CHAPTER V.

Stoke-upon-Trent—Josiah Spode—Copeland and Garratt—Copeland and Sons—Mintons—Hollins—Trent Pottery; Jones—Albert Street Works—Copeland Street Works—Glebe Street and Wharf Street Works—Copeland Street—Bridge Works—London Road; Goss—Kirkham—Campbell Brick and Tile Company—Harrison and Wedgwood—Bankes—Hugh Booth—Ephraim Booth—Wolf—Bird—Adams and Son—H. and R. Daniel—Boyle—Reade—Lowndes and Hall.

The large and commercially important, as well as thickly populated district, known as the “Staffordshire Potteries,” or more commonly called simply “The Potteries,” comprises a number of towns known as the “Pottery Towns,” and other places adjoining them. These are Burslem, Hanley, Shelton, Tunstall, Stoke-upon-Trent, Longton, Etruria, Cobridge, Fenton, Longport, and Dresden. Of these, Stoke-upon-Trent, although far from being the oldest, or largest, or busiest, is the great railway centre, and head of the electoral district; the parliamentary district of Stoke-upon-Trent (which returns two members to Parliament) comprising these towns just named, with a few other out-lying places. Some of these towns are corporate, and Newcastle-under-Lyme is both a corporate and parliamentary borough. It is estimated that in this pottery district considerably over thirty thousand persons are employed in, or dependent on, the staple trade of the place, that of china and earthenware manufacture.

Spode.—Copeland.—The first notice of the name of Spode that I have met with in connection with potting is an entry of the “hiring” of Josiah Spode by Thomas Whieldon, in 1749. This I was the first to make public from the original book of Whieldon’s accounts in my possession. It is as follows:—

This entry is of considerable historical interest, as being the first hiring of Josiah Spode, who, being born in 1733, would at that time be sixteen years of age, and was the founder of the family which subsequently rose to such eminence in the art. The “hiring” being for three years, and at wages ranging from 2s.3d.to 3s.3d.per week, while other men at the same time were being paid from 5s.3d.to 7s.per week, would appear to have been a kind of apprenticeship, or, at all events, a “finishing touch” to the learning of the trade. From April till Martinmas, which is the great time for all hirings in the pottery trade, the payment was to be at 2s.3d.per week, “or 2s.6d.if he deserves it,” with the prospect of a rise of sixpence per week in successive years. He appears to have fully worked out his time, and to have been found deserving. Two other entries in the same book, showing successive hirings, after the expiration of the first term of three years, are as follows:—

Thus in 1752 he got 7s.a week, and an earnest of 5s.; and in the following year he was raised to 7s.6d.per week, with the unusually high earnest of £1 11s.6d.At this time he must have been married, for in the same year, 1754, it appears the second Josiah Spode was born. But little is known of the early life of this second Josiah Spode; the probability, however, is that his father, after leaving Whieldon’s service, commenced a small manufactory on his own account, and that he learned the business with him. About 1770, Spode (the son at that time being about sixteen years old) is stated to have taken the works at Stoke, previously carried on by Messrs. Turner, or Turner and Banks. He is said also to have introduced, about 1784, transfer printing into Stoke. Previous to this time Mr. William Copeland, of London (a native of Stoke), who travelled in the tea trade, made the acquaintance of Mr. Spode and offered to undertake a commission to sell his tea ware and other goods to his customers. The enterprise was very successful, and a warehouse was taken in Fore Street, Cripplegate, London, for the general sale of Spode’s goods. Trade increasing rapidly, Mr. Copeland, whobecame a partner with Mr. Spode, afterwards, in 1779, purchased the property, 37, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, and, at the back, in Portugal Street, opened an immense depot for the sale of pottery goods, in the place where stood the theatre (originally built by D’Avenant in 1662, and rebuilt by Rich in 1714), famous as being the house in which Garrick first appeared; the original Joe Miller flashed out his witticisms; and where theRecruiting Officer, theBeggars’ Opera, &c., were first produced. This establishment was managed by Mr. Copeland; the manufactory being conducted entirely by Mr. Spode. Mr. Spode’s son, who was ultimately taken into partnership with his father, was for a time in the London house, but on the death of the latter, in 1797, he returned to Stoke, and devoted himself to the manufactory. In 1800 Mr. Spode commenced making porcelain in addition to earthenware, and was the first to introduce felspar into its composition. In 1805 he introduced an opaque porcelain, known as “ironstone china,” which he manufactured to a very large extent, and exported in immense quantities to France and other countries. In 1806 H.R.H. the Prince of Wales visited the works, and Mr. Spode was appointed potter to him. The porcelain, the ironstone china, and the ordinary earthenware manufactured at this time were of the very highest character, both in body, in glaze, and in decoration; indeed, in all three of these respects they rank with the best of the period.

