Nottingham Ware--List of Potters--Nottingham Mugs--Bears--Lowesby
--Coalville--Ibstock--Tamworth--Wilnecote--Coventry--Nuneaton--
Broxburne--Stamford--Roman Kiln--Blasfield’s Terra-Cotta--
Bolingbroke--Wisbech--Lowestoft and Gunton--Delft Ware--Lowestoft
China--Stowmarket--Ipswich--Ebbisham--Wrotham--Yarmouth--Cossey--
Cadborough--Rye--Gestingthorpe--Holkham--Nuneham Courtney--Marsh
Balden--Horspath--Shotover.
NOTTINGHAM.
That pottery and encaustic paving-tiles were made at Nottingham during
mediæval times is abundantly proved by the discovery, in April, 1874
(when digging the foundations for the Methodist New Connection chapel),
of kilns and examples of tiles and domestic vessels. Of this discovery
Mr. A. J. Sully gives me the following account:--
“As the men were excavating on the site of the old Parliament
Street Chapel at the lower corner of George Street, they came
on an old kiln, in and near which they found jars, jugs, and
flat-bottomed pots of mediæval manufacture, varying from six
to sixteen inches in height and from two to nine inches in
diameter; they are all of a red clay body, with the upper
portion of the outside covered with green salt glaze. They
afterwards found three other kilns and more pieces of the same
description, and a number of fragments of encaustic tiles with
coats of arms on, and one or two with inscriptions. In the same
place, they also found a number of silver pennies of Edward I.,
II., and III., a few Irish types of Edward I., and pennies of
Alexander of Scotland. But what proves most conclusively that
there was a pottery there, is the fact that nearly all the
pieces found are faulty, having been either broken, or fallen in
shape in the oven, and therefore thrown aside; and the coins,
tiles, and pottery being all of the same period, prove that the
works must have been in existence as early as the latter part of
the fourteenth century. One of the vessels is probably unique;
it is of the shape of an inverted water-bottle, and has a face
in relief on each side--though for what use it was intended I
am unable to conjecture, as it has an opening at the bottom
as well as at the top. They were all found within four feet
of the surface, the walls of the chapel having been built all
round the place; but there being no internal walls of any kind,
the enclosed land had not been disturbed before. Some kilns
and fragments of a similar kind were discovered about fifty
years ago, when excavations were being made on the site of St.
Paul’s church, which is also situated in Broad Street, but at
a distance of about three hundred yards from where this last
find took place; so that the works would seem to have been of a
very extensive character, and to have covered a large space of
ground.”
The vessels seem to be of very much the same general character and
period as those found at Burley Hill, described on pages 78 and 79.
They consist principally of pitchers of almost identical form with
those engraved on Figs. 266 to 269 and 272 and 274. The most remarkable
is the one described by Mr. Sully as bearing a mask on either side.
In 1641 there appears, from a list of trades compiled in that year and
given by Dering, to have been only one master-potter at Nottingham.
In 1693 “glass-pots”--_i.e._ crucibles for glass makers--were made of
Derbyshire crouch clay. This is thus alluded to by Houghton in that
year, “_clay with flat or thin sand glittering with mica_. Crouch white
clay, Derbyshire, of which the glass pots are made at Nottingham.”
In the beginning of last century Mr. Charles Morley was a manufacturer
of brown glazed earthenware in Nottingham. His works were in the
lower part of Beck Street, on the way to St. Ann’s Well. Mr. Morley,
who amassed a very considerable fortune by his pottery, built for
himself the large house in Beck Lane, which was afterwards occupied
by his son, the late Mr. Charles Lomas Morley, and still later used
as the Government School of Design. In 1737 Mr. Charles Morley, the
potter, was one of the Sheriffs of Nottingham. One of his principal
branches of manufacture was in brown ware ale-mugs, for the ale-houses
of the district, and in pitchers, and other domestic utensils. In
1739, according to a list of trades in that year, there were two
master-potters in Nottingham.
Dering, who wrote his “Nottingamia vetus et nova” in 1751, says that at
that time Nottingham sends down the river Trent “coals, lead, timber,
corn, wool, and potter’s ware.”
In 1772–4 it is stated, in a curious and scarce little work, “A Short
Tour in the Midland Counties of England,” that at Nottingham “the
making of glass wares is laid aside, and that of pots become very
trifling; but here are some small silk mills and also a few on the same
principle for cotton, lately erected.”
In 1774 the names of thirteen “pot-makers,” one “mug maker,” and four
“pipe makers” occur in “An exact List of the Burgesses and Freeholders
of the town and county of Nottingham,” who voted at the election of
Members of Parliament in that year, but of course these would mainly be
journeymen. The names, which I here extract from a copy of this scarce
book in my own possession, are as follows:--
John Ash, pot maker, Bottle Lane.
William Barns, pot maker, Barkergate.
John Clayton, pipe maker, Bridge Foot.
Moses Colclough, pot maker, Beck Barn.
John Coppock, pot maker, Marsdens Court.
Thomas Ellnor, pot maker, St. James’s Lane.
Thomas Glover, pot maker, Warser Gate.
John Handley, mug maker, Coalpit Lane.
John Hazeley, pot maker, Bridlesmith Gate.
Thomas Hough, pot maker, Beck Lane.
William Lockett, pot maker, New Buildings.
Benjamin Marshall, pipe maker, Parliament Street.
James Sefton, pipe maker, Mary Gate.
George Sefton, pipe maker, Mary Gate.
Isaac Selby, pot maker, New Buildings.
Leonard Twells, pot maker, Beck Lane.
Samuel Wyer, pot maker, Boot Lane.
John Wyer, sen., pot maker, Boot Lane.
In 1780, in “An exact list of the Burgesses of the town and county of
the town of Nottingham, who polled in the election of two Burgesses to
represent the said town in the Council Chamber,” the following fourteen
pot and mug-makers and one pipe-maker occur:--
John Coppock, pot maker, Narrow Marsh.
Isaac Dance, pot maker, Coalpit Lane.
John Clayton, pipe maker, Water Lane.
Thomas Hough, pot maker, New Buildings.
John Handley, mug maker, Coalpit Lane.
Isaac Selby, pot maker, York Road.
Thomas Wyer, pot maker, Boot Lane.
Richard Reeves, pot maker, New Buildings.
William Barnes, pot maker, Barker Gate.
Moses Coleclough, pot maker, Beckbarn Yard.
Leonard Twells, pot maker, Beck Lane.
Richard Wyer, pot-maker, Boot Lane.
Thomas Glover, pot maker, Warsergate.
William Lockett, pot maker, St. Ann’s Street.
Thomas Ellnor, pot maker, St. James’s Lane.
In 1802, in a List of the Burgesses in the Free Library[102] the
following four names occur;--
Moses Colclough, potter, Beck Court.
John Key, pot maker, Coalpit Lane.
John Reynolds, potter, Barker Gate.
Samuel Woodhouse, pot maker, Sandy Lane.
In the list of those who voted at the contested election of 1803, only
one pot-maker appears. In the same list the “Old Pottery” is mentioned
as a place of residence of several persons, thus showing that the
manufacture had then ceased at that place.
In 1815, Blackner in his history of Nottingham says, “there were
likewise two potteries within the last thirty years,” “but the clay was
principally brought from a considerable distance, which added so much
to the cost of the pots as to prevent the proprietors maintaining a
competition with the Staffordshire dealers.”
The names of “Mug-House Yard” and “Mug-House Lane” in Beck Street,
take their origin from the old pot works of Mr. Morley, and show,
incontestably, that those works, where “mugs” were the staple
production, were known as the “Mug-house.”
The greater part of the clay was brought from out of Derbyshire, but
some is said also to have been procured from Hucknall Torkard.
The earliest known dated example of Nottingham ware is the remarkably
fine posset-pot (Fig. 812), in the possession of my friend, the Rev. J.
S. Doxey, by whom it was thus described for my “Reliquary”:--[103]
“It is a Posset-pot of the general form (Jewitt’s “Life of
Wedgwood,” pp. 64–65), fashioned with more than ordinary care
and lightness. It is made of very hard and durable ware, and
has, as usual, a light brown lustrous glaze. It stands 10½
inches, and at the top is 9½ inches in diameter. It is of a
very unusual mode of construction, the ‘belly’ part having
double sides, the outer of which is ornamented with foliage
and flowers, the stalks being incised and the flowers and
leaves being perforations. There is, moreover, the following
remarkable peculiarity, which may be partially seen in the
engraving. A tube commencing about an inch from the top, is
passed down the exterior side as far as the top of the ‘belly,’
where it passes through and is continued to the bottom of the
interior. This tube, I imagine, had originally a mouth-piece,
which is unfortunately broken off, and was so constructed that
a draught of the posset liquor could by suction be taken apart
from the bread, spices, &c. Between the handles, on the upper
part, on the tube side, is inscribed in cursive characters the
following:--
_Samuel Watkinson_ _Major_ }
} _of Nottingham._
_& Sarah his Wife_ _& Majoress_ }
1 7 0 0
[Illustration: Fig. 812.]
“Occupying a space 5 inches broad and 5½ in height, on the
other side, in a similar position are to be seen the Royal
arms of the period (William III.) with crest, supporters, and
garter, with motto. Though this cup is of the same general form
as the Posset-pot, and may have been used as such, it may also
have been used on occasions of mayoral and other hospitality as
a ‘loving-cup,’ or as some would prefer to call it, from its
having only two handles, a ‘parting-cup.’ Samuel Watkinson, the
owner of the Posset-pot, or in whose honour it was made, was no
mean person. From Throsby’s Thoroton’s ‘History of Nottingham,’
I learn he was elected on three several occasions (1700, 1708,
1715) Mayor, or as it is more correctly put on the Posset-pot,
Major of Nottingham.”
In Mr. Briscoe’s possession is a good specimen of the brown mugs so
characteristic of Nottingham ware. It is 5½ inches in height, 2⅞ inches
in diameter at the bottom, and wider at the top, and will hold about
half a pint. It was discovered during excavations in Victoria Street,
Nottingham, close to the site of the Old Ship inn, of “Gideon Giles”
notoriety.
[Illustration: Figs. 813 and 814.]
One of the finest mugs which has come under my notice--and indeed, I
believe, the finest known example--is in the possession of Mr. E. M.
