Chapter XII

Irish Ceramics--Early Pottery of Ireland--The
Cairns--The Crannogs--Mediæval Pottery of
Ireland--Dublin--Delamain--Stringfellow--Grants by
Irish Parliament--Donovan--Delft Ware--Brown Ware
Manufactories--Belfast--Leathes and Smith--Delft Ware--Coates’
Pottery--China Works--Florence Court Pottery--Coal Island
Pottery--Youghall Pottery--Captain Beauclerc’s Terra
Cotta--Larne Pottery Works--Castle Elspie Pottery--Belleek China
and Earthenware Works, &c.

The early pottery of Ireland, although bearing a general resemblance in many of its characteristics to that of England and other nations, nevertheless differs from all others in some of its features, both of form and decoration. As in other countries, the great bulk of examples of early fictile art that remain to us in Ireland, and upon which we have to found our knowledge, are the cinerary urns--the clay vessels in which, when cremation was in vogue, the ashes and burnt bones of the dead were placed for burial in cairns or otherwise--and food and drinking-vessels found (when inhumation was observed) in the grave-mounds of the people. But, in addition to this, the “crannogs,” or lake dwellings of the Irish people, afford a vast fund of information upon the form and decoration of the domestic vessels in use in former ages.

In the first volume of this work I have written much upon early fictile art, and in other works have treated so fully upon the contents of the barrows[61] of early ages, that it is not needful to pursue the subject here. I may, however, with special reference to Irish examples, quote the words of my late friend, Sir William Wilde--one of the most painstaking authorities upon Irish antiquities-and then pass on to a consideration of some of the examples that remain to us. “Irish cinerary urns have,” Sir William says, “been found under three circumstances: in small cists, placed without any ostensible mark, at least at the present day, beneath the surface of the soil, each just sufficiently large to hold one or two vessels. The chamber is sometimes occupied with the urn and its contents alone; in other cases, it also contains charcoal and portions of burned bone; and, in some instances, the flooring-stones have become vitrified upon the upper surface, thus leading us to believe that the funeral pyre was lighted over the grave after it was formed; of this, the charcoal and the vitrification of the stones afford presumptive proof. These small chambers are sometimes found near the surface, or on the periphery of the larger tumuli that usually cover cromlechs or surround extensive sepulchral chambers, and appear to be of a much more recent date than the original structure of the tumulus in which they are placed. Such minor interments may have been those of the family or descendants of the persons originally interred beneath; or the place--strong in the odour of sanctity--may have been resorted to as a burial-ground long subsequent to its original foundation, from that feeling of veneration which instinctively consecrates the resting-place of the dead. These urns are also found imbedded in the earth, in which case they are generally aggregated in cemeteries upon the sides of hills.“ As in England, so in Ireland, interments both by cremation and inhumation[62] were made, and, with the latter, vessels of clay of various forms were placed.

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The material of the early Irish urns is simply coarse clay, but this varies in different localities. With some sand has evidently been more or less mixed with the clay, while “in those which show a higher degree of culture in the makers,” as Sir William Wilde says, “sand and small fragments of stone, possibly broken for the purpose, were mixed through the plastic mass, and also rubbed (perhaps to assist in drying, as well as in giving them stability) upon the inner surface, especially near the bottom. A micaceous clay here appears to answer the same end; but in some of the very fine specimens minute particles of quartz and felspar may be observed coating the interior, which, from the sharpness of their fracture, would appear to have been broken specially for the purpose. These fragments of sand or stone may also be seen in the fracture, but are never observed upon the outer surface. In colour the Irish urns differ considerably upon the outer and inner surfaces. The latter is almost invariably blackish or dark brown, the result of partial torrification, and perhaps from the heated bones and charcoal placed within them, either when soft or after they had been sun-baked.[64] The colouring generally passes through four-fifths of the mass. The outer surface is either a light red, grey, or brown. The first is most usual, and appears to be the result of the atmosphere, which was, however, excluded from the interior by the mass of the contents of the urn. The colour of the exterior usually passes for some distance within the lip. The drab or clay-coloured urns bear but little mark of fire, either within or without. The brown belongs only to the thinnest and hardest description of pottery. Assuming that the majority of the mortuary urns (except those for very distinguished persons) were constructed at the grave, the artist was indebted to the clay at hand in the locality for the materials with which he worked, and hence the great variety in the composition of our cinerary urns.”

The ornamentation upon the earliest Irish pottery, both cinerary urns and otherwise, is extremely varied, both in character and in mode of arrangement. Sometimes simply a number of dots, or punctures, pretty nearly cover the surface; at others, these punctures are intermixed in regular patterns with other ornaments. Sometimes again they exhibit ridges or raised bands more or less decorated, and at others the usual herringbone or zigzag patterns produced by incised or impressed lines are the most prominent feature. Again, in some examples, patterns produced by pressing a twisted thong into the pliant clay are met with, while incised or impressed circular, semicircular, and other lines ornament others. “Many of these lines have a pectinated appearance, as if indicated with a traverser, or a rowel-like instrument, such as that used by pastry-cooks” at the present day, and sometimes the ornament is produced by simple scratches. Other urns are one mass of ornament, rich in appearance and varied in character; and others have what may not inaptly be called flat circular medallions on their sides. Others, again, present a series of “slashes” with intervening impressed ornaments.

It is a remarkable fact, as pointed out by Sir W. Wilde, that no examples, so far as his knowledge went, occurred on which “any trace of the spire, which characterizes the decorations of some of the very oldest sepulchral monuments in Ireland,” is to be found; but a peculiar form of ornamentation, made by straight lines, is identical with that on some carved stones at the entrance to the most remarkable of these edifices--that of New Grange.