The first partnership was Spode and Copeland,[39]and next, Spode, Son, and Copeland. After the death of the elder Spode it again became Spode and Copeland, and next, on the son of the latter, who was afterwards alderman, being taken into partnership, Spode, Copeland, and Son, and was so carried on until the elder Mr. Copeland’s death, in 1826. In 1827 the second Mr. Spode died, and was succeeded by his son, the third Josiah Spode, who, however, only survived his father two years, and died in 1829. Until 1833 the business was carried on by the executors of the third Josiah Spode, of Hawksyard (his only son, also named Josiah, being a minor), and Mr. Alderman Copeland. In that year the entire concern was purchased by Mr. Alderman William Taylor Copeland, who shortly afterwards took into partnership his principal traveller and town correspondent, Mr. Thomas Garrett. The firm then became “Copeland and Garrett,” and was so continued until 1847, when a dissolutiontook place. From that time till 1867 the style of the firm remained simply “W. T. Copeland, late Spode.” In that year Mr. Copeland took his four sons into partnership, and from that time to the present the firm has continued under the name of “W. T. Copeland and Sons.”

Figs. 145 to 149.

Fig. 150.

Mr. Alderman Copeland was Lord Mayor of London in 1835–6.He sat as member of Parliament for Coleraine from 1828 till 1832, and for Stoke-upon-Trent from 1837 till 1852. Losing his seat in that year, Mr. Copeland was re-elected in 1857 and sat till 1865, when he retired from the representation. He was the grandson of Mr. William Copeland, yeoman, of the Holly Bush, in the parish of Stoke-upon-Trent, and son of the partner of the first Mr. Spode. The will of Mr. William Copeland, of Holly Bush, was dated November 10th, 1775, and proved December 28th, 1786. A daughter named Hannah, mentioned in that document, became the wife of the late Mr. William Astbury, of the family whose name is intimately mixed up with the history of the pottery of the district. Mr. Alderman Copeland died in 1868.

Figs. 151 to 155.

Figs. 156 to 159.—Messrs. Copeland’s Productions.

Of the productions of the present firm it is manifestly impossible to give even a briefresumé; the bare enumeration of the different articles in porcelain and earthenware would occupy many closely printed pages. It will only be possible to note, here and there, one of their art-productions. For services, both breakfast, dinner, dessert, tea, and toilet, the firm ranks among the very highest in order, andthese are produced both in china and in earthenware, and every variety of ornamentation; in the former from the simple gold or coloured lines and borders, and in the latter from the commonest sponged patterns, to the most profuse and lavish relief and painting. One of their highest efforts, and deservedly so, in the way of services, is the dessert service made especially for H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, in 1866, which is one of the greatest triumphs of ceramic art yet achieved. The service consists of 198 pieces, comprising a centre, eight compotiers, two cream-bowls, two ice-pails, twelve sweetmeat compotiers, seventy-two cups and saucers, and fifty plates. The commission was given shortly before the Prince’s marriage, and hence, as all the decorations are floral, the orange blossom was allowed to become a prominent object in each group; and it would be impossible to conceive flowers more exquisitely painted than they are; they were painted by Mr. Hürten and others. The centre piece is a doubleassiette montée, the principal compartment being supported by seated figures representing the four quarters of the globe, and each bearing an appropriate symbol. These were the work of Joseph Durham, R.A., and are miniature reproductions of those which support the statue of “Albert the Good,” in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens. The four raised fruit-dishes are elevated upon groups of three figures each, typical of the twelve months of the year, admirably modelled by Mr. F. Miller. The four smaller ones, by Mr. G. Halse, equally well typify the elements, earth, air, fire, and water. The plates, as well as the pieces I have named, are of the purest porcelain, and are exquisitely and elaborately perforated. They are divided into panels of fruit and flowers, surrounded by ribbons and festoons in raised and chased gold, and in the centre of each is the monogram of the Prince and Princess of Wales. There are no two pieces alike, although all harmonize well together.

