowler (nee Foreman), was in Ringshall, Beds, in the parish of Ivinghoe. The head of household was her brother, John Foreman (publican) and the 13 year old William Fowler listed is presumably the son of Benjamin [Lesley]. It is possible that the Joseph Fowler, a 35 year old journeyman bricklayer who was born in St Albans and living at Church Green, St Peters, St Albans, in 1851 is the Joseph Fowler, son of Benjamin Fowler junior, who was baptised in 1820. In 1861 he was a bricklayer living in Park Street, near St Albans.

Other Fowler Builders

There are the occasional references to other contemporary Fowler builders in St Albans. It is not known if there is any connection with Benjamin Fowler, or whether they made bricks.

In 1809, 1810 & 1812 George Fowler & son were responsible for repairing the House of Correction, St Albans [Quarter].

In 1813 a George and Thomas Fowler, bricklayers of St Albans, were awarded the contract to build a three arch bridge over the River Colne at Bushey Mill [Session].

Pigots Directory for 1823 lists a Thomas Fowler, Bricklayer, in Holywell Hill, St Albans. The 1828 edition lists him again, but this time in Fishpool Street, St Albans.

Sources and Notes

Abbey: The burial records for the Abbey Church have not been checked.

BB: Author's observations in Beech Bottom, Bernards Heath, 1997.

Goodman: Redrawn from map by T. Goodman in 1822, entitled Plan of the Copyhold Estates in the Manor of New Lane Squillers. [HALS 10802]

Grey: In the 1851 census James Grey (a lighterman), his wife Elizabeth, 4 children and 2 servants, were living at 7 Trinity Square, Allhallows, Barking, Middlesex. [Ancestry]

Heath Farm: When Heath Farm was demolished in the 1970's a beam in a prominent position in the roof was found to be dated 1830, which is consistent with the fact that Robert Smith took up residence at about this date.

Hill End: Information on the Hill End Brickworks is given by Lyle Perrins, Recalling Hertfordshire's Brickworks published in Hertfordshire Countryside, April 1981.

House: The house (and brickworks) would appear to be quite substantial. A rate assessment for Sandridge [HALS] made in 1831 rated it at 5s., which was much more than the Queen's Head, Sandridge as 1s 6d., or William Paul's bill for 9d.

Lesley: Thanks to Lesley Murray (lesvmurray @t hotmail.com), who is interested in the Foreman family, for drawing this to my attention.

Mary: Information provided by Mary Robinson (m.robinson100 @t ntlworld.com), great great granddaughter of Sarah. (March 2007)

One of the witnesses to the marriage of Sarah Fowler and Thomas Howorth was Matthew Saville who had married Ann Fowler in St Albans in 1838 so she is definitely one of the St Alban Fowlers. I have no other information about Sarah except from the License of Marriage issued the day before the wedding presumably because the wedding was solemnized at the school buildings Dukinfield according to the rites and ceremonies of the Presbyterians. The Howarth's became Congregationalists in the town of Ashton and the big congregational church in Ashton was built on the land belonging to Daniel Fowler Howorth the son of Thomas and Sarah.

It seems possible that indeed the Fowlers never went north as a family. Possibly Mathew Saville met Ann Fowler in the St Albans area and they then moved north after the wedding. (he came from Dewsbury) - In the 1841 Census Mathew and Ann live in Rasbottom near Ashton - he is a draper. In the 1851-81 censuses they live in Hyde - quite near Ashton -some other branches of my family lived there in the mid 19th century.

Sarah may have decided to come north to live with her sister and find work in the developing cotton industrial area. That would explain Sarah's address as Rasbottom on the marriage license and certificate. Matthew's occupation varies from draper, hosier and outfitter. In 1871, aged 70, he is a retired draper and Ann a school teacher.
He died in 1883 death registered in Stockport which would be the registration district for Hyde. In 1881 Ann is still a teacher aged 60. She died in 1890 death registered in Ashton so it is possible that after the death of Matthew she went to live to Ashton to live with her widowed sister Sarah Howorth - my great great grandmother in Ashton. Ann died 1890 and Sarah in 1899.
Sarah's son Daniel became a school master, running a school in Ashton which had been started by his father- in-law William Sunderland - another of my great, great grandfather's.
I like this story but it still does not explain why Benjamin is not described as deceased on his daughter's marriage certificate in 1840.

The Benjamin and Elizabeth Fowler I mentioned as dying in the 1840s in my message to you were I believe infants as there are births recorded for both names about the same time and they do not feature in the 1851 census

Considering the normal big Victorian families Thomas and Sarah only had one child and Matthew and Ann are only recorded as having an adopted daughter born in Demerara in the West Indies.  I haven't tried to follow that through. However both Ann and Sarah were long livers. Sarah 84 when she died and Ann 69.

Memorandum: From copy of document held by Oakley Family and supplied by Tony Billings, author of CAMP. A local St Albans history, q.v.)

Quarter: St Albans Quarter Session Rolls, 1784-1820, edited by David Dean, Hertfordshire Record Society, 1991.

Session: Session Records of the Liberty of St Albans Division, 1770-1849. Hertfordshire County Records, Volume IV., various dates.

Sandridge Court: Sandridge Manor Court Book, Northamptonshire Records Office.

Sandridge Rates: R. G. Auckland, Sandridge Rate Book, 1833-1835, undated computer transcript. Also seen at HALS

Tombstone: From Monumental Inscriptions, The Parish Church of St Peter, St Albans. Hertfordshire Family History Society

Sacred
to the memory
of
Mr Benjamin FOWLER
who died August 5th 1821 aetat 57

A crumb of Jacobs dust lies here below
Richer than all the mines of Mexico
Twill rise and shine when nature's works are o'er
Bright as the firmament for evermore

also Sarah wife of the above
who died Novr 19th 1835 aetat 84