Title
Booton Clay Pits.
Subject
Description
Formed here when men once dug clay at a penny a yard (cubic), earning a meagre 35 to 40 pence a week at a time when the local weaving industry was in decay. The Cawston Fishing Club use and look after Booton Clay Pits which is owned by the Parish of Cawston, the Cawston Heath Trust oversees the management.
CLAY LUMP: Clay lump building continued far into the 19th century. The clay was mixed with straw and made into blocks, which were well dried before they were used, the mortar usually consisting of wet clay and cow-dung. The clay diggers were paid one penny for every cubic yard of clay, and a week's work would only realise about 50 pence. Men who had been put out of work by the decay of the weaving industry in East Anglia were often glad to seek this employment.
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CLAY LUMP: Clay lump building continued far into the 19th century. The clay was mixed with straw and made into blocks, which were well dried before they were used, the mortar usually consisting of wet clay and cow-dung. The clay diggers were paid one penny for every cubic yard of clay, and a week's work would only realise about 50 pence. Men who had been put out of work by the decay of the weaving industry in East Anglia were often glad to seek this employment.
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Creator
CHS