Fig. 668 is a remarkably elegant urn found in a cairn at Trillick Barr, Tyrone. In general form it is slightly contracted towards the mouth, and has two raised encircling bands, and an extended rim at the base. The lower part of the body is decorated with vertical lines, the spaces between being here and there filled in with impressed ornaments; and the portions between the encircling bands are also filled in with diagonal lines of indentations. These also are continued round the rim at the mouth, while the raised bands bear a double engrailed pattern. Fig. 669, five inches in height, was found at Ballybit, Lisnevagh, county Carlow. Like the last, it contracts slightly towards the mouth. It has three encircling raised bands, with intervening indented ones, around its centre, and these are richly ornamented. The upper portion of the vase bears a border of curved lines--a large species of engrailing--incised, and the lower portion similarly produced lines forming herringbone and “crossed” patterns; around the rim and the upper rib it is elaborately ornamented with impressed points.

Fig. 670 is of a totally different character, both in form and ornamentation. It was found in a cist, on the lands of Mackrackens, in the parish of Leckpatrick, county Tyrone, and is five inches in height. “At its greatest circumference, it is surrounded by a narrow, circular groove [much of the same character as some Celtic urns found in Derbyshire, and this groove is, as it were, clasped by five small pierced knobs, equidistant from each other. From their shape, and closeness to the vessel,” continues Mr. Geoghegan, “I cannot think they were intended for handles. There are no indentations or marks to lead us to suppose they were designed for that purpose. It appears to me their use was to retain in the groove a strong cord which twined round the urn. From this strong cord three strings could be attached, meeting in a knot, for the purpose of carrying or conveying the urn from the scene of cremation to the cist in which it was finally to be placed, or from the place where it was made.” It bears a strong resemblance in outline to the wooden vessel, Fig. 667. In the museum of the Royal Irish Academy urns of this same general form are preserved, as are also examples of almost every known variety. Figs. 671 to 675 are from that Museum, and tell their own tale, both as to peculiarity of outline and richness of decoration. An immolation urn, found within a larger vessel at Mayhora, near Castlecomer, of much the same form as Fig. 671, has been described by my friend Mr. Graves in the _Archæological Journal_; the lower part is elegantly ribbed.

Fig. 687, from the “Giant’s Grave,” on the Loughrey demesne, in county Tyrone, is of globular form, five inches in height, and decorated with vertical lines of indentations and encircling lines incised in the clay. Between the encircling lines at the top, as well as those at the bottom, are rows of square indentations; and inside the mouth is also ornamented.

Urns of a different character of ornamentation were discovered some years ago at Ballon Hill, between Fenagh and Tullow, county Carlow. Among these was one, more than fifteen inches in height, about fourteen inches in width at the mouth, and of “flower-pot” form, very similar to some English examples. It had two raised encircling ribs, and the upper part was ornamented with a chevron or zigzag pattern produced by impressed twisted thongs. Another was of bowl form with raised bands, and every part elaborately ornamented, the upper and lower parts bearing saltires alternating with incised lines; it was of much the same general form as the one engraved on Fig. 687. Another, of more flowing form, whose outline took a graceful jar-like curve, gradually swelling outward from the contraction below the mouth and tapering down to the foot, was ornamented with impressed thongs and incised lines. Others were found which partook of the same general shapes as other examples here engraved, and were more or less ornamented with encircling lines, zigzag and other patterns, and impressed points, curves, &c.; one or two had raised knobs. One of the richest of “immolation urns,” about two and three-quarter inches in height (and filled with small burnt bones when found), of the Irish series, also brought to light in this interment, is engraved on Fig. 665. Another remarkable urn (Fig. 666), found at Cairn Thierna, county Cork (engraved in the _Archæological Journal_), has its outline totally different from others, and is elaborately and delicately ornamented over almost its entire surface.

Fig. 664 carefully represents an urn found some years back at a place called Yellow Jack’s Cairn, in the townland of Altegarron, on the slopes of Divis Mountain, near Belfast. It was five inches in height, and six in diameter at the mouth. The whole surface was richly decorated with incised and impressed lines, and other ornamentation; these are sufficiently well shown in the engraving, and therefore need no description.

Occasionally covers made of the same clay as the urns themselves, and ornamented in a similar manner, have been found. One remarkable example discovered at Danes Fort had a perfect cover, or lid, with a handle at the top.

Some of the most curious and certainly most interesting urns which have come under my notice, were found at Drumnakilly, near Omagh, county Tyrone, in 1872–3, and have been described and figured by Mr. Wakeman. The first of these, Fig. 676, 3 feet 6 inches in circumference at the mouth, and of proportionate height, is elaborately ornamented with incised lines, “exactly of that class which we find upon the golden ornaments and other antiquities of pre-historic times preserved in our museums;” its outline bears a graceful curve from the mouth, swelling out in the middle, and gradually tapering down to the foot. Around the upper part is a series of perpendicular broad indentations with herringbone pattern between; next follow a number of encircling lines, scoriated between; and the middle part of the urn is ornamented with zigzag and other lines. Another of pretty much the same general form (Fig. 679) but devoid of ornament, contained within it an immolation urn (Fig. 680). Another (Fig. 682) is unique in its ornamentation; “its neck and lip, though exquisitely proportioned, are devoid of ornament, while the body of the vessel is encircled by a network pattern executed in bold relief; the substance of this pattern is different from, and finer in quality than, that of which the rest of the urn was composed. It is evident upon even a slight examination that this raised ornament was added after the formation and fire-hardening of the vessel, from portions of which it is easily detached.” It contained a smaller urn, both being as usual filled with burned bones. Fig. 677, 3 feet 9 inches in circumference at the neck, has an overlapping rim with a remarkably elegant outline. Figs. 681, 683, 685, of much the same form as Fig. 682, have incised lines round the neck, the body of the latter being covered with a reticulated ornament. Figs. 681 and 683 are of the same general form, but extremely rich in ornamentation.