Kidd, of Nottingham, who is also the fortunate possessor of a fine
collection of English china. It is engraved on Figs. 813 and 814. In
front is a full-blown rose on a stem, surmounted by a crown, and there
are two other crowns, one on either side, a little lower down, between
what are evidently intended for thistles; there is also a terminal rose
at each end, and the remainder of the body is ornamented with their
stems and foliage. At the back, by the handle, are the words
_John_ _Nottingham_
_Johnson_ _Sept. ye_ 3
_Schoolmaster_ 1762
This inscription is, as usual, in ordinary writing letters, incised,
or scratched, into the soft clay. On the bottom, in the same kind of
incised writing letters, is the maker’s name, _W^m Lockett_. This
is highly interesting, as he, William Lockett, is one of the makers
included in the foregoing lists of voters in 1774 and 1780. The name
stands thus in the 1774 list:--“Lockett William, pot-maker, _New
buildings_” (in 1780 he was of _St. Ann’s Street_), and he appears to
have given a plumper for the Hon. William Howe, of Epperstone. In the
same list is a Henry Lockett, saddler, Smithy row, who voted in the
same manner. In the same list the name of the school-master, for whom
this special mug was made also occurs, but he voted for Lord Edward
Bentinck, and Sir Charles Sedley, of Nutthall, Bart. The name stands
thus:--“Johnson John, school-master, _St. Mary’s Church side_.”
Thus a record occurs both of the maker and the owner of this curious
mug, of which Mr. Kidd is the fortunate possessor.
A jug formerly belonging to Mr. Norman has the inscription, incised in
writing letters, as follows:--
“_John Smith junr of Bassford near
Nottingham 1712_”
In the Museum of Practical Geology is a “christening bowl,” thirteen
inches in diameter bearing the incised words, in writing letters,
“_Nouember_ 20 1726;” a punch-bowl, twenty-two inches in diameter,
with the words “Old England for Ever, 1750;” and a highly interesting
mug “in brown earthenware with glaze of metallic lustre, ornamented
with stamped flowers laid on in relief, and incised inscription in
cursive characters, round the rim, ‘_Made at Nottingham ye 17th Day
of August A.D. 1771._’”
[Illustration: Fig. 815.]
Another good, dated example, brought under my notice by Mr. Briscoe,
bears the names of “_Thos. and Mary Brammer, May ye 21 1753._”
In the collection formerly belonging to Mr. Hawkins was “a neatly
formed puzzle jug, of lustrous glaze, ornamented with a vase of pinks
[these flowers being most generally used in the ornamentation of the
Nottingham Pottery] and scrolls around the lower part, the flowers
being a dark red colour; on the front is the date 1755, underneath the
bottom, the initials, ‘G. B.’” In the same collection was “a tobacco
jar, in form of a bear, of bright lustrous glaze, his head being the
cover, a collar round his neck, and a chain, to which is attached a
large hollow ball, containing stones and holes, used as a rattle; on
the ball is impressed the name “Elizabeth Clark, Dec^r ye 25^{th}
1769.”
One of the favourite productions of the Nottingham “Mug-house” and its
predecessors, was drinking jugs in form of a bear, which were also
made at Brampton in the same kind of ware, and at Fulham and other
places in other wares. A strikingly good example (Fig. 815) is in my
own possession. It is 9½ inches in height, and formed of the usual hard
brown glazed ware of this pottery. The whole, with the exception of the
neck, is powdered with small fragments of dry clay (not “potsherds” as
usually, but erroneously, stated) which have been sprinkled over its
surface before firing and burnt in with it. This, it may be remarked,
is the usual characteristic of these vessels whenever made. The one
under notice has the eyes, outlines of the ears, teeth, and claws,
laid on in white “slip.” It, like many other “bears,” is made to rest
as in the engraving, or to stand upright when placed on its hams;
the body contains the liquor, and the head lifts off to be used as a
drinking-cup, holding it by the muzzle.
LOWESBY.
In 1835 Sir Frederick Gustavus Fowke, Bart., commenced some Terra Cotta
Works at Lowesby, in Leicestershire, and produced vases of very good
character and of remarkably hard and fine body from the clays of the
neighbourhood. He had previously, about 1833, made some garden-pots
for his own use, and finding the clay remarkably good and tenacious,
determined upon utilising it. In colour the terra cotta was a full
rich red, and in some cases the articles were decorated with Etruscan
figures and ornaments in black enamel. Vases, ornamented flower-pots,
butter-pots, and other articles of domestic use, were produced, and
these were mostly decorated with patterns in black, or occasionally in
colours, and gilt.
A shop for the sale of the Lowesby ware was opened in King William
Street, London, under the management of a Mr. Purden. The ornamental
vases, made of different sizes, were sent up to London as they came
from the kiln, and many of the antique shapes were beautifully painted
and enamelled in London under Mr. Purden’s superintendence. The
manufacture was only continued for a few years and then, not being
found to answer, died out. The place is now used as a brick and tile
works, and flower-pots are also made.
The mark is impressed on the bottom of the ware. It is a fleur-de-lis,
beneath the name “LOWESBY” in a curved line (Fig. 816). Occasionally
the name LOWESBY without the fleur-de-lis occurs. The arms of Sir
Frederick G. Fowke, Bart., the founder of the works, are, _vert_, a
fleur-de-lis, _argent_, and the seat is Lowesby Hall, so that the mark
represented time armorial bearing of the family, and the name of the
estate.
[Illustration: Fig. 816.]
COALVILLE.
In 1859 the attention of Mr. George Smith (who has made himself a name,
and earned the thanks of his country for his philanthropic exertions
in improving the condition of the brick-yard children and those of
the canal population) was accidentally drawn to the clays of the
neighbourhood of Coalville and Whitwick, and he procured some for the
purpose of experiments. These trials proving eminently satisfactory,
Mr. Smith entered into an arrangement with Mr. Joseph Whetstone and
others by which he undertook to establish the manufacture of terra
cotta on the spot and to develop the clay resources of the place.
The works were therefore established in connection with the Whitwick
Colliery Company, at Coalville and Ibstock; they are now worked by
the Midland Brick and Terra Cotta Company. Three kinds of terra cotta
are here produced, viz., red, white or light buff, and yellow or
cream colour. These varieties, each distinct from the other, are thus
described for me by Mr. Smith:--
“First, the red. This is made out of the surface clay, of a greyish
tint, and varies in thickness from four to thirty feet, and does not
shrink much in burning; it burns a beautiful bright red colour and
will stand the severest weather and keep its colour. Occasionally a
little white scum may be seen on the surface: this is the result of
making, drying, and burning too quickly; but this will disappear after
it has been in use a winter or so. Second, the light buff or glypto
terra cotta. The clay out of which this is made underlies the red terra
cotta clay and varies in thickness from six to twenty feet; it is very
hard and difficult to be ground to a proper fineness. This terra cotta
when burnt resembles very much Bath stone in colour, and may, if it
be kept dry from the time it is burnt to the time it is used, be cut
and carved with much ease, and it is very suitable for head-stones,
&c. But this peculiar speciality disappears after it has been exposed
to the weather for a little time, when it gets hard, and turns the
edge of the tools. Third, the yellow or cream-coloured terra cotta.
The clay for this kind of terra cotta is got out of the coal-pits in
the neighbourhood, and lies at a depth of about a hundred and twenty
yards from the surface. It averages about five feet in thickness, and
is a kind of clay between a pot-clay and a fire-clay. It is very fine,
strong, free from iron, and will stand a great heat, but shrinks a
deal in burning--about one-eighth. The kind of goods this clay is most
suitable for are the following:--Sewage-pipes, chimney-pots, vases,
flower-boxes, tiles, and pottery. The goods produced in architectural
enrichments are bases and capitals; cornices, corbels, and brackets;
arch moulds, vaulting-ribs, and balustrades; diapers, finials, and
ridge-tiles, and other articles. Garden and conservatory, as well as
table vases--some of which, especially a tripod vase, are of excellent
design--are also made of various sizes.”
IBSTOCK.
The history of these works is that of Coalville; which see.
POLESWORTH.
_Terra Cotta Works._--One of the manufactures of terra cotta carried
on by the “Midland Brick and Terra Cotta Company” is situated at
Polesworth. It was established in 1875, and the directorship placed
in the hands of Mr. J. Joiner, for many years principal manager at
the Stamford Terra Cotta Works. The productions consist of fountains;
garden, conservatory, and other vases of various designs; architectural
details and enrichments; chimney tops, chimney pieces, capitals and
columns, crestings and finials, and other articles, including an
admirable feature, that of tomb-stones, monuments, memorial tablets,
urns, &c. Blue and brown bricks, both moulded and plain; coping, arch,
and stable bricks; roofing tiles, garden edgings, drain pipes, and
other useful goods are also extensively made. The terra cotta is both
red and buff, and is of fine hard and durable quality, and, with a
clean, good surface, unites a pleasant shade of colour.
MARKET BOSWORTH.
_Terra Cotta Works_, belonging to the “Midland” Company, before
spoken of, have been established for the production of bricks, tiles,
fire-clay, and the more ordinary terra cotta goods.
TAMWORTH.
The _Terra Cotta Works_ at Tamworth were established in 1847, by the
present owners, Messrs. Gibbs and Canning, and are now very extensive
and important, and produce a large variety of goods of the highest
class and character. The principal productions are terra-cotta for
architectural, horticultural, and other useful and ornamental purposes;
Della Robbia ware; sanitary and other goods; tiles, and bricks, &c. In
terra cotta, for architectural purposes, trusses and cornices, bosses
and pateræ, brackets and corbels, capitals and bases, balustrades and
parapets, keystones and quoins, strings and mouldings, window and door
heads, terminals and finials, friezes, diaper work, ashlar, and every
other detail, are produced, and of a quality for sharpness, hardness,
and durability scarcely to be surpassed. Among the buildings where this
Tamworth terra cotta has been well introduced are the Roman Catholic
church of the Holy Name at Manchester; the Royal Albert Hall, South
Kensington; the Royal Horticultural Gardens; the Colston Hall, Bristol;
the Natural History Museum, South Kensington; and the corridor of
the New Town Hall, Manchester, &c. For ornamental purposes this firm
produces fountains, vases, tazzas, pedestals, garden-seats, brackets,
suspenders, figures and groups, garden-edging, and every variety of
articles for the lawn, the garden, or the conservatory. Many of these
are of excellent design, and the material being durable they are well
suited for out-door purposes. The “Della Robbia ware”--a fine terra
cotta beautifully and effectively enamelled in brilliant and flat
colours on the surface--is produced in endless variety in plaques, &c.,
for ceilings and walls, where it takes the place of plaster or other
surface-covering. Its great beauty is, however, especially apparent in
the garden and flower-vases, jardinières, mignonette-boxes, tree-pots,
and an endless variety of other useful articles which the firm produce.
