Chapter XII (1)

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

“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.

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._’”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.