Three pieces of this beautiful royal service, the centre, one of the compotiers, and a cream-bowl, are engraved, Figs.150,156, and 159, and will show better than any description can the high class of art-workmanship which they exhibit.

Figs. 160 to 163.—Messrs. Copeland’s Vases.

One of the greatest improvements in ordinary earthenware which has been effected by this eminent firm, who have always exercised a laudable desire to keep pace with, or to be leaders of, the improved Art-taste of the age, is the production of what they appropriately term an “Ivory-tinted body.” In this kind of ware theyproduce table, dessert, and toilet services of every conceivable design, and of various degrees of decoration. In the dinner and dessert services the delicate, soft, warm tone of the ivory tint is peculiarly grateful to the eye, and has a charming effect when “set” out on the white linen cloth. The tone of colour which Messrs. Copeland have succeeded in producing has all the softness of the finest examples of old Wedgwood cream-coloured ware, but without its somewhat harsh yellowness. Nothing could be less grating to the eye of taste than this soft tint, and doubtless in many homes of taste the warm “ivory body” will take the place of the cold white of the general classes of earthenware. It only remains to say that in that peculiar body every variety of pattern, from the rich old Spode with its Eastern brilliant combinations of gold and rich patches of colour, down to the most ordinary painted borders, are made. One service which has particularly struck us as beyond average in excellence is the “Stork.” Those examples in which the pattern is in relief, and heightened in gold, are peculiarly rich and good. The shape of the tureens and vegetable-dishes are of great elegance and beauty. The ivory body is one of the greatest achievements of the period.

Figs. 164 and 165.

In porcelain, vases, tazzas, bottles, and other articles of every conceivable form, and decorated in an endless variety of ways both inpainting, in alto-relievo figures and flowers, and in massive jewelling, gilding, and enamelling, are produced, and are of the most costly and elegant character. Services, both of the most sumptuous and severely simple character, are also produced in every style of art, and on every scale of cost.

And here it becomes necessary to say a word as to some of the achievements in colour of this firm. Of these, a new turquoise (which Messrs. Copeland have christened “Cerulean blue”) is the richest and fullest produced, and is remarkable for its brilliant intensity; the Sardinian green is also very good, and the vermilion finer and more rich than has at any time, or in any place, so far as my experience goes, been produced. This is especially apparent upon a Japanese dessert plate, where the decorations are upon pure enamel, requiring a very high degree of heat, and where the colours come out more brilliantly than on any other examples I have seen. On this plate, which is achef-d’œuvreof Messrs. Copelands’ art, the border is purely Japanese, and the centre essentially English, but all equally perfect and equally beautiful; it is, in fact, an original and brilliant conception, true to the spirit and principles of Japanese design, but in no respect a copy of any of the productions of the artists of that nation. The birds are exquisitely painted by Weaver, one of the best painters of this class, and the remainder by artists of equal celebrity in their several walks of decoration.