The designs are chaste and elegant, especially those in which the
convolvulus is introduced, and the colouring rich and effective in the
extreme. They are among the best productions of this class of goods.
Another excellent production of the firm is a grey terra-cotta, which
has a pleasing effect for architectural enrichments.
WILNECOTE.
The _Wilnecote Works_, near Tamworth, which rank among the more
important in the kingdom, were established in 1860, when Mr. George
Skey purchased the coal mines at this place, with the intention
of working them. On sinking shafts for the purpose he fortunately
discovered several important and valuable beds of fire-clay, and other
clays well adapted for pottery purposes, and he wisely determined to
at once erect suitable kilns and buildings for their full development.
At great cost and under considerable disadvantages suitable workrooms
were erected and fitted up with suitable machinery, steam presses,
lathes, &c. Competent workmen were engaged, and the manufactory was
opened in 1862. The goods produced were so well received and their
quality so good, both as regard material and workmanship, as well as
design, that the works had very shortly to be considerably enlarged and
fresh workrooms, kilns, &c., erected. This was done, and at the present
time the entire produce of the coal and clay pits (about 300 tons of
coal and 300 tons of clay per week) is used up at the works, which
give employment to several hundred persons. In 1864 Mr. Skey having
found the concern grown to more than his own personal care could,
single handed, control, formed it into a limited liability company,
with a capital of £60,000, under the style of the “Wilnecote Company,
Limited,” afterwards altered to the “George Skey and Company, Limited,”
Mr. Skey being the managing director, and Mr. Thos. Creswell, secretary.
The goods produced are:--in terra-cotta, which is of fine and
durable quality, and of excellent workmanship, fountains, vases,
tazzas, brackets, pedestals, suspenders, terminals, flower-vases,
mignonette-boxes, fern-stands, garden-seats, balustrades, cornices,
chimney tops, and every description of architectural enrichment.
Game-pie dishes, of admirable design and of perfect modelling, and
other articles, are also produced in this material. The colour is
a beautiful light cream colour, and the body being very fine the
relief patterns “come out” very sharply and effectively. In “Rustic
ware,” vases, garden-seats, flower-pots, brackets, fern-stands, and
an infinite variety of beautiful articles are made. This “Rustic
ware” is a fine buff coloured terra-cotta, glazed with a rich brown
glaze, and sometimes heightened with a green tinge, just sufficient
to give it a remarkably pleasing effect. The modelling of some of
these goods is highly artistic. In stoneware, or Bristol ware, all the
usual articles as made at Lambeth, at Bristol, and other places, are
produced. In sanitary ware, all the usual and many additional articles
are made; these are of remarkably fine and good quality and excellent
both in body and glaze, and in firing. In ridging and roofing-tiles,
sewerage-pipes, and garden-edgings, and in moulded bricks for cornices,
string courses, &c., an endless variety; and in paving-tiles, and
facing-bricks of various colours, as well as fire-bricks, all the usual
kinds.
Terra-cotta gas-stoves are extensively made in various designs, some of
which are registered. They are chaste and even elegant in design, and
admirable in construction. Some of the patterns are in high relief, and
others, in addition to the relief, are perforated, and have a striking
and pleasing effect. Two of the designs are shown on Figs. 817 and 818.
[Illustration: Figs. 817 and 818.]
The following is an analysis of Mr. George Skey’s Fire Clay,
made by Mr. A. Winkler Willis’ of Wolverhampton:--Silica,
hydrated, 71·41; detrydrated, 75·99. Alumina, hydrated,
21·17; detrydrated, 22·53. Protoxide of Iron, hydrated,
·91; detrydrated, ·97. Lime, hydrated, ·04; detrydrated,
·05. Magnesia, hydrated, a trace. Alkalies, hydrated, ·82;
detrydrated, ·87. Manganese, Organic Matter, Sulphuric Acid,
Chlorine, traces. Water, hydrated, 2·57. Water combined,
hydrated, 3·49. Total, hydrated, 100·41; detrydrated, 100·41.
Total Impurities, 1·89.
The mark used is the words GEORGE SKEY WILNECOTE WORKS NR TAMWORTH, in
an oval, impressed in the ware.
COVENTRY.
At Stoke, near Coventry, and other places in the district, are old
established coarse brown ware works. Mr. Robt. Wakefield is a maker of
flower-pots, seakale-pots, &c., of good quality.
NUNEATON.
The works were established about 1830, by Mr. Peter Wager Williams,
upon the site of what evidently had been very old pot works, but of
which no record appears to exist. At first there were during Mr. P.
W. Williams’s lifetime two distinct manufactories. One of these was
next worked by his eldest son, Mr. John Williams, who sold it to his
three brothers, Peter, Charles, and James, by whom it was carried on
under the style of “Caroline Williams.” It passed by purchase into
the hands of Mr. J. Rawlins, and was taken by “Messrs. Broadbent and
Stanley Brothers,” by whom it was considerably extended. The other
manufactory was carried on by Mr. Walter Handley, at whose death it
passed to his son-in-law, Mr. David Wheway, at whose decease it was
incorporated with the former one, and carried on jointly with it, by
Messrs. Broadbent and Stanley Brothers. In 1871 Mr. Broadbent retired
from the concern, and it is now carried on by Messrs. Stanley Brothers.
The goods produced are terra-cotta vases, chimney-tops, &c.; coloured
paving-tiles for geometric designs; garden-edging, ornamental ridging
and all kinds of plain building and ornamental bricks; glazed sanitary
and other pipes, &c. The firm has recently patented a process for
the manufacture of malt kiln tiles, for which they have invented new
machinery. They are made of the finest fire-clay, and are of very
superior character to any others. The marls in this neighbourhood,
from which these various goods are made, are varied, and on the ground
worked by this firm alone about twenty different measures occur, and
these are of divers colours and qualities. The works occupy nearly ten
acres of ground.
BROXBOURNE.
In 1843, when terra-cotta was but little known, Mr. Pulham turned his
attention to it, made numerous experiments in order to bring about
its revival, and succeeded in making it both of a good hard stone
colour and of a rich pale red. Having done this, he began to produce
various small objects for architectural purposes--bosses, angle quoins,
brackets, balustrades, small flower-pots, and vases--which remain at
the present day as sharp and good as when they left the kiln. He also,
about this time, introduced what is termed granulated terra-cotta,
having the appearance of stone. Latterly this imitation has fallen into
disrepute, and wisely so, for although where terra-cotta is now used
it is adopted instead of stone, yet it is not used to _imitate_
stone, but passes for what it is,--_bona fide_ terra-cotta. For
architectural purposes, it is still, in some instances, granulated.
[Illustration: Fig. 819.]
Mr. Pulham exhibited specimens of his work at the Exhibition of
1851. Notably amongst them was a handsome Gothic vase in rich pale
red, highly enriched; this was placed upon a suitable pedestal of
cream-colour terra-cotta. From that time down to the next Exhibition,
in 1862, improvements were constantly being made, both in the
manipulation, production, and style of the manufacture. Mr. Pulham
aimed more at the quality than quantity made; and it is said that he
still carries out the rule he laid down, not to extend his business,
but to keep it so that it is not too large to be under his own personal
supervision. Mr. Pulham exhibited in 1862, among other things, a large
Fountain for a gentleman’s grounds near Tunbridge Wells, many features
of which, particularly the life-size figure of Hebe which surmounts it,
and which is a perfection in burning, were very successful.
[Illustration: Fig. 820.]
[Illustration: Figs. 821 to 824.--Broxbourne Terra Cotta.]
In 1871, besides other of his productions, Mr. Pulham exhibited a small
fountain, which was at play during the whole time of the Exhibition;
and also several new vases. The fountains (for which a prize medal was
awarded) and principal exhibits were very favourably noticed. Some
of these I give on Figs. 819 to 824. At the Paris Exhibition in 1867
fountains, vases, and architectural embellishments, amongst which may
be named the Preston vase (a number of which were made for the People’s
Park, Preston), with medallions representing the staple commerce
of the place; some rich columns, novel window jambs and dressings;
and notably amongst the rest was the Mulready Monument, erected
for the Science and Art Department, South Kensington, and at whose
instigation it was sent to Paris. The design of this is a pedestal 15
ft. by 10 ft., round the sides of which are sketched in outline some
of Mulready’s principal pictures. This pedestal supports a large-size
effigy, 7 ft. long, on a raised bier, the whole of this bier and effigy
being fired successfully, just as it left the sculptor’s and modeller’s
hands, and which was highly commended and spoken of as quite a _chef
d’œuvre_ in the terra-cotta art, and obtained the silver medal. It
is now in Kensal Green cemetery, where it was fixed on its return from
Paris. Mr. Pulham also executed a portion of ornamental terra-cotta
used in the New Science Schools at South Kensington. The quality of
the terra-cotta produced at Broxbourne is very high; it is hard, firm,
compact, and durable, and of a soft and pleasing colour. Besides the
articles already named, Mr. Pulham produces a goodly variety of vases,
tazzas, pedestals, flower-baskets, and architectural enrichments of
every kind.
STAMFORD.
That pottery was in mediæval times made in Stamford was incontestably
proved in the latter end of 1874 by the discovery of a kiln during the
course of excavations in the rear of a house occupied by the Rev. E. F.
