19th-Century P45 Dismissal Notice Discovered on Rugeley Roof Tile

Staffordshire Blue roof tile bearing a handwritten dismissal notice for John Lewis, thought to be a 19th-century pottery worker, from Thomas Austin has been discovered at a salvage yard.

A worker sorting through old stock at Cawarden Reclaim in Rugeley, Staffordshire, spotted the artifact. The message states, “I do hereby discharge you, John Lewis, from my employment, Thomas Austin.”

“We’ve been going for 40 years and I’ve never come across anything like this before – a 19th century P45!” said chairman Richard Parrott, 63.

The message was scratched into soft clay before the tile went into a kiln to be fired. It remained concealed on the underside of the roof for roughly two centuries until the building it covered was demolished.

Staff at the reclamation yard researched the inscription and found business records listing Thomas Austin as a brick and tile maker operating at Clay Hills in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, in 1820. Employees think the tile likely came from a former farmhouse site that is now undergoing residential development.

“If it is the same person, we may have uncovered not only a glimpse into somebody’s working life in the early 19th century, but also a connection to the people who made the very building materials that have survived to this day,” said general manager Adam Giles.

Why John Lewis lost his job remains unknown. Giles said that animal pawprints and old shoes from people walking across the clay while it was being fired are often found, but handwritten text in a tile is very unusual and very rare.

“Things have definitely moved on since then, probably for the better. It shows that industrial relations have improved tremendously!” Parrott said.

Cawarden Reclaim said the artifact would eventually go on display in its reception area as part of a wall of interest.