The “Satsuma ware” produced by Messrs. Copeland is of the most exquisite beauty, and of rare excellence both in the matchless quality of the body, the peculiarly waxy and very lovely surface of the glaze, the pure taste which characterises its decoration, and admirable manipulation apparent in each piece. In this ware, as in others produced by the firm, it is a literal truism to say “perfection can no farther go!” Vases and other decorative articles are produced in this Satsuma ware, and take rank with the finest productions of any age or any country.

Messrs. Copeland and Son are large producers of plain, and painted, and enamelled tiles for internal decoration, and these, from the excellence they have attained in the “body,” and the skill displayed in design and in ornamentation, have become a speciality of the firm. They are produced in endless variety, and for every purpose, but one of the most striking and attractive novelties in this kind of mural decoration, is that of a continuous design for a whole room, as first attempted by them for Mr. Macfarlane. Of thisspeciality, I gave the following notice in theArt Journalfor December, 1875:—

“One of the most pleasing, and, at the same time, novel and effective, adaptations of fictile art to internal mural decoration yet attempted, has just been successfully accomplished by Messrs. Copeland and Sons, of Stoke-upon-Trent. To this, having been favoured with a private view of the decorations, we desire to draw attention. The lining of entire rooms with wall-tiles is, of course, no new thing, but has been repeatedly done, and in a variety of styles, by different firms and at different periods; but it has been left to Messrs. Copeland to strike out an entirely new idea in the mode of treatment. Mr. Macfarlane, whose Art-productions in metal we have often commended in the pages of theArt Journal, has recently erected in Glasgow a magnificent mansion, which, as might be expected from a man of such extensive knowledge and such pure taste, will enshrine many works of high-class examples in various walks of Art. In several of the apartments of this mansion—the billiard and bathrooms, for instance—Mr. Macfarlane desired to introduce some new feature which should, if possible, inaugurate what might with propriety be called a nineteenth-century style of decoration. He therefore wisely consulted Messrs. Copeland, who, acting on his idea, prepared a series of designs which, while adhering faithfully to the classic laws of Art, were, both in subject and in treatment, strictly characteristic of the present day. The general design is a terra-cotta dado of full Indian red tone of colour, walls of pale celadon tint, and a frieze painted in monochrome, in continuous subjects apposite to the uses of the various rooms, which are thus covered with tiles, in one grand design, from floor to ceiling. The walls between the dado and frieze are covered, as just stated, with celadon tiles placed diagonally, with the joints made just sufficiently apparent to give a geometrical break to the surface, and so remove what otherwise might be a sameness in appearance; while those of the frieze (which are of a pale yellow-ground colour, well adapted for throwing out the figures, and which, when the room is lit up, disappears, and gives the effect of a luminous sky to the pictures) are placed horizontally, and their edges fitted with such mathematical precision and nicety that their joints are invisible. The whole of the tiles have a dead, or purelyfrescosurface, and are most perfect for the purpose for which they are intended; and from their peculiar hardness and other characteristics—the result of much anxious thought and experiment—are perfectly impervious to the action of damp, and cannot fail to be permanent.“The frieze (three feet in height) of the billiard-room represents, in four separate groupings on the four sides of the apartment, the sports of the British race; one side being devoted to ‘Health,’ in which youthful games conducing to that essential, from infancy, with its doll and other playthings, to boyhood and youthhood, with hoop, cricket, skating, curling, snowballing, and so on; another to ‘Strength,’ with its central allegorical figure and groups representing pole-leaping, shot-throwing, wrestling, football, hockey, boxing, &c.; a third to ‘Courage,’ a central allegorical figure supported by genii, the one proclaiming, and the other crowning, deeds of heroism in the army, in saving lives from shipwreck, fire, and other casualties, and the wild sports of our Eastern empire and North American colonies; and the fourth to ‘Fortitude,’ in which the central group surrounding the allegorical figure is composed of lifelike portraits of such men as Livingstone, Burton, McClintock, Layard, and others; the remaining portions showing athletes contesting in a foot-race, and crews in a boat-race. The friezes of this room, painted in monochrome, are the work of Mr. R. J. Abraham (son of the Art-director of the works), who recently won the Art-Union prize, and is a gold medallist, and Mr. Besche, a skilful artist, whose works are in high repute. The frieze of the heating-room of the Turkish baths, which is lined in a precisely similar style to the other, is entirely composed of tropical plants and flowers, arranged in a masterly and effective manner, and painted, even to the most minute detail, with consummate skill and with true artistic feeling. This frieze, which is painted in sepia with its fullest and best effect, is entirely the work of Mr. Hürten, and is a worthy example of his pencil both in arrangement and in treatment. The whole of the plants represented are, without an exception, studies from nature, sketched and arranged for this special purpose from the plants themselves in the magnificent conservatories of the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth; and they are in each individual instance reproduced with pre-Raphaelite accuracy and precision.“The friezes are masterpieces of Art as well as of manipulative skill. They reflect the highest credit on Messrs. Copeland and their Art-director, Mr. Abraham, by whom they have been produced, and who have thus inaugurated a new, and what we pronounce to be a successful style, ofinternal decoration—one that is sure to be followed in many a mansion and home of taste in our country and abroad. Mr. Macfarlane will have reason to be proud of his acquisition, and has the satisfaction of feeling, that with the aid of Messrs. Copeland and their skilled staff of artists, he has originated a novel feature in Art-decoration, and carried it to an enviably successful issue. Messrs. Copeland are renowned for the excellence of their work and for the true artistic feeling and skill which characterise everything that passes from their hands, and their present productions will, if that be possible, add to their celebrity.”