Gretton, formerly Master of the Grammar School there. The kiln was thus
described in “The Reliquary,”[104] by Mr. G. H. Burton:--
“On visiting the spot after a clearance had been effected, I
found an opening sunk in the ground, 7 feet wide, and as far as
excavated, 8 feet 6 inches long. The end that was bared (north)
was semicircular; the form of the other could not be seen,
though from certain indications I think it would correspond. The
bottom was floored with clay, and the lining or ‘bratticing’
of the sides was composed of stones, of irregular shapes and
sizes, set in and entirely faced with clay. The layer forming
the floor was about three inches thick, and had been burnt to
a rather deep red; the coating of the sides was not so highly
burnt, indeed; the clay at one part, only a few inches from the
face, became perfectly plastic by exposure during a few days’
rain. In this opening, in the direction of its length, was a
row of four piers of an extreme height of 3 ft. 8 inches, and
about 12 inches or 14 inches thick; their section was something
like a square or oblong, slightly rounded at the angles--in some
parts resembling a rough circle. These columns were at somewhat
irregular distances. That at the north end supported a short,
thick lintel, which was connected with the enclosure, and was
in a line with the series of piers. The three other columns
carried at their heads a slighter lintel. These piers supported
four horizontal beams 1 foot wide and 9 inches thick, of an
extreme length of 4 feet 6 inches, which spanned the space
between the piers and the east side of the opening. Thus the
internal arrangement, to use a homely illustration, was pretty
much that of a gridiron bent in the middle to the shape of the
letter L inverted. [inverted L symbol] The part enclosed by the
piers and beams was of the clear width of 3 feet 6 inches; the
space from the piers to the other side was 2 feet 6 inches.
This latter is believed to represent the ‘stoke-hole,’ and
the unbarred opening, between the two northernmost piers, was
perhaps a ‘man-hole.’ I have been told that the four transverse
beams had been continued right across the opening, and that on
one side they had been accidentally destroyed; but one who was
very early on the spot assures me that the piers did not then
present the appearance of anything having been broken from them.
The columns, the beams, and the lintels were all of clay, burnt
in some portions to a light brick red. Their construction seems
to have been a rude and simple affair. Sticks or branches of no
great thickness were placed in position, and then soft clay was
clapped round them until the required massiveness was obtained,
when drying and baking would finish the operation, if indeed
drying and baking were necessary. Of what the superstructure
was composed, and what form it took, I could find nothing to
indicate. The floor of the kiln was seven or eight feet from
the present surface, and the sides at the highest remaining
part rose to a level with the horizontal beams. I should state
that in two parallel cuttings, made for the foundations of
new buildings, I observed a very thin layer of burnt earth
of a light colour, extending nearly to the south end of the
excavated remains of the kiln, and at about the same level as
the horizontal beams. This would seem to show that when the
kiln was in operation the tops of the pillars were on a level
with the then surrounding surface. One remarkable circumstance
ought, perhaps, to be mentioned. It was found necessary to make
a cutting through this kiln, and the excavation revealed the
fact, that for at least ten feet beneath the kiln floor there
was nothing but ‘made ground,’ as the workmen called it. Other
cuttings near disclosed a similar substructure, the loose ground
being 20 feet deep.”
The very large and important works of this place owed their origin
to Mr. J. M. Blashfield, by whom they were established in 1858.
Previous to that time, Mr. Blashfield had been, until 1851, engaged,
in Southwark Bridge Road, Albion Place, Blackfriars, and Mill Wall, in
the Italian marble trade, and the manufacture of cements and scagliola,
and the making and laying down of tessellated pavements, &c. In that
year he commenced the manufacture of terra-cotta at Mill Wall, London,
having a few years previously purchased a number of the moulds,
models, &c., from Coades when that manufactory was closed. In 1858 Mr.
Blashfield removed his moulds, models, plant, &c., to Stamford, where
a splendid clay for his purpose exists, and where he soon became as
successful as such enterprise and ability as his deserved, and where he
did more for the development and improvement of the beautiful in art
than could otherwise have been accomplished. In 1874 the works merged
into a limited liability company, under the style of the “Stamford
Terra-Cotta Company,” which failed and was wound up in 1875, when the
plant and stock were sold by auction.
Mr. Blashfield’s name is very intimately connected with the subject
of encaustic paving-tiles, having been associated with the late Mr.
Herbert Minton in their revival. In reference to this the following
extract from a paper read by him is interesting:--
“One of the greatest revivals in pottery, connected with
architecture, took place about 1833. Mr. Wright, of Shelton,
obtained a patent for making inlaid tiles. This patent was
bought by the late Mr. Herbert Minton, who improved upon it, and
produced the tiles now so commonly used in churches.
“In 1840, Richard Prosser, of Birmingham, took a patent for
making buttons in china. In 1841, buttons made from the body of
which porcelain is constituted were very largely manufactured
by the late Mr. Herbert Minton, under this patent of Prosser’s;
and having, myself, for several years, made inlaid pavements
and imitations of old mosaic and tesselated work, I conceived
that Prosser’s invention would make _tesseræ_ and tiles, and I
suggested to Minton and Prosser the enlargement of the patent
for this purpose. I then made arrangements to carry out this
invention, and laid the first designs and specimens I made
before the then President of the Royal Society (the Marquis of
Northampton), who kindly permitted me to exhibit them at one of
his soirées, at his house in Piccadilly, about the commencement
of the year 1843. He then introduced the subject to a great
number of noblemen, and especially to his Royal Highness the
Prince Consort, who requested an especial account of the process
to be written for him, and which was done, and forms now the
appendix to the second edition of a work I first published in
1842, through Mr. Owen Jones, on _Tesselated Pavements_. In
1843, I published a work upon _Encaustic Tiles_, with ninety-six
copies of ancient tiles drawn half the full size, and also
designs of pavements. The drawings were arranged and copied on
stone by Mr. Owen Jones. I also employed Mr. Lewis, Mr. Kendall,
and other architects on the same subject, and especially Mr.
Digby Wyatt, who copied for me in Italy the remains of the
mosaic works of the Middle Ages, from San Lorenzo, St. Mark’s,
and other places; and which has since been drawn on stone, and
published by him, under the title of ‘The Geometrical Mosaics
of the Middle Ages.’ The Society of Arts, London, also kindly
permitted me to lecture on the subject, and constantly to bring
it forward--so that, by the end of the year 1845, the trade in
tesselated pavements, inlaid tiles, and Venetian floors, had
gained a firm footing; but, from various circumstances, and
after spending many thousand pounds in bringing the subject
fully into notice, I was obliged to surrender all interest in it
to the manufacturer, Herbert Minton. Since this date, Minton and
Hollins have revived the art of majolica and Palissy ware, and
produced the most magnificent specimens, both in point of size
and color, ever attained in this description of pottery.”
[Illustration: Fig. 825.]
[Illustration: Figs. 826 to 831.--Blashfield’s Stamford Terra
Cotta.]
Mr. Blashfield further wrote to me:--
“I suggested to Herbert Minton the making of mosaic pavements,
and found some of the money and designs for the early
development of the pavement business. It was the connection with
the pavement business that led me to a knowledge of pottery; and
made me turn the moulds and models which I had used for plastic
scagliola and cement castings into use for terra-cotta in 1851.
I began to form my collection of models in 1831 in the Southwark
Bridge Road.”
The productions of this manufactory were terra-cotta as applied to
every purpose, glazed or enamelled tiles and bricks for wall-facings,
hard ordinary paving tiles, enamelled architectural enrichments for
internal use, and red and buff moulded bricks.
In this material, statues, both single figures and groups, busts,
vases, tazzas, fountains, pedestals, suspenders, chimney shafts,
cornices, consoles, string courses, pateræ, medallions, panels,
friezes, capitals and bases, tracery, window and door heads and
jambs, balustrades, and every species of architectural decoration
were produced in almost endless--and, certainly, as to design,
matchless--variety. The vases and tazzæ were most carefully modelled
from ancient examples taken from the British and other Museums, and
from the standard works of Montfaucon, Winckelmann, Millengen, Raoul
Rochette, Dubois-Maisonneuve, Baptista Passerio, D’Hancarville,
Piranesi, Tatham, Moses, Sir William Hamilton, Englefield, and
others; and many original designs by Mr. Blashfield and other artists
were added. These were produced of various sizes, but all of equal
excellence. The statues and busts, &c., are clever reproductions of
ancient examples, and special works modelled for the purpose by or from
Bell, Woodington, Roubilliac, Weigall, Chantrey, and other renowned
modern artists.
Among the public buildings which have been enriched by the art works of
Mr. Blashfield’s manufactory are the urns, antifixa, and pavements in
the Royal Mausoleums, Windsor; vases and terminals, &c., at Buckingham
Palace; vases, tazzas, borders, &c., at Kew and Hampton Court Gardens
and Dairy Farm, Windsor; colossal statues, fountains, vases, &c., and
roofs and other decorations, at the Crystal Palace; chimney shafts,
&c., Sandringham; vases and pedestals, Marlborough House; the entire
red, buff, grey, and black terra-cotta details and enrichments for
Dulwich College; Lady Alford’s mansion, and many other places; and,
indeed, for most of the public buildings and private mansions of this
country and abroad. Of these, perhaps one of the most important, and
which will ever remain a lasting monument of Stamford ceramic art, is
the new Dulwich College, erected from designs by Mr. Charles Barry,
and entirely composed of terra-cotta. It is the most complete specimen
of terra-cotta building in England--no stone whatever being used; the
value of the material alone being, in the gross, calculated at £28,000.
The whole of this was made at these works.
[Illustration: Figs. 832 to 834.--Blashfield’s Terra Cotta.]
In colour and quality the Stamford terra-cotta is of faultless
excellence. The details are sharp, and in many cases exquisitely
moulded; and, the body being much finer and harder than usual, they
have a finish and a “touch” about them that cannot easily be surpassed.
One of the most striking series of subjects produced in terra-cotta
was the manufacturing “process panels” on the exterior of the Wedgwood
Memorial Institute at Burslem. Three of these are engraved on Figs.
832 to 834. The whole series, modelled by Mr. Walter J. Morris,
illustrate the various processes of the plastic art; those selected
for engraving represent “Turning,” “Painting,” and “Firing.” The
history of these panels is a somewhat interesting feature as connected
with Stamford terra-cotta works, and is worth briefly recording. The
whole of the clay for these large panels was prepared at the Stamford
works by Mr. Blashfield. A large case, lined with plaster of Paris,
was made for each panel; the clay was firmly and evenly pressed into
it, and thus each of the twelve was transmitted to South Kensington.
