Brickmaking+families

In the 1844 Whites Suffolk Directory for Frostenden, Jeremiah Aldous is listed as a brick, tile, and earthenware manufacturer.
 * Aldous**

In the 1855 and 1864 directories Joseph Artiss is listed as a brick, tile, drainpipe and earthenware manufacturer
 * Artis**

In the 1861 Frostenden census, John Collings age 32 was a brickmaker, with a wife Georgiana, age 22 and a 6 month old daughter Amalia. John was born in Kesale. In the same year a Charles Collings (age 38), is recorded in the Kelsale census as a master brickmaker employing 2 men and 2 boys. He had a wife, Martha, age 39, a daughter Laura (age 5) and a son John (age 4). The family was living in Brick Kiln House, Yoxford Road. Charles was probably the brother of John Collings of Frostenden.
 * Collings (alias Collins)**

In 1869 Charles Collins is listed in the Frostenden directory as a brickmaker. This person is probably the husband of Martha Collings above and indicates that the family of Kelsale brickmakers had moved to the village.

In the 1871 Frostenden census Charles, born in Ipswich, is described as a brickmaker and a farmer. He was head of the following household. In 1871 William Holland was listed as an earthenware maker in Frostenden, but in 1873 Charles Collings is the only bricklayer listed in the Frostenden Directory. He probably took over the Holland business. Sometime during the next two years Charles died because in 1885 Martha Collings is listed as the Frostenden brickmaker.
 * Name || Age ||
 * Charles Collins (head || 46 ||
 * Charles Collins || 5 ||
 * George A Collins || 12 ||
 * George P Collins || 8 ||
 * John Collins || 14 ||
 * Martha Collins (wife) || 47 ||
 * Mary J Collins || 9 ||
 * Robert Collins || 22 ||

In 1891, Martha, then a widow, was described as a 'brickmaker's employer'. Her son Charles, age 25 is described as a brickmaker. There was also another Charles Collings (born in Yoxford) who was manager of the brickyard. James Rous (born in South Cove) was foreman of the brickworks.

The family of the Charles Collings born in Yoxford is listed below. His children were born in Wrentham and his wife came from Hulver Street. It is likely that he is a relation of the Collings family of Kelsale who had been a brickmaker in the Wrentham works, which was situated only a mile or so from Frostenden Corner. In the next census for 1901 Martha Collings is 'proprietor of the Frostenden Brickworks', age 77. There were three men of the Collings family engaged in brickmaking, George age 38, foreman of the brickyard (born Kelsale), Charles age 34 (born Frostenden) and John, age 62 (born Carlton) Chrles and John were both listed as brickmakers.
 * Name || Age ||
 * Albert E Collings || 3 ||
 * Charles J Collings (head) || 33 ||
 * Ernest P Collings || 7 ||
 * Howard C Collings || 4 ||
 * John Eric Collings || 1 ||
 * Leonard V Collings || 6 ||
 * Louisa J Collings (wife) || 28 ||
 * Willie F Collings || 2 ||
 * Gertrude Reynolds || 15 ||

Kelly's 1896 directory for Frostenden describes Mrs Martha Girling as a brickmaker. In the same directory for 1908 a Martha Girling is running an enterprise making bricks, tiles and drain pipes (moulded bricks of all descriptions). There is no Martha Girling listed in the 1891 and 1901 census returns for Frostenden and the inference it that the Kelly's entries really refer to Martha Collings.

By 1912, the brickworks was being run by Martha Collings executors.


 * Rouse**

In 1965, Rector Waller reported that there were once 4 brickyards providing work for the village, of which 3 belonged to Messrs Collings and Rouse who still worked one of them. The first reference to a Frostenden brickmaker named Rous (born in South Cove) is the James Rous age 24 mentioned above with reference to the 1881 census. A kinship connection between the two families Collings and Rouse was evident in the 1901 census when Martha Collings had Emily Rouse age 19 living with her. Emily was described as her grandaughter and a brickmaker who was born in Frostenden.

The Rous's were in charge of the brickworks in 1926 (J B Rous & Sons) and they were still the proprietors in 1837. Sidney Rous was managing the last surviving brickyard at South Cove in the 1970s. He was probably a grandson of the James Rous of South Cove who was foreman of the Collings brickworks in 1891. All in all, brickmaking in Frostenden and South Cove appears to have been in the hands of the Collings and Rous families for over a century.