“The frieze (three feet in height) of the billiard-room represents, in four separate groupings on the four sides of the apartment, the sports of the British race; one side being devoted to ‘Health,’ in which youthful games conducing to that essential, from infancy, with its doll and other playthings, to boyhood and youthhood, with hoop, cricket, skating, curling, snowballing, and so on; another to ‘Strength,’ with its central allegorical figure and groups representing pole-leaping, shot-throwing, wrestling, football, hockey, boxing, &c.; a third to ‘Courage,’ a central allegorical figure supported by genii, the one proclaiming, and the other crowning, deeds of heroism in the army, in saving lives from shipwreck, fire, and other casualties, and the wild sports of our Eastern empire and North American colonies; and the fourth to ‘Fortitude,’ in which the central group surrounding the allegorical figure is composed of lifelike portraits of such men as Livingstone, Burton, McClintock, Layard, and others; the remaining portions showing athletes contesting in a foot-race, and crews in a boat-race. The friezes of this room, painted in monochrome, are the work of Mr. R. J. Abraham (son of the Art-director of the works), who recently won the Art-Union prize, and is a gold medallist, and Mr. Besche, a skilful artist, whose works are in high repute. The frieze of the heating-room of the Turkish baths, which is lined in a precisely similar style to the other, is entirely composed of tropical plants and flowers, arranged in a masterly and effective manner, and painted, even to the most minute detail, with consummate skill and with true artistic feeling. This frieze, which is painted in sepia with its fullest and best effect, is entirely the work of Mr. Hürten, and is a worthy example of his pencil both in arrangement and in treatment. The whole of the plants represented are, without an exception, studies from nature, sketched and arranged for this special purpose from the plants themselves in the magnificent conservatories of the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth; and they are in each individual instance reproduced with pre-Raphaelite accuracy and precision.

“The friezes are masterpieces of Art as well as of manipulative skill. They reflect the highest credit on Messrs. Copeland and their Art-director, Mr. Abraham, by whom they have been produced, and who have thus inaugurated a new, and what we pronounce to be a successful style, ofinternal decoration—one that is sure to be followed in many a mansion and home of taste in our country and abroad. Mr. Macfarlane will have reason to be proud of his acquisition, and has the satisfaction of feeling, that with the aid of Messrs. Copeland and their skilled staff of artists, he has originated a novel feature in Art-decoration, and carried it to an enviably successful issue. Messrs. Copeland are renowned for the excellence of their work and for the true artistic feeling and skill which characterise everything that passes from their hands, and their present productions will, if that be possible, add to their celebrity.”