Mr. Morris wrought his modelling on the faces of these cases of clay,
and they were returned to Stamford when ready for the later process
to be accomplished. At Stamford they were cut up in suitable pieces
for “firing;” made true (for they had got considerably twisted and
warped during the time they were in the modeller’s hands), carefully
dried, and burned; the whole series coming out from the kiln in the
admirable and perfect state in which they now stand, as monuments of
Mr. Blashfield’s ceramic skill, in the Wedgwood Institute. The whole of
the operations in producing these panels occupied about twelve months
in time, and their cost, of course, was something considerable. They
were marked with Mr. Blashfield’s name.
Among the most successful vases was the “Shakspeare vase.” It is of
the Medici form, but the general allegorical design and details are
Mr. Blashfield’s own. The figures of the allegory, which run round the
body of the vase, were modelled by the late Mr. Nixon, who executed the
statue of William IV. for the City of London, in conjunction with his
father, also a sculptor of eminence. It represents a masque scene from
Shakspeare’s _Tempest_--Prospero, Ferdinand and Miranda, with Juno
and Ceres, in front of the vase; Iris at the back, with the reapers,
dancers, &c. Caliban forms the part of one handle and Sycorax the
other. The whole are moulded in a masterly manner, and the rest of the
details of the vase are eminently in keeping with them.
Engravings of some of Mr. Blashfield’s vases are given on Figs. 826 to
835. Of these, Fig. 827, of novel design, bears powerful medallions of
Dante and Petrarch; and Fig. 828 (a flower-pot), those of the Queen and
the Prince Consort, and the Emperor and Empress of the French.
[Illustration: Fig. 835.]
The marks used were the name, impressed, “J. M. BLASHFIELD,” or
“BLASHFIELD, STAMFORD,” or “STAMFORD TERRA COTTA CO. LIMITED.”
BOLINGBROKE.
In the seventeenth century a pottery existed at Bolingbroke, in
Lincolnshire. Houghton, writing in 1693, speaks of “the blue clay of
Bolingbroke pottery, in Lincolnshire.” Nothing, however, is now known
as to this manufactory.
WISBECH.
Terra-cotta of a remarkably good character, made from the clay of
the district, was made here in 1859; but the works were not of long
continuance.
LOWESTOFT AND GUNTON.
Lowestoft, on the very easternmost point of England, on the coast of
Suffolk, is a pleasant town, with delightful sea views, a fine coast,
and a picturesque neighbourhood. It is an ancient borough; is divided
into three parts, respectively known as the “Old Town,” the “New Town,”
and the “Lower Town;” and its principal street, from which branch
off other streets to the left, and numberless “scores,” or narrow
ways, leading to the Dene and the sea, is about a mile in length,
and contains the principal residences, shops, and public buildings.
Its chief trade, like that of Yarmouth, is the herring fishery; and
many curious traditions of conflicts between the men of the two rival
“bloater towns” are still extant among the inhabitants. The principal
interest of the place, however, centres in the fact, that here, on one
of the easternmost points of the East Angles, a manufactory of fine
porcelain existed in the latter half of last century, and that genuine
productions of those works are now much sought for by collectors. In
1863 I visited Lowestoft for the special purpose of seeking information
regarding the works, about which at that time literally nothing was
known, and after a vast deal of research, both in the town and out of
it, I succeeded in obtaining the information which is embodied in this
chapter, and which, with the exception of its being now revised and
here and there amended, I contributed to the _Art-Journal_ of July
in that year.
It seems somewhat strange that the absolute “land’s end” on the eastern
coast of England should have been chosen as the spot on which porcelain
should be made, when the clay for the purpose had to be procured from
the western “Land’s End,” Cornwall, and the coal from the extreme
northern coast of Northumberland and Durham. It is not improbable,
however, that the same cause which conduced to the establishment of the
Chelsea works had much to do with the formation of those at Lowestoft.
Certain it is that an extensive trade was in the early and middle
part of last century carried on, as it is at the present day, with
Holland; and certain it is, that at that time, as now, the town was the
constant resort of Dutch fishermen and others; and as the _first_
productions of the Ceramic Art in this neighbourhood appear, so far
as I have been able to ascertain, to have been delft-ware, it is not
too much to suppose that the first potters were from Holland, and made
the ware from clay found in the neighbourhood. Specimens of this fine
delft-ware, inscribed with names of people in the neighbourhood, and
with dates, still exist, and attest pretty strongly to the correctness
of this opinion.
Gillingwater, in his “History of Lowestoft,” written in 1790, says at
p. 112:--
“The only manufactory carried on at Lowestoft is that of making
_porcelain, or china ware_; where the proprietors have brought
this ingenious art to a great degree of perfection; and, from
the prospect it affords, promises to be attended with much
success. The origin of this manufactory is as follows:--In the
year 1756, Hewlin Luson, Esq., of Gunton Hall, near Lowestoft,
having discovered some fine clay, or earth, on his estate in
that parish, sent a small quantity of it to one of the china
manufactories near London, in view of discovering what kind of
ware it was capable of producing, which, upon trial, proved to
be somewhat finer than that called the delft-ware. Mr. Luson
was so far encouraged by this success as to resolve upon making
another experiment of the goodness of its quality upon his own
premises; accordingly he immediately procured some workmen from
London, and erected upon his estate at Gunton a temporary kiln
and furnace, and all the other apparatus necessary for the
undertaking; but the manufacturers in London being apprised
of his intentions, and of the excellent quality of the earth,
and apprehending also that if Mr. Luson succeeded he might
rival them in their manufacture, it induced them to exercise
every art in their power to render his scheme abortive; and
so far tampered with the workmen he had procured, that they
spoiled the ware, and thereby frustrated Mr. Luson’s design.
But notwithstanding this unhandsome treatment, the resolution
of establishing a _china manufactory at Lowestoft_ was not
relinquished, but was revived again in the succeeding year
(1757), by Messrs. Walker, Brown, Aldred, and Rickman. This
second attempt experienced the same misfortune as the former
one, and very nearly ruined their designs; but the proprietors
happening to discover these practices of the workmen before it
was too late, they took such precautions as to render every
future attempt of this nature wholly ineffectual, and have now
established the factory upon such a permanent foundation as
promises great success. They have now enlarged their original
plan, and by purchasing several adjoining houses, and erecting
additional buildings, have made every necessary alteration
requisite for the various purposes of the manufactory. They
employ a considerable number of workmen, and supply with ware
many of the principal towns in the adjacent counties, and keep
a warehouse in London to execute the orders they receive both
from the city and the adjoining towns, and have brought the
manufactory to such a degree of perfection as promises to be a
credit to the town, useful to the inhabitants, and beneficial to
themselves.”
It appears from this account that the first pottery was established
at Gunton, near Lowestoft, in 1756; but I am inclined to think that
pot making had been carried on some years before this date. Marryat
describes two plates in his possession, of coarse paste, with blue
borders, which bear, respectively, the words--
QUINTON
BENJAMIN
YARMOUTH
1752.
QUINTON
MARY
YARMOUTH
1752.
which he considers may have been ante-dated; but the probability is
that they are not, but that they were painted at Gunton or Lowestoft
at the period whose date they bear. A remarkably fine blue and white
delft plate, or dish, which belonged to the late Mr. James Mills,
of Norwich, and traditionally said to be painted at Lowestoft, has
a bold border of blue colour round the rim, and the centre bears a
heart-shaped tablet (Fig. 836) with a Cupid at either side bearing a
pendent bunch of flowers. Above the tablet is a coronet, and below it
a knot and tassel. The tablet bears the words--_Robart & Ann Parrish
in Norwich 1756._ Other examples of this kind of ware, bearing names
of individuals and places in the neighbourhood, have also come under my
notice, and tend to strengthen my opinion that they must have been made
somewhat prior to the year 1756.
[Illustration: Fig. 836.]
It is a matter of extreme importance, and very noteworthy, that of
the _dated_ examples of wares known or recorded, those of 1752, 1756,
1759, and 1760, are not china but delft ware; and that those from 1762
forward to 1789 are china. The inference is that the manufacture of
delft ware at Gunton or Lowestoft continued till about 1760, and that
about that time the manufacture of porcelain was gradually making its
way.
The proprietors of the porcelain works in 1757 are stated by
Gillingwater to be Messrs. Walker, Brown, Aldred, and Rickman. Of
some of these proprietors particulars will be found interwoven in
my present article, but of the others very little is known. By 1770
the manufacture had advanced very considerably, so much so that in
that year, as appears by the following advertisement, a warehouse
for its sale was established in London:--“Clark Durnford, Lowestoft
China Warehouse, No. 4, Great St. Thomas the Apostle, Queen Street,
Cheapside, London, where merchants and shopkeepers may be supplied with
any quantity of the said ware at the usual prices. N.B. Allowance of
Twenty per cent. for Ready Money.”
The firm was carried on (as is proved by the address furnished
to Mr. Duesbury, of the Derby China factory) under the style of
“Robert Browne & Co.”; the address is “Mr. Robt. Browne & Co., China
Manufactory, Lowestoff, Suffolk.”
[Illustration: Fig. 837.]
One of the partners of the early firm, and the manager of the works,
was Robert Browne, who died in 1771, when the management fell to his
son, also Robert Browne, who, being an excellent practical chemist,
made great improvements in the ware. He was constantly experimenting on
“bodies,” and succeeded in bringing the art of making porcelain nearer
to the Oriental original than had been at that time attained by any
other individual. Of the first of these Robert Brownes an interesting
relic remains in the possession of his great-grandson at the present
day. It is a small inkstand, white, with blue ornaments. It is of
nine-sided form, and has Chinese figures on seven of its sides, the
other two being taken up with the pattern here engraved, the initials
“R. B., 1762,” being those of Robert Browne just alluded to.
