Fingermarks of an 18th century child preserved in brick

On Friday I posted a video of the Flying Scotsman crossing the Welland Viaduct and quoted Wikipedia to explain where you can find that remarkable structure.

Its entry included this detail:

Before the extensive privatisation of British Rail, repairs were regularly made to the structure by the Kettering and Leicester civil engineering staff. 

Many of the older bricklayers reported having seen the imprints of children's hands and feet in the bricks, from where they had walked on the clay-filled moulds before firing in the kiln.

I'm not sure I believed it, but it was a nice story so I quoted it in the post.

This afternoon I found these on Twitter:

Unique bricks discovered at lock 15 by HLF Trainees- got finger prints on them from before firing! pic.twitter.com/b0PDa9WNuW

— CRTGraham (@CrtGraham) November 24, 2016

Can't get more handmade than this! Fingermarks of the maker - a child probably! Bricks made locally over 200 years ago on Lock 15 #Grantham https://t.co/9Qsv9Osvqj

— Grantham Canal (@GranthamCanal) December 11, 2016

Lock 15 is part of the Woolsthorpe flight on the Grantham Canal. You can read about its restoration on Canal Junction.