Tiles for flower-boxes, lily-pans, garden-seats, slabs for chimney-pieces, table-tops, fire-places, &c., and for every other purpose, as well as door-plates, are also largely produced and highly decorated.

In Parian—the next best material to marble—statuary and busts, as well as other objects, are extensively made. This is another speciality of the firm, and one the discovery of which belongs to them. It is, in fact, the development of the old and ever-famous Derby biscuit ware,[40]rendered finer and more commercially, as well as artistically, available by the careful attention of the Messrs. Copeland. It was introduced by them about 1846, and is said to have been then made at the suggestion of Gibson the sculptor; from that time to the present it has been extensively manufactured by every house—by Copeland’s, perhaps, more extensively than any other. Among the more recent of their finest works in Parian, are the “Infancy of Jupiter,” “Lady Godiva,” “Nora Creina,” the “Flute-player,” the “Reading Girl,” busts of “A Mother” and of “Love,” all by Monti; “Young England” and “Young England’s Sister,” a very charming pair by Halse; a “Shepherd Boy,” “Spring,” and “Summer,” by L. A. Malampre; and “Master Tom” and “On the Sea-Shore,” by Joseph Durham, R.A. Among their other special works, Foley’s “Ino and Bacchus,” Durham’s “Chastity” and “Santa Filomena,” Monti’s “Night” and “Morning,” and a score or two others, are brilliant examples. Besides figures, groups, and busts, a large number of other beautiful objects of various kinds are produced in Parian.

Figs. 166 to 168.—Copeland’s Parian Figures.

The more ordinary classes of goods for general use and consumption are all of good quality, whether produced in the ordinary earthenware, the stoneware, or any other kind of body, and in all these classes Messrs. Copeland are very large producers. Their “crown ware” has so good a body as to stand the heat of the hard kiln, and thus to take the richest tints of crimson, &c. The shipfittings—theAtlanticwashtop slab especially—are considered to be among the best produced. It ought also to be added, that Messrs. Copeland were the first to introduce those elegant and most convenient novelties, “Gordon Trays,” which they produce in a variety of forms.

Fig. 169 and 170.

Fig. 171.

The principal artists employed are Hürten, who has attained, and deservedly so, the distinction of being one of the best flower-painters in Europe; Weaver, whose birds are equal to those of any other painter; Besche, a figure and general painter of great power and excellence; and Abraham, Junior (a gold medallist), a figure painter of much promise. Besides these, a number of other talented artists are employed, and the staff of enamellers, ground-layers, and gilders, includes some of the best obtainable in each department. In these works, too, female talent has been highly cultivated, many of the productions of the paintresses evidencing pure feeling and cultivated taste. The whole is under the control of Mr. R. F. Abraham, as Art-director of the establishment. Mr. Abraham, who was formerly at Coalport with Mr. Rose, was a student of Antwerpand Paris, and is a successful follower of the school of Etty. The softness of touch, the purity and delicacy of feeling, and the sunny mellowness of tone, as well as the chasteness of design and correctness of drawing, produced on the best pieces of his productions, show him to be a thorough artist, and place him high above most others in this difficult art, while his intimate knowledge of all the phases and intricacies of Art, and of all the processes of the manufacture, render him peculiarly fitted for the post to which he has been called.

Fig. 172.

The marks successively used by this firm in its various changes are as follows:—

Sometimes impressed in the body, and at others pencilled on the glaze; also SPODE in larger capital letters.

Also impressed, or painted, or printed on the ware.

Fig. 175 and 176.

Printed in blue on the bottom of the goods of that description.

These, with immaterial variations in detail, were all printed on the ware.

Figs. 177 to 180.

or SPODE & COPELAND, both impressed and printed.

Figs. 181 to 186.

Figs. 187 to 190.

All the above printed on the ware.

Figs. 191 to 203.