The manufacture of porcelain under the management of the second Robert
Browne must have attained some great degree of excellence in 1775, for
in that year I find that a man named David Rhodes, who was apparently
employed by his master, Josiah Wedgwood, to collect together for him
examples of the productions of the different manufactories of this
country, enters in his account of expenses the purchase of a Lowestoft
slop basin, for which he gave ninepence. The account, which is in the
possession of Mr. Mayer, of Liverpool, is curious, as the following
items will show:--
1775. _s._ _d._
May 10. A Flawed Chelsea Leaf, a Plymouth Teapot,
and 2 Liverpool Coffee Cups 0 6
May 12. A set of Bristol China 6 0
„ A ½-pint Worcester Basin and broken ware 0 6
„ 2 Slop Basins, Derby and _Leastoff_ 1 6
„ 1 Quart Bristol Mug and Teapot Stand 2 6
„ A Broken Quart Mug, Bristol 0 6
Prices at which collectors nowadays would be only too glad to purchase
specimens. Fancy a quart Bristol mug, and a teapot-stand of the same,
for half-a-crown! and a Chelsea leaf, a Plymouth teapot, and two
Liverpool coffee-cups for sixpence!
The works must at this time have become noted, or they would not have
attracted the attention of Josiah Wedgwood, and made him desirous of
examining the “body,” and comparing it with other wares made in this
country. That the china produced at and before this time was good
there can be no doubt, and the purchase of a “slop-basin” shows that
tea-services must, prior to that time, have been made. It would be
interesting to find that this identical slop-basin was still preserved
at Etruria, as, possibly, it may be, although I have failed to
recognise it.
A curious circumstance connected with the first Robert Browne, the
memory of which has been preserved in his family, is worth relating, as
showing the schemes and the underhand practices which were resorted to
by manufacturers in those days (as, alas! now), to worm out and steal
the secrets of others. The workmen who had been engaged from London
having been, as alluded to by Gillingwater, shamefully tampered with,
and bribed to injure the work at Lowestoft, probably induced Mr. Browne
to retaliate in the manner I am about to describe. Being desirous, soon
after the commencement of the works, to ascertain how the glaze was
prepared, some of the colours mixed, and other particulars concerning
the ingredients used, he went to London, and under the disguise of
a workman, engaged himself at one of the china manufactories--of
course either Chelsea or Bow. Here, after a short time, he bribed the
warehouseman to assist him in his design, and soon accomplished his
purpose. The warehouseman locked him up secretly in that part of the
factory where the principal was in the habit of mixing the ingredients
after the workmen had left the premises. Browne was placed under an
empty hogshead close to the counter or table on which the principal
operated, and could thus see through an opening all that was going on.
From his hiding-place he watched all the processes, saw the proportions
of the different ingredients used, and gained the secret he had so
long coveted. Having thus remained a willing prisoner for some hours,
he was at last released when the principal left the place, and shortly
afterwards returned to Lowestoft, after an absence of only two or
three weeks, in full possession of the, till then, secret information
possessed by the famed works of Chelsea or Bow.
It may be well to note that the Brownes, I am informed, were engaged
in the staple trade of the place--that of the herring fishery as
well as in that of the manufacture of porcelain. The firm also were
shipowners, and kept vessels constantly running “to the Isle of Wight
for a peculiar sand, which, with pulverised glass and pipeclay, formed
principally the ingredients of the groundwork of the ware,” and to
Newcastle for coals.
Lowestoft is, fortunately, particularly rich in dated examples of
its productions; but it is worthy of remark, that the whole of these
examples, with names and dates, which have come under my notice, are
_white and blue_; showing that, during the period through which
these dates run, that was the character of the china made at these
works, and that the finer body and the elaborate colouring which
distinguish so much of the Lowestoft porcelain, were of later date. But
of this presently.
The earliest dated example of Lowestoft china ware I have yet seen is
the inkstand just described, which bears the initials “R. B.,” and
the date “1762.” In Mr. Norman’s collection was a bowl with the name
“ABRM. MOORE, 1765,” and a basin, said to have been made for
Sarah Crisp, has her initials “S. C., 1765.” The next is a fine bowl,
with a large group of Chinese figures--emperor, mandarins, &c.--painted
in blue, and inscribed on the bottom with the name of an eccentric
old maid, well known in the town, and whose gravestone lies in the
churchyard:--
ELIZA^{TH} BUCKLE
1768.
This bowl and other pieces of a service (notably a basin and cream
jug, painted with shepherd and shepherdess) made for her, were painted
by her nephew, a man named Robert Allen, who, as a boy, was one of
the first employed when the manufactory was established and remained
there until its close. The bowl is in the possession of his aged
daughter, Mrs. Johnson. This Robert Allen may well be classed amongst
the “worthies” of Lowestoft. Working at the china manufactory from the
first, he became foreman, and was entrusted with the mixing of the
colours and the ingredients of the material itself, and remained so
till the close of the factory in 1803. As a painter he appears to have
been chiefly employed on blue; at all events the only authenticated
specimens of his work which I have seen are of that colour. He also
employed himself in staining glass, and numerous pieces of his work are
still preserved by families in the town. His principal work was the
painting in the east window of the parish church, which he completed
in the year 1819, being then in his seventy-fourth year, and presented
it to the town. In acknowledgment of this service a silver cup, now in
possession of his daughter, and bearing the following inscription,
was presented to him:--“A token of respect to Mr. Robert Allen, from
his fellow-townsmen at Lowestoft, for having, at the advanced age of
Seventy-four, gratuitously and elegantly ornamented the East Window of
their Parish Church Anno. Dom. 1819.”
After the closing of the Lowestoft works, Allen, who dealt in china,
&c., put up a small kiln at his own house, where he carried on
operations on a limited scale, buying the unfinished ware from the
Rockingham works and painting and finishing it himself for sale. Mr.
Brameld, of the Rockingham works, who was an excellent painter on
china, occasionally visited Lowestoft, and became attached to Allen, to
whom he presented a set of five vases, beautifully painted from nature
with flowers copied from specimens he had gathered on the Dene. He also
presented him with a snuff-box, painted by himself.
Of the same year as the bowl above described (1768) a dated example in
the possession of Mr. Seago, the town clerk of Lowestoft, is a bowl,
with the words--
EDWARD MORLEY
1768
Another bears the date--
RICD. MASON
JANY. 1TH
1771
Of this latter year another dated example is shown on the engraving
(Fig. 838); it has the words--“James & Mary Curtis, Lowestoft, 1771.”
This mug was painted by Thomas Curtis, son of the pair named in the
inscription. He was for some time, it is said, employed at Dresden, and
became a “silent partner” in the Lowestoft works, and in his will is
described as a “porcelain painter.” Part of a set of china, painted by
this same Thomas Curtis on Oriental body, in 1775, and intended as a
wedding present for his son James, is still preserved in the family.
[Illustration: Fig. 838.]
The next dated example of blue and white was in the museum of
the late Mr. Mills, of Norwich. It is a mug, and bears the
inscription--“ROBT. HAWARD 1781.” The same gentleman had also
other initialed specimens, made originally for members of his family.
In Mr. Seago’s collection is an inkstand marked _S. A. Sept. 26
1782_, being the initials of Samuel Aldred; and Mr. Norman possessed
a similar inkstand inscribed “_A present from Lowestoft_,” but not
dated. In Norwich a later example, with the initials and date--
W
J S
1784
is also preserved. A beautiful example, the _latest_ known dated
specimen of Lowestoft china, is in the possession of Mr. J. Williams,
of Islington. It is a mug, three and a half inches high, painted in
blue with borders and flowers, and has on the front the initials and
name[105]
G C
LOWESTOFT
1789
These will be sufficient to show the range of years over which the
Lowestoft blue and white porcelain was manufactured. That it was made
to the close of the works there is every probability; but that it
gradually gave way to a finer and higher class of goods is certain.
Earthenware, too, of a fine kind, appears to have been made at
Lowestoft, of which I have seen some interesting examples, so called,
in various collections.
In the possession of Mr. Andreas A. Cockayne is a pair of remarkably
good salt-cellars of undoubted Lowestoft make. The inside is painted
with roses and other flowers, and the outside has festoons of roses and
foliage, and on either side of each is a shield bearing _gules_, on a
bend, _argent_, three leopards’ heads, caboshed, of the field; over all
an escutcheon of pretence with the arms of Cockayne, _argent_, three
cocks, _gules_. Crest, a leopard’s head, caboshed, _gules_.
Before speaking of the later and higher class of goods made, or
painted, at Lowestoft, it is quite necessary to put collectors on
their guard against giving implicit credence to all they hear in the
locality as to the kinds of ware made at these works. I have seen
undoubted specimens of early Worcester, of Caughley, of Bristol, and
of several other localities, gravely asserted to be Lowestoft, and
even attempted to be proved to be such by the very marks they bear.
As a proof of this I may just mention that it is said the company did
a large trade with Turkey, and the ware prepared for that market “had
on it no representation of man or beast (so as not to offend Mahometan
law), and at the bottom of each piece the Crescent was painted!”
It is perhaps unnecessary to say that the pieces marked with the
“Turkish Crescent” are the ordinary blue and white with the Worcester
and Caughley marks, and that some of the pieces are the well-known
“cabbage-leaf” and other forms of those makes.
[Illustration: Figs. 839, 840.]
The great characteristic of the latter and more advanced porcelain
made at Lowestoft, is its extreme minuteness and intricacy of pattern
and beauty of finish. Indeed the decorations on many of the specimens
which I have examined, are of a character far superior, both in design
and in the exquisite and almost microscopic nicety of the pencilling
and finish, to those mostly produced at other English manufactories.
The borders are frequently very minute and elaborate, and the wreaths,
festoons, or groups of flowers, are equally delicate in their
proportions.
Some of the productions of the Lowestoft works are apparently painted
on Oriental body, but there are many good examples in existence where
the body is of Lowestoft make which are of very fine quality. The
collector will be able to distinguish immediately between the examples
painted at Lowestoft on Oriental body and those which were potted and
painted there. Punch-bowls and tea and coffee services appear to have
been the staple productions of these works, and, fortunately, many
of the former, and several almost complete sets of the latter, are
remaining in the hands of families in the neighbourhood, and in those
of local collectors, who seem imbued with a truly laudable desire
to keep alive the memory of what has been done for the Ceramic Art
in their town. The bowls are usually of remarkably good form, and
highly ornamented. They are mostly painted at Lowestoft, on Oriental
body. Some of these, though not dated, nevertheless give collateral
evidence of the period at which they were made, and become, therefore,
historically valuable; as do also, indeed, some of the services bearing
the initials, heraldic bearings, and monograms of families in the
neighbourhood. A punch-bowl in the possession of the town clerk of
Lowestoft, which is elaborately ornamented inside and out, bears inside
a well-painted representation of a fishing lugger at full sail, within
a circle, beneath which is the name of the vessel, _The Judas_.