Two unusually fine urns have been brought to my notice by Miss Stokes, of Carrig Breac, near Dunamase, and are, I believe, now in the R. I. A. Museum. The larger of the two, which is of the same general form as the Altegarron urn, Fig. 664, but rather more contracted in the upper part, has two raised encircling rims around its widest part; between these the urn is ornamented with a series of diagonal lines of impressed squares. Round the upper part is a line of curves or undulations, between elaborate diagonal indented lines as before. The lower part of the urn has around its upper and lower edges a row of undulations, and around its centre an encircling border of rude lozenge formed indentations; the whole of the rest of the surface being covered with vertical lines of square indentations, same as already described; these are of the same class as those shown in Figs. 706 and 718. The other urn in general form of outline resembles the one from Ballon Hill (Fig. 665); it is richly decorated with encircling bands of herringbone lines, and three borders, one on its neck and two on the lower part of chevron ornament.

The pottery found in the Crannogs presents many peculiarities of pattern. The vessels are considered by Mr. Wakeman, to whom the antiquarian world is indebted, in many cases, for their discovery, to be the remains of what have been used for cooking purposes. They are mostly vessels, sometimes of very large size, wide at the mouth, contracted in the neck, and gradually, with easy flow of line, tapering downwards on the sides. Mostly they appear to have had handles at the top, which take a gradual curve from the rim down to their junction with the tapering body. They are more or less decorated with punctured, incised, impressed, or other simple ornaments.

The general form of these crannog vessels will be best understood on reference to the accompanying engraving, which is a restored example from fragments found in a crannog in Drumgay Lake, near Enniskillen, and carefully described by Mr. Wakeman in the Journal of the Royal Historical and Archæological Association of Ireland. The lake wherein this crannog was discovered--the “Loch of Drumgay”--is a picturesque sheet of water, nearly midway between Enniskillen and the village of Bellinamallard, in the county of Fermanagh. The examination of these lake dwellings yielded many highly interesting and important results, and brought to light several fragments of pottery, and many other objects of antiquity. Some of the patterns of fictile ornamentation are shown on the Figs. 691 to 704, which are drawn of one half their real size. One pattern is a simple chevron; another a punched right-line ornament, very characteristic of this primitive ware; another has a series of incisions, giving the rim somewhat the effect of a cable moulding; and another is reticulated, or has what may be described as a series of saltires, all round the rim.

Some other excellent examples were yielded by the examination, by Mr. Wakeman, of a crannog in Ballydoolough[65]--a loch of about twenty-four acres in extent, a few miles from Enniskillen, not far from the old road to Tempo. The “lake dwelling” where these fragments were found, is said to be “one of the most instructive yet discovered in Ireland.” In it, “among other instructive remains, were found a very large number of fragments of pottery, along with quantities of bones of _bos longifrons_, _cervus elephas_, _sus scrofa_, _equus asinus_, and other animals, including the goat, which gave good testimony to their being portions of cooking vessels.” A restoration of one of these “crocks” is given on the accompanying engraving, Fig. 689, and its pattern is shown of a larger size on Fig. 718. “It measures three feet two inches round the mouth, and is tastefully ornamented on the rim and sides. The decoration, which was impressed upon the soft clay before the vessel was burnt, is extremely like that which appears upon silver bracelets preserved in the Museum of the Royal Irish Academy, and also found amongst the Cuerdale hoard.” Its colour is drab, or light yellowish red, and it is of close texture. The pattern is impressed or indented, and from its chevron character is undoubtedly early. Several varieties of this pattern occurred. The next examples exhibit simply a series of zigzag incisions of precisely the same character as is found on Celtic cinerary urns. Indeed the decoration of many of these domestic (?) vessels is exactly identical with that of some of the finest sepulchral urns found in that country. “It may be said further, that in the numerous designs found upon the crannog vessels there is not one that is suggestive of the work of Christian times in Ireland; on the contrary, the greater portion--chevrons and circular depressions--are expressive of pagan ideas of ornamental art. The log-house at Ballydoolough is almost precisely of the same size and of the same style of construction as the celebrated dwelling described by Captain Mudge in the ‘Archæologia,’ in which was found a stone hatchet.” These crannog vessels must not, therefore, be assigned to a later period than pagan times.

Some other examples from this crannog are of extreme interest. The “fragment, Fig. 719, bears upon its ear,” says Mr. Wakeman, “two figures somewhat like a St. Andrew’s Cross, but which here, I apprehend, need not be regarded as a Christian symbol. Such figures have been found in Ireland, inscribed on rocks, and upon the walls of natural or partly artificial caverns, and even within the inclosure of pagan tumuli, as at Dowth, accompanied in several instances by ‘scorings’ at present unintelligible.” Many appear in the cave of Lochnacloyduff (the _loch of the dark trench_, or _mound_) and in the “lettered caves” and the cliffs of Knockmore. These vessels are “of a dingy brown colour, and their ‘scorings’ are deeply impressed in what was a paste of unusually gritty matter. It may not be out of place to state here, once for all, that between the crannog pottery and the vases found in cairns, and usually styled sepulchral, there is apparently no difference in style of manufacture. Strange to say, both classes exhibit the action of fire more strongly upon the interior than upon the external sides or base. Their colouring upon the whole is generally similar, varying from a dull red to a dark brown, nearly black; and in no instance, as far as my observation carries, has glazing been practised.” (Wakeman.)

In another remarkably interesting lake dwelling in Lough Eyes, not far from Lisbellaw, in the same county of Fermanagh, a variety of patterns of crocks, along with bones of animals, including the “remains of _bos longifrons_, or ancient Celtic short-horned ox, of the red-deer, ass, sheep, goat, and pig,” were found. These were of the same general form as those already described, and they were more or less ornamented with indented patterns, sometimes arranged simply in lines and sometimes in chevron or zigzag designs. It is worthy of special note too, that several flat discs of the same material as the crocks were found with them; these were doubtless covers or lids; one of these is shown on Fig. 703.