The following are the dates when some of the most celebrated printed patterns were first introduced:—“Castle,” 1806; “Roman,” 1811; “Turk,” 1813; “Milkmaid,” “Dagger-border,” “Tower,” “Peacock,” and “New Temple,” 1814; “New Nankin,” “NewJapan,” and “India,” 1815; “Italian” and “Woodman,” 1816; “Blossom” and “Pale Broseley,” 1817; “Waterloo” and “Arcade,” 1818; “Lucano” and “Ship,” 1819; “Panel Japan,” “Geranium,” and “Oriental,” 1820; “Font” and “Marble,” 1821; “Bud and Flower,” “Sun,” “Bonpot,” and “Union,” 1822; “Double Bonpot,” “Blue Border,” and “Filigree,” 1823; “Image” and “Persian,” 1824; “Etruscan” and “Bamboo,” 1825; “Blue Imperial” and “Union Wreath,” 1826.

Fig. 204.

Mr. Thomas Minton, the founder of these works, was born in Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, in 1765, and received his education at the Shrewsbury Grammar School. He had an only brother, Arthur Minton, and a sister, Elizabeth. On leaving school, Thomas Minton was apprenticed to an engraver (probably Hancock), at the Caughley China Works, at Broseley, one of his fellow-apprentices (also a Salopian) being Richard Hicks, who became founder of the firm of Hicks, Meigh, and Johnson. On the expiration of his apprenticeship, Thomas Minton continued to be employed for a time at the Caughley China Works under Mr. Turner, and then removed to London, where he engraved some patterns for Josiah Spode, whose London warehouse was at that time in Portugal Street. From London, having married, he removed into Staffordshire, in 1788 or 1789, where the rapidly increasing demand for blue printed earthenware gave promise of a good opening for so skilful a draughtsman and engraver as he had become. On removing into Staffordshire, he set up as a master-engraver, at Stoke-upon-Trent, his residence and engraving shop being one of a block of buildings then called Bridge Houses, so called from being close to Trent Bridge, which houses had been erected by Thomas Whieldon, the first partner of Josiah Wedgwood. Here he became very successful, one of his chief employers being Josiah Spode, for whom he engraved a tea-ware pattern called the “Buffalo,” which continued in demand for many years; the “Broseley,” so called from being first produced at the Caughley Works, Broseley, by Mr. Turner, and which, like the “Willow Pattern,” remains a favourite stock pattern to the present day; the famous “Willow;” and many others. In the latter he was assisted by Mr. Henry Doncaster of Penkhull; the original plate from which this pattern was thus engraved passed from Mr. Doncaster into the hands of Mr. Wildblood, engraver, of Burslem, and from him into the possession of Minton & Co., where it appropriately remains, as do also some drawings and other interesting relics. Mr. Minton had two apprentices, one of whom, Greatbatch (father of the eminent artist William Greatbatch, engraver of the “Waterloo Banquet”), became chief engraver, and manager of that department at Messrs. Spode and Copeland’s.

In 1793, having determined to commence the manufacture ofearthenware, Mr. Minton purchased a plot of land, the site of the present manufactory, of Mr. John Ward Hassals, and commenced building on a very small scale. The following account of the early progress of the works has been kindly written for me by Mr. Stringer:—

“To start with, there was one ‘Bisque,’ and one ‘Glost’ oven, with slip house, for preparing the clay, and only such other buildings and appliances as were necessary to make good working commencement. Mr. Minton formed an engagement with the brothers Poulson, who owned the works opposite to the land he had purchased, known as the ‘Stone Works,’[41]and who were potters on a small scale, and, as was then the practice, had houses on the works, now converted into potters’ workshops. They belonged to an ancient family which had been located at Boothen for several centuries. Mr. Joseph Poulson was the practical potter, and his brother Samuel was modeller, mould maker, and useful man of all work. It was not until May, 1796, that Mr. Minton’s works were in operation. Considering the magnitude of the present operations of the firm, which has recently adopted the globe for its trade mark, it may not be uninteresting to quote from an old cash-book, which has been fortunately preserved, an item or two to show from what a very humble beginning great results have arisen. We find the amount paid the first week, which appears to have been a sort of broken week (perhaps there had been some merry-making to celebrate the opening);—

“The average weekly amount under the above head of wages, &c., was within a trifle of £50, but still showing real progress.“The first item on the contrary side is—

“The average weekly amount under the above head of wages, &c., was within a trifle of £50, but still showing real progress.