This bowl was made for the boat _Judas_, and was filled with punch
and drank to its success before each fishing voyage, and at carousals
at their end. In the same collection is another beautiful bowl, bearing
on either side, within ovals, and surrounded by ornamental ovals, &c.,
portraits of the notorious John Wilkes, and another, with the words
“Wilkes and Liberty.” The painting of these, as of all the higher class
of wares, is very beautiful and, indeed, in some parts exquisite.
When writing in 1863 upon these works (and it must be borne in mind
that I was the first to write upon them) I expressed myself as above.
My opinion that some of the Lowestoft productions were painted there on
Oriental body,--an opinion based upon thoroughly good foundation--has
been taken exception to by a later writer (who has been indebted for
nearly every scrap of information he has embodied in his work to what
I then wrote), in no measured terms. I was fortified in that opinion
by the judgment of the late Mr. Rose, of Coalport, than whom no man
living had a more thorough practical knowledge of bodies and of all
the different processes and phases of Ceramic Art, and whose opinion
in all technical matters was sought and relied upon by all scientific
men of real intelligence; and I am far from feeling disposed to give
up that opinion at the mere dictum of a dealer. I have hesitation in
saying that if a tithe of the pieces exhibited as Lowestoft _were_
painted there (which I very much doubt), they assuredly were painted
on Oriental body, for much of the ware now vaunted as Lowestoft is
certainly not English.[106]
[Illustration: Fig. 841.]
The coffee-pot (Fig. 841) formerly belonging to Mr. Norman is a good
specimen of Lowestoft painting. It forms part of a service, evidently
a marriage-service, originally made for Captain Walsh. The initials it
bears are probably those of himself and his bride. They are enclosed
in an oval within a wreath of roses and palm branches, tied with a
true lover’s knot. On either side is a Cupid, who supports a human
heart pierced with two arrows, and this is surmounted by a coronet. On
reference to the delft plate just described and engraved (Robert and
Ann Parrish), it will be seen how strongly the design of that early
example of Lowestoft earthenware accords with this, perhaps one of the
most highly finished of its productions in porcelain.
It is unnecessary to describe other services, although many of them are
of the highest beauty. One tea service, with the crest (an owl) and
the monogram of W. W. conjoined, is especially deserving of notice,
however, as being one of the choicest examples of porcelain painting of
its kind which have come under my notice. This service, until lately
intact, has unfortunately been dispersed, and portions of it passed
into the collections of Sir Henry Tyrwhit, Mr. Norman, Mr. Seago, and
others.
It is worthy of remark that on much of the Lowestoft china the rose
is plentifully introduced. The reason for this is probably two-fold:
first, the arms of the borough is the Tudor (or full-blown) rose,
crowned with an open arched crown; and this may probably have been the
principal incentive in giving the rose so constant and so prominent
a place in the ornamentation of the china. Second, during the period
of the great Revolution, a French refugee of the name of Rose, one
of the cleverest of the French porcelain painters, found his way to
Lowestoft, and was engaged by the company. He became the principal,
and by far the best, of the artists employed, and probably introduced
the rose more generally, in allusion to his name, than would otherwise
have been done. To him may probably be ascribed the finest and most
minutely finished specimens of painting which the works produced, and
it was his taste which gave that French character to the general style
of ornamentation which is so discoverable on many of the services. It
is well to remark that on some of the pieces painted by him he is said
to have introduced a small rose under the handle as a special mark of
his work. Like that of many another man of genius, the lot of this
clever refugee artist was a sad one. He was an aged man when he came to
Lowestoft, and he remained at the works till his eyesight failed him,
and he became very poor. A subscription was entered into, and a couple
of donkeys to help him to carry water in the town purchased, and thus
he passed his last few years.
[Illustration: Fig. 842.]
In the group (Fig. 842), I have shown some very characteristic examples
of the higher class make of the Lowestoft works. The saucer is an
excellent specimen of floral decoration, and shows better than many the
rose which was so plentifully introduced in decoration. The painting,
however, of these bolder groups of flowers is not so good as in the
more minute ones--the artists, as I have before said, excelling in
minute, careful, and elaborate pencilling rather than in breadth of
style and colour. The coffee-cup is a simple but very good specimen
of heraldic decoration. It is part of a set made for the celebrated
writer, the Rev. Robert Potter, Prebendary of Norwich and Vicar of
Lowestoft, one of the most distinguished classical scholars of his
time, and chiefly known for his excellent translations of Æschylus,
Euripides, and Sophocles, and for other equally learned works. The
cup bears the arms _or_, a chevron, _sable_, between three mullets,
_gules_, pierced of the first; with crest, and motto, “IN DEO POTERO.”
The tea-cup in the same group is a good example of the not unusual
French style of ornamentation, in wreaths, monograms, and initials. The
shield bears the initials “M.S.J.,” and is surrounded by a remarkably
elegant wreath of flowers, and surmounted by a crest. The engraving
(Fig. 843) is a simple _sketch_ from the saucer belonging to the cup
just described, and is therefore not filled in with the elaborate
detail of the original. The mug engraved in the group is of a form very
usual in Lowestoft specimens. It is well decorated with groups and
sprays of flowers, among which the rose is predominant. The borders on
all these pieces are of elaborate and minutely pencilled character.
[Illustration: Fig. 843.]
Transfer printing on china does not seem to have been practised to
any extent at Lowestoft. One jug, however, which has been handed down
from father to son in the family of the most active proprietor, is
preserved, with a memorandum that the copper-plate from which it was
printed was given to Mr. Browne by a Mr. Gamble, of Bungay, who, with
his family, was in the habit of visiting Lowestoft. Probably the plate
was given that the family might be supplied with ware printed from it.
The design is a sportsman with dog and gun, and on the spout of the jug
are the letters ‘S. A.’ the initials of Samuel Aldred. I have also seen
a set of beakers, &c., printed in blue, which are said to have been
bought at the factory, and to be attested as Lowestoft make.
The Lowestoft works did not excel in figures, which were usually
simple in design, and of small size. They are usually single rustic
figures, and possess no notable features; four examples, purchased
at the factory just before its close, are in the possession of Lady
Smith, and are highly interesting as being well authenticated. Among
the principal artists employed at the works were Rose, the refugee of
whom I have just spoken, whose beautiful floral patterns decorate most
of the best specimens of the ware of these works; Powles, a very clever
artist, whose name is well known as the draughtsman of the plates
illustrating Gillingwater’s “History of Lowestoft;” Allen, of whom I
have spoken, who painted the east window of the parish church, and was
the mixer of the colours at the factory; Redgate, who also was a good
flower-painter; Curtis, of whose productions I have already spoken;
Abel, John, and Joseph Bly; James, John, and Margaret Redgrave; and
others named Stevenson, Balls, Mottershed, and Simpson. Besides these,
several women were employed in painting and gilding.
The works were brought to a close in the year 1803 or 1804, and the
materials and finished goods were sold by auction. The causes which led
to their discontinuance were many, but principally the losses sustained
by the company, and the successful competition of the Staffordshire
manufacturers. One great loss was caused by the failure of their London
agents; another and more serious one by the destruction of a very large
quantity of Lowestoft china in Holland, with which country an extensive
trade was carried on, as thus stated:--“When Napoleon crossed the river
during a hard frost and captured Holland, amongst the British property
destroyed was a quantity of Lowestoft china at Rotterdam, in value
several thousand pounds.” The trade with Rotterdam was very large, and
the ware was sent weekly in hogsheads by way of Yarmouth. These two
losses, coming closely together, crippled the company; and the cost of
manufacture, through having no coal nor any other requisite material in
the neighbourhood, preventing them from producing ware so cheaply as
could be done in Staffordshire and at Derby and Worcester, the works
were closed, after the proprietors had realised considerable sums; and
the town thus lost a branch of manufacture which was an honour to it,
and which has given it a name in the annals of the Ceramic Art of this
country.
And here, before proceeding further, let me again utter a word or two
of caution to collectors, against placing too implicit a reliance
upon what has been written concerning Lowestoft china, and against
taking for granted that all which is nowadays called Lowestoft china
is really the production of that manufactory. If all that is ascribed
to Lowestoft was ever made there, the works must have been about the
most extensive, and--if all the varieties of wares that are now said to
have been there produced were made, as is asserted, simultaneously--the
most extraordinary on record. The great bulk of the specimens now
unblushingly ascribed to Lowestoft I believe never were in that town,
much less were ever made there. Mr. Owen, in his excellent work on
Bristol china, says truly:--
“The fashion has become general to attribute all such (Oriental)
china to Lowestoft, in spite of the evidence afforded by its
make, texture, and glaze. It is painful to see, in public and
private collections, examples of Oriental ware so labelled,
simply because, though hard porcelain, they bear English
armorial coats and initials. Mrs. Wilton, of Twigworth Villa,
Gloucester, has a set of Oriental china mugs--with the initials
of her grandfather and grandmother--which were made for her
ancestor in China, and brought thence by himself. According to
the new fashion, these relics would be attributed to Lowestoft.
Many porcelain punch-bowls are to be found in seaport towns with
names and portraits of ships and very early dates; these bowls
are often attributed to the works at Liverpool and Lowestoft.
The officers of the East India Co.’s ships were accustomed to
take out English delft bowls, and get them reproduced in common
porcelain in China for their merchant friends; and many a relic
now prized as of home manufacture was procured in this manner.”
And again:--
“If one hundredth portion only of the Oriental porcelain which,
on the slight evidence of having a certain red trellis-work in
the borders, or coarsely-painted roses, or English armorial
bearings, is erroneously attributed to _Lowestoft_, had really
been made there, that factory must have been the most prolific
and wonderful in the kingdom. A higher critical appreciation of
the peculiarities of Oriental ware would prevent such an error.”
The mill for grinding the materials for the manufactory “was in a
ravine by the Warren House on Gunton Denes, where a fine stream of
water constantly flows. This was dammed up, and when it had arrived at
a certain height, was set to flow over a very large wheel (the largest
of the kind at that time in the kingdom), for the purpose of grinding
the materials for the china.” This water wheel is, I am informed, still
in existence. The factory was situated in the town, and the premises
are now occupied as a brewery. The street is still called Factory Lane.
