Dating a Bath Brick

[56spencer]

Greetings All,

Recently while helping to clean out a summer kitchen on a farm property I came across what I later learned was a bath brick. Made in England from alluvial matter from the river Parrett at Bridgwater, it is about the size of a normal building brick. It was used primarily as a scouring material in the cleaning of metal. Material could be scraped from the brick to scouring powder or metal items, such as knives, could be cleaned by rubbing on the brick.

A search on "bath brick" in a search engine should turn up a number of entries about this household cleaning product that sources date first from the late 18th century or first quarter of the 19th century and still being made into the 1920s by ten different manufacturers. There was a nice article titled "Clean and Gleam" at www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news dated 07.08.07 but I cannot seem to now find it online but I do have a hard copy if anyone is interested. Also, "Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management" published in England in 1861 (see Google Books) makes mention of bath bricks.

Now a question: Does anyone have any material culture resources that might help to date the bath brick I have? One side is marked as follows:

The Parrott
Bath Brick Co
Limited
Bridgwater

My first attempt at getting a digital photo of the brick was a bust. I'll be trying again over the holiday break later this month.

Thanks,

[Vuhginyuh]

A slime brick. Wet it like a bar of soap and scour pots and pans with the slime it renders. It's why tons of fine old silver and pewter have their hallmarks erased.

The fact that it does not have a "Made in..." on it is a good starting place.

How is it marked? Is is look stamped into the clay or cast?

county-museums@somerset.gov.uk

[30th IL]

<strike>Dating a Bath Brick.....hmmmm, I think probably a dinner and a movie.</strike>

[56spencer]

Mr. Beall Wrote:
"How is it marked? Is is look stamped into the clay or cast?"

The markings appear to be moulded into the brick and they completely cover one of the largest sides of it (approx. 6.5" X 3").


<strike>Mr. Anderson Wrote:
"Dating a Bath Brick.....hmmmm, I think probably a dinner and a movie."

But be sure to pick a movie that doesn't rub the brick the wrong way or the relationship could crumble.</strike>

Thanks,

[Pvt Peck]

All puns aside, I will be interested to see the history of said brick. Be nice to her as she may be a relation of mine!

Edward Parrott

[Vuhginyuh]

edit by GB. 12-17 07 3:28 PM. Deleted post. Other members did his homework for him. My references are no longer needed.

[VIrginia Mescher]

Greetings All,

Recently while helping to clean out a summer kitchen on a farm property I came across what I later learned was a bath brick. Made in England from alluvial matter from the river Parrett at Bridgwater, it is about the size of a normal building brick. It was used primarily as a scouring material in the cleaning of metal. Material could be scraped from the brick to scouring powder or metal items, such as knives, could be cleaned by rubbing on the brick.


Now a question: Does anyone have any material culture resources that might help to date the bath brick I have? One side is marked as follows:

The Parrott
Bath Brick Co
Limited
Bridgwater

Thanks,

Kevin,

From the small amount of research I have been able to do, the earliest mention I found in British newspapers was 1826. Bath Bricks (at first) were only made in Bridgewater, England. The sludge along the banks of the Parrott River, one mile above and one mile below the town of Bridgewater was used to make this type of brick and the it was found that the mud anywhere else outside this area did not have the same properties. (Essays on the Philosophy and Art of Land-Drainage by Josiah Parkes, 1848). In the 1870s, over several million bricks were manufactured and exported from Bridgewater annually. Ordinary bricks, drain pipes, cement and pottery were also industries of Bridgewater. (County Topographies Somershetshire edited by E. R. Kelly, 1875.

The T. T. Luscombe & Co. trademarked their Bath Brick in 1873 but I could not find the trademark. In 1879, H. J. & C. Major was manufacturing Bath Bricks in Bridgewater. (The Trades' Guide for Midland Counties, 1879)

Bridgewater is in Somerset County, near Bath and Bristol on southwest England.

Bath bricks were powdered and mixed with soap and used as a polishing powder for use in the home. It was also used in the industry for polishing steel in roller mills. In Miss Leslie's House Book (in Google Books) on page 214, she gives an excellent description of how to powder the brick for use and then use the powder for polishing your knives and forks.

As for dating the brick, I did a check in 19th century English periodicals for the company and didn't find anything so it it probably that it is a 20th century company.

[jacobite8749]

I hope this link to a local blog may be of some use.

http://bathdailyphoto.wordpress.com/category/bricks/

[VIrginia Mescher]

Greetings All,

The Parrott
Bath Brick Co
Limited
Bridgwater

Thanks,

Kevin,

I did a bit more research and found that the Liverpool company, Parrett Bath Brick Company Limited, obtained permission to build a manufacturing plant for bath brick on the eastern side of the Parrett River in Bridgewater in January 1886. (Bristol Mercury and Daily Post)

I didn't find anything else about them other than initial announcement and one other one indicating the company had been granted permission to construct a slime batch at the front of their proposed site.

[56spencer]

Greetings,

Attached are 2 views of the bath brick. Many thanks to all who contributed to this discussion.

[jacobite8749]

I can also remember a quote from somewhere in Berwick Barracks, although where from now I am not sure, that brick dust was used in cleaning the bores of muskets. That the Sgt. of the day would inspect the bore by shining a light down the bore and expecting to see a glimmer from the shined breach plug base. Each soldier had a little tin of brick dust that into which he dabbed a damp 2 x 4 patch and ground away until sparkling. The gist being that Bath Brick had military uses too in powder form.

I would put a guess in and say turn of the century, 1900's taken as ballast.