A very unusual and clever “provision for the escape of steam during the process of boiling, or cooking, is observable in several of these earthen pots. It consists of a small circular hole in the neck or upper side of the vessel, just below the point where the lid would be supported or caught;” the lid of course resting on the narrower part of the neck. Doubtless the contraction of the neck would be formed for this special purpose. The perforation is shown on the fragments engraved, Figs. 692 and 716. Figs. 712 and 720 show, very carefully, two examples of ornamentation on pottery from this crannog; the one with incisions only, the other with both incisions and impressed ornaments, the dotted pattern being almost identical with some found in the lake habitations of Switzerland. The other woodcuts give very clear representations of other patterns found at Lough Eyes. One of these, Fig. 706, has both the impressed herringbone and rim patterns; Fig. 700 is simply “notched” on its edge; Fig. 701 has a series of incisions or “thumb-nail” indentations; Figs. 691 and 699 have the zigzag pattern; and Fig. 694 a series of lozenge-formed indentations. Figs. 715 and 717 are among the most pronounced examples of herringbone or zigzag patterns which these lake dwellings have produced, and they are, as the engravings show, exact counterparts, in appearance, character, and style, with that which forms so marked a characteristic of Celtic sepulchral urns of one kind or other.

During mediæval times the pottery of Ireland was much of the same coarse kind as described under “England” in the first volume; but little, however, is known concerning either its localities of manufacture or its general characteristics. Wood (both platters and noggins) and pewter appear to have been in much more general use for domestic purposes than earthenware, and the manufacture of the latter was consequently very small. Later on, manufactories of a finer kind of ware were established in Belfast, Dublin, and other places; of these but very meagre particulars are known.

DUBLIN.

_Delamain._--A manufactory of delft-ware existed here in the Strand, in the early and middle part of last century. Before 1753 the manufactory had passed into the hands of Captain Henry Delamain, who, as stated by himself, “when the delft manufactory in this city [Dublin] failed,” “being convinced that it might be carried on greatly to the advantage of this nation, took said manufactory into his hands, built workhouses and kilns, erected a mill to grind flint and metals,” and so forth. In that year he appears to have had as a confidential manager Mr. William Stringfellow, who probably had either been the previous owner of the manufactory or one of the “most knowing persons” of those works. In the year referred to Capt. Delamain petitioned the Irish House of Commons for assistance in carrying out his undertaking. His case was thus stated:

“A.D. 1761. 1st November. Geo. II.[66]

“A Petition of HENRY DELAMAIN the Younger, of the
City of Dublin, Gentleman, Setting forth:--that when the
Delft Manufactory in this City failed, the petitioner being
convinced that it might be carried on greatly to the advantage
of this Nation, took said Manufactory into his hands, built
Workhouses and Kilns, erected a mill to grind flint and Metals,
and discharged debts affecting the old Manufactory, and also
supported the most knowing persons that were employed at the old
Manufactory, while his new one was building, to prevent their
leaving the Kingdom; and purchased the Art of Printing Earthen
Ware with as much Beauty, Strong Impression, and Dispatch as
it can be done on paper. That the Petitioner lived above 20
years abroad, where he acquired a knowledge in the Manufactures
of Delft and Earthen Ware and having taken a Circuit thro’
this Kingdom found that every Province therein is furnished
with proper Materials for making thereof. That the Petitioner
after many repeated experiments has discovered the secrets of
Glazing Delft Ware with Coals, and Painting and Glazing Flint
Ware. That the petitioner employs upwards of 40 families in his
Manufactory, and proposes taking a number of Charter School
Boys apprentice, by which means he will be able to supply New
Manufactories with Artists; and the petitioner is willing not
only to communicate all the secrets of his business to any one
setting them up, but also to assist them in the construction of
their kilns, &c. That the petitioner laid Specimens of the Wares
made by him before the Dublin Society, who were of opinion that
they were as good, and some of them better than any imported
into Ireland; and found on Experiments made, that they stood
boiling water without breaking or Cracking; and as it can be
made near 20 per cent. cheaper than it can be imported, he
apprehends a great benefit will arise, not only by preventing
large sums from going out of the Kingdom for said Manufactures,
but also by exporting it to Foreign Markets, and praying aid to
enable him to carry on the said Manufactory, was presented to
the House and read.

“_Ordered to be reported on by Sir Arthur Gore and a
Committee._”

“Sir A. Gore reported that the Committee considered the
Allegations proved, and that the Petitioner deserved
encouragement.[67]

“_Referred to Committee of Supply._”

“Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Committee that a sum
of £1000 be given to HENRY DELAMAIN the Younger, Manufacturer
of Earthen Ware, for his encouragement, and to enable him more
effectually to carry on the said Manufacture.”[68]

In the same year, 1753, Delamain having discovered a way to use coal instead of wood in the manufacture of earthenware, applied to the English Parliament for compensation for making his invention public. From the Journal of the House it appears his petition, wherein he is described as “Henry Delamain, gentleman,” was read on the 21st of January, 1754, and referred to a Committee, where, however, the whole matter seems to have ended. In it he says that “he has discovered a method of firing kilns of a particular construction,” “which perfectly burn and glaze all sorts of white ware with coal in less time and in larger quantities than the method now practised by burning of wood, and at one-third of the expense.” In a not very honourable letter, printed by Owen, Delamain speaks of his intention of applying to “the Parliament of England for a reward for having burnt and glazed delft-ware with coals,” instead of wood or turf. In this letter Delamain writes to Stringfellow that he has seen the Liverpool potters and told them of the success of his plan, and he desires him to write how well he has succeeded with the coal; he says, even “suppose it has happened quite the reverse, do you write what I desire you, for your own advantage as well as my credit; for I have set them all on fire to burn their ware with coals, and have come to this agreement with them, that you are to come over to build their kilns, for which they will pay you handsomely.” And again he says, “by all means answer to them by return of post all you can say in its favour, and more if necessary.” The letter is addressed, “to Mr. Wm. Stringfellow, at the Delft Manufactory, on the Strand, Dublin,” and dated 19th of December, 1753. Another letter, addressed to his wife, “Mrs. Mary Delamain, at the India Warehouse, Abbey Street, Dublin,” by Capt. Delamain, is to the same effect, and runs as follows:--

“_To Mrs. Mary Delamain, at the India Warehouse, Abbey Street,
Dublin._

Tuesday, Liverpool [Jany.] 18th, 1753.

