Arthur S. Brockenbrough’s Extract from John H. Cocke’s Contract with Thomas Whitelaw
That all the bricks for the principal buildings shall be moulded in single moulds lined with copper—
That in all cases of out side walling, experienced & competent workmen only shall be employed, & in no case shall young & inexperienced workmen or apprentices be permited to lay bricks, except in filling up between the faces of out side Walls or partition walls & in these cases only under the direction & guidance of a master workman—it is hereby understood by the contracting parties, that pure clean, sharp sand shall only be used in the mortar—that the proportions of sand & Lime in the mortar to be used, shall depend upon the state in which the lime is used as well as the purity of the lime—to wit that in case the lime is used in the caustic or unslacked state, & is free of grit or other extraneous substances, three proportions of sand to [. . .] one of lime may be the proportion—& for the liquid mortar for grouting four of sand for one of lime—but if the lime is used in a slack state or is found to contain grit or other extraneous matter—the proportion of sand may [. . .] be reduced to two of sand [. . .] to one of lime to be judged of by J. H. C—That none but hard bricks shall be put into the out side walls—
That all the out side walls shall be grouted—for the f brick work executed agreeable to the foregoing memoranda the aforesaid J. H. C. shall pay unto the said Whitelaw three pounds ten shillings bricks, in the1 said W. usual mode of measuring & the usual allowance for openings*2
Extracted from J H Cockes Contract with T Whitelaw
*Mr Whitelaws mode of measuring was two lines on the outside & two on the inside of the building of course counting the Corners but once—the contents of all openings were calculated one half taken out, the workmanship & materials of the other half allowed for—