It is worthy of note that no mark was used upon Lowestoft china.
Marryat mentions a mark of three parallel straight blue lines; but this
is evidently an error, as no such examples appear to be known.
STOWMARKET.
The Tile Works at this place are of old establishment, and have always
been noted for the production of celebrated “white bricks,” spoken of
in the seventeenth century. They are worked by Mr. C. O. Fison, who, in
addition, manufactures an improved malt-kiln tile, both square-cluster
and round-cluster, for which honourable mention was made at the 1862
Exhibition. They are largely exported to various foreign countries, as
well as being extensively used in this kingdom.
IPSWICH.
_Ransome’s Patent Stone._--The first manufacture of this important
material was commenced at Ipswich in 1844; the inventor being Mr.
Frederick Ransome, of the firm of Ransomes and Sims of this town. The
works were removed in 1866 to East Greenwich, which see (page 162) for
a farther account.
EBBISHAM.
A large brick manufactory existed at Ebbisham, in Surrey, in the
seventeenth century, and a long and most interesting account of it,
and of the clays, as well as all the processes of manufacture, will be
found in Houghton’s “Husbandry and Trade Improved,” 1693.
WROTHAM.
[Illustration: Fig. 844.]
A pottery was in existence here, in Kent, in the middle of the
seventeenth century, but nothing is known as to its history. The ware
was the usual coarse brown ware, of much the same character as the Toft
dishes. An example, formerly belonging to Mr. C. W. Reynolds, decorated
with an incised pattern and bearing the date 1668, and the initials H.
I. and I. A., is traditionally said to be of this make. In the British
Museum is a large brown dish with the words E. W. E., WROTHAM, 1669,
and in the Museum of Practical Geology is a two-handled posset-pot
with raised ornaments and inscription laid on, in yellow slip, before
glazing, T. E., WROTHAM, 1703. Another good example, belonging to Mr.
Baldwin, is a four-handled tyg ornamented with fleur-de-lis, &c., and
bearing the words
W
WROTHAM C R 1659.
R·S
An interesting example, considered by Marryat to belong to Wrotham, is
given on Fig. 844.
YARMOUTH.
Although the name “Absolon, Yarmouth,” may occur on various pieces of
ware in different collections, it must not, for one moment, be taken
for granted that the pottery was produced there. The Absolons were
china and glass dealers in Yarmouth, and one of the family appears
to have erected a kiln, called the Ovens, and there to have burnt in
the flowers and other designs which he employed himself in painting
upon ware produced from other places. His plan appears to have been
to procure the ordinary cream-coloured ware in plates, &c., and paint
upon them flowers in the manner of those of Swinton, Don, &c.; and in
the same manner to write their names on the back; and then to burn them
in in his own “oven.” Mr. Norman possessed some plates of Absolon’s
painting, which bore on the back the usual mark of his name, pencilled
on and burnt in, and the name “TURNER” impressed in the ware.
These pieces, there can be no reasonable doubt, were made by John
Turner, of Lane End. Mr. Chaffers says that having the name of “Turner”
stamped upon them, “proves that they were actually made at Caughley,
and decorated at Yarmouth;” but this carries its own condemnation on
the face of it, for Turner of Caughley is not known to have stamped his
_name_ on his ware, and beyond this he did not produce cream ware
at his works. There is reason to believe that Absolon bought his ware
from Staffordshire and Leeds. He put his name in colour on the bottom
of the pieces he decorated.
[Illustration: Fig. 845.]
COSSEY.
The works at Cossey, near Norwich, which now produce many art-works
of merit in the form of decorated bricks and other architectural
enrichments, were established about 1800, as a brick-yard, and so
continued of small size, until about 1827, when Cossey, or Costessy
Hall, the seat of its noble owner, Lord Stafford, was rebuilt, when
they were enlarged, so as to enable a full supply for the purpose to
be made. The foreman of these works was Mr. Gunton, and under his care
the manufacture of ornamental bricks, for the new hall, was tried, and
with marked success. On this hall,--one of the best of brick buildings,
and one which may be looked upon as a gigantic example of Cossey
ceramic art--are some remarkably fine Tudoresque chimney shafts, as
well as excellently designed and well-executed cusped window-heads,
transoms, mullions, &c.; and finials, door-jambs, cornices, panelling,
and string-courses, all of equal excellence. These are all formed
of moulded brick made at Cossey from native clays, and are still in
remarkably good preservation. After the completion of the building of
the Hall the brickworks were closed for about four years, when Mr.
Gunton succeeded in renting them in the hope of fully carrying out his
idea of manufacturing decorated brickwork. Unfortunately, however,
he was not permitted to have the use of the moulds from which the
Hall bricks had been made; but, nevertheless, he from time to time
prepared new moulds for chimney shafts, window-heads, mouldings, &c.,
and gradually got them into notice, and architects and builders soon
began to see their advantage. The works are now carried on by his
son, Mr. George Gunton, whose productions are of the highest possible
class of merit. Among the architectural enrichments produced at these
works,--the designs being entirely supplied by architects, and of the
purest style and finish--are chimney shafts, many of which are of the
most elaborate style of ornamentation; window-heads, &c.; balustrades;
cornices; medallions; crest-ridging; string-courses; plinths; arches
and keys; pateræ; architraves; finials; capitals, bases, and shafts;
and many other matters. These are produced of remarkable sharpness and
of great beauty of finish--the tooth, nail-head, and other ornaments,
being very pure in character. They are produced in two colours--a fine,
rich, deep red, and a stone; the latter being the nearest approach of
any to artificial stone, and both being extremely hard and durable.
CADBOROUGH.
The _Cadborough Pottery_, near Rye, in Sussex, was first built about
1807, and carried on by Mr. James Smith, and afterwards by his son,
Mr. Jeremiah Smith. In 1840, the business passed into the hands of the
late Mr. William Mitchell (who had had the management of it, under Mr.
Smith, since 1827), who carried it on in his own name until 1859, when
he took one of his sons, Mr. Frederick Mitchell, into partnership, and
the firm became “Wm. Mitchell & Son,” and so continued until 1869, when
the partnership was dissolved, under mutual arrangement, Mr. Mitchell,
sen., continuing the Cadborough business for common earthenware, and
his son, Mr. Frederick Mitchell, taking the fancy department, which was
his own creation, to new premises, the Bellevue Pottery (which see).
In 1870, Mr. Mitchell, sen., died, and the business at Cadborough was
then taken by Mr. Henry Mitchell, who still carries it on. The goods
produced are the ordinary common brown wares, glazed and unglazed, and
consist of flower-pots; chimney-pots; pitchers and crocks of various
kinds; tongue, ham, beef, biscuit, milk, and other pans; bottles, jugs,
bowls, and other domestic vessels; sewer and drain pipes; butter-pots;
and all the other usual articles made in this ware. The clay is dug on
the farm of Cadborough, as is also the loam with which it is mixed, and
it is of peculiarly hard and durable texture, and capable of taking
a good glaze. Many of the domestic vessels are mottled or “splashed”
under the glaze.
RYE.
The “_Bellevue Pottery_” in the Ferry Road, Rye, Sussex, was
established in 1869, by its present proprietor, Mr. Frederick Mitchell,
son and partner of the late Mr. William Mitchell of the Cadborough
Pottery (which see). It was established entirely for the manufacture
of “Sussex Rustic Ware”--an ornamental branch of the brown-ware goods
invented by Mr. Frederick Mitchell while at those works. This ware is
of peculiar, but highly pleasing character, and in it a large variety
of fancy articles, flower-baskets, candlesticks, jugs, vases, pilgrims’
bottles, &c., are made. The clay is peculiarly light, and of tolerably
close texture, and it is capable of working into any form. The glaze,
which is of equal richness with that of “Rockingham” ware, is of
exceedingly good quality, and it has a rich effect over the mottling or
“splashing” which characterizes this ware. Many of the productions are
very artistic, and evince much taste and skill in manipulation. Some of
the vessels are decorated with the leaf and head of the staple product
of the county --the hop--or with other excellent copies of leaves
and flowers, &c. The peculiarity of this “Sussex Rustic Ware” is its
extreme lightness, and the richness of its mottling and glaze.
One article, worthy of especial notice, as made at these works (and
formerly at Cadborough), is the “Sussex Pig” here engraved. This is a
drinking vessel of the same general character as the “Bears,” which
will be found described under the heads of Brampton, Nottingham,
&c. The body, when filled with ale, stands on end, on its tail, and
the head lifts off to be used as a drinking cup, precisely in the
same manner as with the “bears.” In Sussex these “pigs” are used at
weddings, when each guest is invited to “drink a _hogshead_ of
beer to the health of the bride;” and at other social and convivial
meetings. On these occasions each person is expected to drink this
cup--or “hog’s head”--full of liquor.
[Illustration: Fig. 846.]
GESTINGTHORPE.
Pavement tiles and other articles were made at Gestingthorpe, in Essex,
in the seventeenth century. Houghton, writing in 1693, says:--
“From my ingenious good friend, _Mr. Samuel Dale_, of
_Braintree_, in _Essex_, I am informed, that at _Gestingthorpe_,
in that county, are made a sort of hard yellowish bricks and
pavements, called _white brick_, and _Walpet brick_, from a town
in _Suffolk_ of that name, where they were first made; they are
harder and more durable than common red brick, and therefore
much used for pavement of floors in lower rooms, and also for
fire-hearths, except just where they make their fires.”
HOLKHAM.
In 1849, the Earl of Leicester, anxious to turn the clays of his
estate in Norfolk to good account, commenced the manufacture of red
terra-cotta at Holkham, and produced some good Tudor chimney-tops and
moulded bricks.
NUNEHAM COURTNEY.
Potworks existed here in the beginning of the seventeenth century, and
are spoken of by Plot, in 1677 as being “now deserted; nor, indeed, was
there, as I ever heard of, anything extraordinary performed during the
working these earths.”
MARSH BALDEN.
The pottery at this place, existing in the beginning of the seventeenth
century, is included in the above remark by Dr. Plot.
HORSPATH.
Tobacco pipes were made here in the latter end of the seventeenth
century.
SHOTOVER.
At Shotover, in the parish of Headington, tobacco-pipes were made prior
to 1677, at which time the “place was deserted.”