“My D^r Poll,

“Inclos’d I send you a letter to Mr. Stringfellow the purport
of it is to desire him by all means to answer some letters that
will be wrote to him this night from Liverpoole to know how our
large kiln has turned out; send for him on the rec^t of this and
right or wrong beg of him to write it was burnt twice before I
left Ireland and once since, and that it succeeds so well that
not a bit of ware was smoked and that it Glazes the Ware better
than Turf and Wood & makes it harder, less subject to peel,
and that about two Tun or 2 and a half of coals will burn it
off, give him this letter for fear he s^d forget writing them
all the above particulars, let him write the night he receives
mine, for as soon as his letter arrives at Liverpoole the Mayor
Corporation and all the Potters will joyne in a petition for me
to parliament & they will give Mr. Stringfellow a handsome some
of money to build them kilns. I go to London this day and shall
call in my way at Worster to see the fine new China Manufactory.”

To Delamain, doubtless, belonged the credit of introducing the use of coal in the manufacture of earthenware, and he deserved the recognition he sought, but did not succeed in obtaining, for his invention from the English Parliament. In 1755 Capt. Delamain received from the Dublin Society a grant or “bounty” of £1,100, which he expended in furthering his manufacture.

Capt. Delamain died on the 10th of January, 1757, and his death is thus curiously recorded in the _Belfast News Letter_ of that period. “Dublin, January 15th:” “Monday last, died, universally lamented by all true lovers of their country, Captain Henry Delamain, formerly in the Duke of Saxe-Gotha’s service, Master of the Irish Delft Ware Manufactory, who, by the expense of a large fortune and unwearied application, brought that ware to such perfection as totally to prevent the enemies of our country, the French, from draining large sums yearly from this country for Burgundy and Roan ware. Mary Delamain, his widow, carries on said manufactory and hopes for the continuance of the friendship of the nobility, gentry, and whole kingdom.” On the 9th of November, 1759, Mrs. Delamain, his widow, petitioned the Irish House of Commons for further assistance to enable her to carry on and extend the business, but nothing seems to have been done for her. Mrs. Delamain, who survived her husband three years, died in March, 1760, her death being recorded in the Dublin _Public Gazetteer_ of that date: “Tuesday last died Mrs. Mary Delamain, widow of the late Captain Henry Delamain, who was the first that brought the earthenware manufacture to perfection in this kingdom; and since his decease his said widow (endowed with all the virtues of a good Christian, tender parent, and sincere friend,) continued it with such advantage to the purchasers as to prevent the further importation of foreign wares,” &c. In 1763 the executors of Mrs. Delamain petitioned the Irish House of Commons for a further grant. The petition contains many interesting particulars, and is as follows:--

“A.D. 1761. 6th November. Geo. III.

“A Petition of SAMUEL WILKINSON and _William Delamain_,
Esq^{res}. Executors of Mary Delamain, late of the City of
Dublin, Earthen-Ware Manufacturer, was presented to the House
and read, Setting forth, That the late Henry Delamain erected a
Manufactory for Making of Earthen-Ware in which he discovered
the Art of burning with Coal instead of Wood, and brought it to
such Perfection as not only to excel any thing of the kind ever
attempted in this Kingdom before, but to equal the best Foreign
Ware imported: in which he expended his entire Fortune to the
amount of £6,000, and upwards, as appeared to a Committee of the
late Parliament who were appointed to take his Petition into
consideration.

“That in the Session 1753, the House of Commons did grant him
£1,000 as an encouragement for carrying on said Manufacture,
and the Dublin Society upon Inspection had, and Satisfaction
received of his having expended said Bounty in the Improvement
of said Manufacture, did in the year 1755 confer a further
Bounty on him of £1,100, which sum was also expended with the
best Economy, in improving said Manufacture. That on the Decease
of said HENRY DELAMAIN, his late WIDOW, MARY DELAMAIN, carried
on said Manufacture with Great Success, and declined troubling
Parliament in Session 1757, assured that the Manufacture would
support itself: but finding that the export of the Ware to
Foreign Markets was prevented by the continuance of the War,
she, the said MARY, Petitioned in the Session of 1759, praying
the further Sanction of Parliament, and Proved the Allegations
of her Petition; but in that Session no money was granted to
Private Petitions.

“That the Petitioners, since the Decease of said MARY DELAMAIN,
have carried on the same Manufacture, for the advantage of
the orphans of the said HENRY and MARY, in particular, and of
the Nation in General, with so much success as to prevent the
Import of Foreign Ware, which Annually carried out of this
Country above £10,000 to France, and have supplied Dealers in
every principal Seaport of this Kingdom. That Petitioners by
commencing on a Small Stock are disabled of purchasing Coal and
other Materials in the proper Season requisite for carrying
on the Work, and lowering the price of the Ware, or employing
between 2 and 300 of the poor Natives which the Apparatus is
equal to; and on a Peace, of exporting to Foreign Markets about
£20,000 worth every year, over and above the Home Consumption;
and therefore praying the House to take their Case into
Consideration, and to grant such assistance and relief as shall
seem meet.

“_Referred to a Committee._”[69]

A similar petition appears to have been presented by the same parties on 9th Nov., 1763, and was referred to a Committee, but no votes in either case seem to have been taken.

DUBLIN.

_Donovan._--Whether Mr. Donovan, of Poolbeg Street, on the Quay, Dublin, was a manufacturer or not is uncertain, but I believe not. He purchased both English and Continental wares in the white and decorated them in his own place. He amassed a large fortune and purchased estates in Sussex. In his business he was usually known in Dublin as “The Emperor of China.” “About 1790 he had a glass manufactory at Ringsend, near Dublin, and he employed a painter to decorate pottery, and placed all sorts of fancy and imitation marks on china and earthenware.” His name sometimes occurs as DONOVAN only, and at others as

_Donovan_ or DONOVAN
_Dublin_ DUBLIN.

Fig. 722.]

A mark on Delft ware which has come under my notice is a crowned harp with the word Dublin. It is quite uncertain to whose make this is to be ascribed.

Two or three brownware manufactories also existed during last century at Dublin, and produced all the usual commoner kinds of coarse domestic vessels.

BELFAST.

_Leathes and Smith._--A pottery was established here in the middle of the seventeenth century by Captain Leathes and Mr. Smith. It is thus alluded to by William Sacheverell, some time Governor of the Isle of Man (a descendant of the Sacheverells of Morley, in Derbyshire), who in 1688 made a voyage to I-Columb-Kill, which he printed in his “Survey of the Isle of Man.” He left Liverpool on the 23rd of June, 1688, on his way to I-Columb-Kill, and as “it blew very hard for a whole week” he “took the opportunity of visiting Carrick Fergus and Bellfast,” and stayed in the latter two nights, being thither invited by “the Earl of Dunagall, whither he was going with the Earl of Orrery and the Lord Dungannon.” “Bellfast,” he says, “is the second town in Ireland, well built, full of people, and of great trade. The quantities of butter and of beef which it sends into foreign parts are almost incredible; I have seen the barrels piled up in the very streets. The new pottery is a pretty curiosity, set up by Mr. Smith, the present sovereign, and his predecessor, Captain Leathes, a man of great ingenuity;” and, again, “Captain Leathes, who was chief magistrate of Belfast, and reputed a man of great integrity.” The pottery is also spoken of at a later date, 1708, by Dr. Molyneux, in his MS. tour to the Giant’s Causeway. “Here,” at Belfast, he says, “we saw a very good manufacture of earthenware, which comes nearest to delft of any made in Ireland, and really is not much short of it. It is very clear and pretty, and universally used in the north; and, I think, not so much owing to any peculiar happiness in the clay, but rather to the manner of beating and mixing it up.” The works were continued for very many years, and produced much useful ware of good quality.

M
H * R
_1724_]

The curious example of Belfast pottery engraved on Fig. 723 is highly interesting as bearing the name of Belfast and the date 1724. It is a “choppine,” or lady’s high-heeled shoe, and is in Delft ware. It is six inches in length and the heel is two inches in height, and is decorated in blue and white, the flowers and foliage being blue on a white and white on a blue ground. On the sole are the initials M H R, M being the surname and H and R the Christian names of husband and wife, with the name and date in writing “Belfast, 1724,” as shown on the engraving. These are painted under the glaze in blue. For the notice of this interesting example, in the possession of a lady in Belfast, to whose grandmother it formerly belonged, I am indebted to Mr. Benn, the historian of that town.

* * * * *

_Coates’ Pottery._--On an old map of Belfast, published in 1791, a building marked as “Coates’ Pottery” occurs. This, it is recorded by Mr. Pinkerton, was “set up by Mr. Victor Coates, at Lagan village, long before he established the well-known foundry at the same place. Red ware and a coarse kind of delft were made.”

* * * * *

_China Works._--On the same map of Belfast, engraved in 1791, just referred to, occurs a building marked “China Manufactory,” close by “Coates’ Pottery,” “The partners in this Belfast china manufactory,” says Mr. Pinkerton, “were Thomas Gregg, Samuel Stephenson, and John Ashmore. That they carried on the manufacture of china there for some years is certain; for on January 29, 1793, the Earl of Hillsborough presented a petition from them to the Irish House of Commons. The original petition may be seen in the Journals of the House. In it the petitioners state that, recognising the great advantages arising from a manufacture of Queen’s Ware, and other fine kinds of ware such as are made in Staffordshire, they united themselves into a company for producing such wares in Ireland, and by their exertions had carried this manufacture to a greater perfection in the County of Down, near Belfast, than was ever known in this kingdom; that they had been at great expenses in erecting buildings, and importing machinery, and in bringing workmen from foreign places; that the difference in the prices of coal between Belfast and Staffordshire had greatly exceeded their expectations, and they now prayed for pecuniary aid. A committee, consisting of the Earl of Hillsborough, Mr. Johnson, and others, was immediately appointed by the House to report on the petition; and on the 2nd of February they reported that the petitioners had fully proved their allegations. The report was then ordered to be laid on the table; but it does not appear that anything was done further in the matter.

FLORENCE COURT, COUNTY FERMANAGH.

There is a manufactory at this place where common red ware is made. The products are chiefly flower-pots and the coarser kinds of domestic vessels.

COAL ISLAND, DUNGANNON.

At this manufactory only the coarser kinds of fire-clay and terra-cotta goods--chimney-pots, flower-pots, vases, &c., are produced.

YOUGHAL.

There was a manufactory of brown ware, for pitchers and common goods, at this place. It was of old foundation.

LARNE.

_Larne Pottery._--Pottery works were, I am informed by Mr. Patterson, built close to the small sea-port of Larne, county of Antrim, by James Agnew, Esq., the proprietor of the estate, and were worked under the management of his agent, Mr. Walker, from about 1850 to 1855, and afterwards for two or three years by the Greenock Pottery Company, since which time the works have been closed. The buildings still remain, but lie vacant. The goods produced were white and printed earthenware, cane ware, Rockingham tea-pots, and brown pans, crocks, and dairy and kitchen utensils of various kinds. Some of the latter named were made from local clays, and were very good of their kind. Their rubbish heaps are on the borders of Larne Lough, and the beach is strewed with fragments of pottery, the little triangular supports, saggars, &c.

CASTLE ESPIE POTTERY.

At Castle Espie, near Comber, county of Down, Mr. Samuel Minland, J.P., some years ago, I am informed by Mr. Patterson, established brick and tile works. Common pottery is now manufactured there from the local red clay. The brown glazed ware consists of dairy vessels, tea-pots, flower vases, and other plain household articles.

Captain Beauclerc, at the exhibition of 1851, exhibited two terra-cotta vases, his own modelling, made in Ireland, of Irish material. They were engraved in the “Art Journal Illustrated Catalogue,” page 257, and are here reproduced, Figs. 724 and 725. The productions were in two tints; the body of each vase being of a deep red, and the figures of a lighter and much yellower clay.

BELLEEK.

The village of Belleek, county Fermanagh, Ireland, is situated on the banks of the river Erne, near the borders of Donegal and Fermanagh and on the outskirts of the Donegal highlands. It has a station on the Enniskillen and Bundoran line; which line communicates with Dublin, Belfast, and the various other lines of the kingdom. Belleek is within three miles of Ballyshannon; six of Bundoran; four of Lough Melvin, renowned for its salmon and trout fishery, and especially famous for the _Gillaroo_ trout. It is also within short distances of Pettigo, Garrison, Devenish Island, with its monastic ruins and a perfect round tower, the beautiful park and grounds of Castle Caldwell, and many other objects of attraction.

The manufactory, a view of which is given on Fig. 726, stands on a small island in a bend of the river Erne. Near the bridge is a large water-wheel, over 100-horse power, which gives motion to grinding-pans, lathes, turning-plates, and all the varied and skilfully designed apparatus of the works. “In the interior, the factory bears all the appearance of business and bustle. Enormous grinding-pans, in which the raw material is prepared for the hands of the artisan, rumble and roar, driven by the irresistible and constant power of the large water-wheel; the furnaces of the great ovens, in which the moulded clay is baked, roar by the draught caused by their great height; while in the workshops the lathes and turning plates whiz noiselessly round, as the soft, putty-like clay is being deftly moulded by the skilled workman into many beautiful designs.”

The works at Belleek were established in 1863 by the present proprietors, Messrs. David McBirney and Robert Williams Armstrong. Before the establishment of the works, trials were made with the felspar of the Irish locality with ordinary Cornish china clay, at the Royal Porcelain Works at Worcester. The results were so satisfactory that Mr. Armstrong, who at that time was architect to the proprietor, laid the project for forming a manufactory at Belleek before his friend, Mr. David McBirney of Dublin, a gentleman well known for his energy in aiding any movement to advance the prosperity of Ireland, and he embarked with him in the attempt to produce first-class ceramic goods in Ireland. The firm, composed of these two gentlemen, trade under the style of “D. MCBIRNEY & CO.” There are now employed at the Works about two hundred “hands,” among whom are several skilled artists; the Art director being the founder and proprietor, Mr. Armstrong.

The chief peculiarities of the ornamental goods produced at Belleek are, its lightness of body, its rich, delicate, cream-like, or ivory tint, and the glittering iridescence of its glaze. “Although the principal productions hitherto have been formed of this white ware--which either resembles the finest biscuit (of Buen Retiro or Dresden), or almost the ivory of the hippopotamus, or shines with a lustre like that of nacre--local clays have been found which yield jet, red, and cane-coloured wares. Facsimiles of sea shells, and of branches of coral, which might well be supposed to be natural, are among the principal features. The iridescent effect produced is somewhat similar to that of the ruby lustre of the famous Gubbio Majolica; that Italian enamelled ware which commands such fabulous prices, and of which an unrivalled collection is to be seen at the South Kensington Museum. Lustres were introduced many years ago for English pottery by Hancock, by Gardner, and by Stennys; and in the booths of our country fairs, rude inartistic forms, glowing with a gold or a silver lustre, are often to be seen. The effect of a good lustre may be compared to that of “shot silk,” or to the changing hues that adorn the neck of a black or dark blue pigeon, or the crested pride of a drake. Oil of turpentine, flour of sulphur, gold solution, and tin solution, constitute the gold glaze, the purple hue being due to the tin. Platinum, and spirits of tar enter, with oxide of zinc, into the composition of the silver lustre. But neither of these glazes, any more than the Italian enamel of which the secret was lost so long ago as the sixteenth century, can compare with the beauty of the Belleek ware, an idea of which can only be given by recalling the beautiful hues of a highly-polished mother-of-pearl shell. We can convey no idea of it by engravings; and it seems equally difficult to do so by written description. We may apply to it the common-place expression: ‘It must be seen to be admired;’ and certainly it must be examined to be estimated. We can, however, with some degree of accuracy, represent some of the forms produced by this manufactory.”[70] Fig. 727 is the grounds-basin of a tea-service, made for the Queen (Her Majesty being one of the early patrons of the Belleek Pottery), and presented by her to the present Empress of Germany. The basis of the design is the _echinus_ or sea-urchin, which abounds on the coast of Donegal, and has, both the native and rarer foreign species, been utilised by the firm in many of their productions. In this instance it forms the bowl, and the supports are branches of coral.

Besides the “Royal” services--breakfast, dessert, and tea--made for her Majesty, other services have been made for H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, and others of the royal family. From the Prince of Wales’s services the engravings, Figs. 732 to 735 are selected.

Fig. 732 is the ice-pail. The base is formed of three exquisitely modelled mermaids, in Parian, who support the shell-formed base of the vase, around which a group of Tritons and dolphins in high relief are sporting in the water, with an effective background of aquatic plants. A wreath of coral surrounds the rim. The effect of the charming contrast between the dead and the iridescent surfaces is heightened by gilding the conches of the revellers. The cover or lid is as it were the boiling surging sea, from which three sea-horses have partially risen, and in the centre a Triton, riding on a dolphin, forms the handle.

Fig. 733 is a compotier, whose base represents the surface of the sea, upon which float three _cardium_ shells. From between these spring up three small sea-horses, not, indeed, the _hippocampi_ of the naturalist, but those of the mythologist, the figures which, in antique gems and in Italian paintings, are intended to serve as the artistic embodiment of the roll and the dash of the breaker. A trumpet-shell forms the central column, which, in its turn, supports the shell that serves as a fruit-dish.

The tall centre-piece (Fig. 734) is designed on a more ambitious scale. A triton or merman is blowing a conch; a mermaid is wringing and dressing her redundant locks; and a sea-horse dashes through the spray. Between these figures, which thus divide the base into three compartments, are placed three shells of the species _hippopus maculata_, which form convenient receptacles for bonbons, candied fruit, or other smaller delicacies of the dessert-table. A trumpet-shell is again selected to form the main stem, which is surrounded with aquatic plants; and three _paludina_ shells are so introduced as to form suitable vases for sprays of flowers. The shell-dish, with its beautiful markings and projections, again forms the cap of the tazza.

The low compotier (Fig. 735) are modelled _en suite_; the idea of the entire service being that of the combination of natural objects, selected for their appropriate shape, and for their beauty of form or of sculpture, with imaginary forms. The shells which are modelled for the dishes are supported by conventional dolphins.

The tazza vase and pedestal (Fig. 736), on which hangs a wreath of flowers, dependent from rams’ heads, is a fine specimen of Irish art.

Our next engraving (Fig. 737) is a flower-stand composed of shells supported by dolphins, and is so iridescent as to have almost an unearthly appearance of liquid beauty.

“The reproduction of natural forms by Ceramic Art,” says the _Art Journal_, “is not by any means a novelty. We are familiar with the fish, the reptiles, and the crustacea of Bernard Palissy, with the relieved and coloured foliage of Luca and of Andrea della Robbia. In England we have seen the shells reproduced by the artists of the Plymouth china, and the delicate leaves and flowers of the old Derby ware. The designer of much of the Belleek ware has the merit, so far as we are aware, of being the first artist who has had recourse to the large sub-kingdom of the _radiata_ for his types. The animals that constitute this vast natural group are, for the most part, characterized by a star-shaped or wheel-shaped symmetry; and present a nearer approach to the verticillate structure of plants, than to the bilateral balance of free locomotive animals. For, at all events a portion of their existence, indeed, most of the _radiata_ are fixed to the earth. The five-fold radiation, which is most common among dicotyledonous plants, is the usual division assumed by these zoophytic creatures. From the globular shape of the commonest _echinus_, or sea-urchin, through the flattened and depressed form of others of the family, the transition is regular and gradual, to the well-known five-fingered star-fish, and to those wonderfully branched and foliated forms which shatter themselves into a thousand fragments when they are brought up by the dredge from deep water and exposed for a moment to the air. Under the name of _frutti di mare_, these sea-eggs, covered as they are with innumerable pink and white spines, form a favourite portion of the diet of the southern Italians. When the spines, by which the creature moves, are stripped off, the projections and depressions of the _testa_, or shell, are often marked by great beauty of pattern; and it would have been hardly possible to bring into the service of plastic art a more appropriate group of natural models. Again, in the fantastic and graceful forms of the mermaid, the nereid, the dolphin, and the sea-horse, the Belleek art-designer has attained great excellence of ideality; the graceful modelling is set off, with the happiest effect, by the contrast between the dead, Parian-like surface of the unglazed china, and the sparkling iridescence of the ivory-glazed ground.”

The productions of the Belleek works comprise all the usual services--dinner, breakfast, tea, dessert, and toilet--in large variety of patterns and of various styles of decoration, and in addition to these a vast variety of ornamental goods are produced. Figures and groups of figures, animals, &c., are also made, and are characterized by excellent modelling and judicious colouring--the peculiar Belleek glaze imparting to them a beauty all their own. Boudoir candlesticks and other choice examples of art also evidence considerable skill on the part of the artists in the modelling of the flowers and foliage and in the arrangement of the wreaths.

Among the choicest examples of actual manipulative skill produced by any manufactory are some cabinet cups and saucers, the extreme delicacy of which far surpasses the ordinary “egg-shell” china. The cup itself is the _echinus_, and the saucer is also tastefully modelled from the same; the body is so thin, and worked to such a degree of nicety, as to be of little more than the thickness of common writing paper. This delicate body, either plain, or tinted and gilt and then glazed with the iridescent glaze so characteristic of the Belleek ware, is unique in its appearance and matchless in its extreme delicacy. Of the same filmy body _cardium_ and other shells are also produced, and are exquisitely tinted.

Besides the speciality of these works (the “Belleek China”) Messrs. McBirney and Armstrong manufacture to a large extent white granite ware services of every variety, and of excellent quality both in body, in glaze, and in printed, painted, enamelled, and gilt decorations. Many of the patterns are of more than average excellence, and in every respect the Irish earthenware equals the ordinary commercial classes of Staffordshire wares. The dinner-ware is especially serviceable, being a true felspathic body, semi-vitrified, and hence ranking next to the true porcelain; smooth and admirably potted. The simple ornamentation to which it has been subjected is pure in style and Art, while the article competes as to price with inferior ware in the markets of England and America. Indeed the trade with America is already large, and is regularly increasing.

Parian and ordinary white china, as well as ivory body, are also largely made in a vast variety of styles.

Not only in these home essentials is its place established; Belleek furnishes largely the “porcelain insulators” (containing 70 per cent. local felspar) used for telegraph poles, and these have been pronounced by “authorities” the best. In pestles and mortars the factory has considerable trade, and of the minor articles of patch-boxes, &c., there is enormous produce. For supremacy in these objects it is indebted to the purity of the clay and felspar, producing a clear brilliant white, and singular “compactness,” resulting in remarkable hardness and durability. In sanitary ware, cabinet-stands, plug-basins, and other articles, form a staple part of the trade of these works.

The marks used by the Belleek Company are the following:

Figs. 738 and 739.]