“The first item on the contrary side is—

This would be for goods sold to the pot-sellers who hawked their wares about the country; and we find £596 10s.2d.was received under this head during the remaining months of the first year. The next year’s transactions showed a satisfactory advance in every respect, as did every subsequent year; and amongst the circumstances favouring Mr. Minton’s prosperity may be named—first, that aided by Mr. Poulson’s experience as a potter, and his own good taste as an engraver and designer, he produced a quality and style of ware that commanded a ready market; and in his brother, Mr. Arthur Minton, who had established himself in the trade in the metropolis, a ready and devoted agent to extend the trade; so much so that the business done by him in 1800 amounted to nearly £2,000. He was also fortunate in having the acquaintance of Mr. William Pownall, a merchant of Liverpool, who aided him with capital to extend his operations, and who was, for a few years, a sleeping partner in the business. Mr. Joseph Poulson was in a short time after the opening of the works admitted as a partner, and the firm traded as ‘Minton and Poulson’ for a short time, and then the style was altered to ‘Minton, Poulson, and Pownall.’ Mr. Poulson remained a partner until his death in 1808; and it would seem that up to this period, china or soft porcelain was made at the stone-works, but was abandoned as unprofitable until Mr. Herbert Minton’s experiments in after years were fully successful.”

On the failure of the eminent firm of John and William Turner, of Lane End, the first named entered the service of Thomas Minton, and became, in fact, the practical potter of the firm after the death of Poulson. He effected great improvements in the bodies and glazes,and in the general character of the productions of the works. Soon after Mr. Minton had commenced business, a scheme having been set on foot for monopolising the sale of Cornish clay, he and his partners purchased an estate of eighty-four acres on Hendra Common for a comparatively trifling sum, and also certain rights and a leasehold interest in Treloar Common, where there was abundance of china clay and stone, as also other valuable minerals. Having secured the property, Mr. Minton took steps to associate with him the leading manufacturers to work the mines. In this he appears to have been successful, and the first meeting of “the Hendra Company” was held at the Swan Inn,[42]Hanley, on the 8th of January, 1800, Mr. Thomas Byerley in the chair, who represented the firm of Josiah Wedgwood and Byerley; Hollins, Warburton & Co., by Mr. John Hollins and Mr. John Daniel; Mr. William Adams, in person; and Minton, Poulson, and Pownall, by Mr. Minton and Mr. Poulson. These manufacturers composed the whole of the Company, and they agreed to purchase a part of Minton, Poulson, and Pownall’s property. Mr. John Brindley, of Longport, was appointed agent to the Company. The minutes of the meetings are brief in the extreme, and there is no recital as to the objects of the Company, but there are a few particulars which may interest the present race of manufacturers as contrasting their present improved position, as regards the supply of material, with what it was in those days. July 24, 1800, stone was ordered to be sold at 50s.per ton at Etruria wharf, and 42s.at Runcorn; fifteen tons were a boat-load. A vessel, called theVenus, brought to Runcorn ninety-nine tons, and the freight was £72 7s.9d.China clay was £6 per ton at Polemear.

Figs. 205 to 210.—Messrs. Minton’s Productions.

Figs. 211 to 214.—Messrs. Minton’s Productions.

It would seem that Mr. Minton had visited Cornwall several times—the first time in 1798, and we are afforded an insight into the difficulty and expense of travelling at that period, by the fact that the cost of each journey was nearly thirty pounds. It seems that Mr. Minton must have got the mines into something like working order during these visits, as an immediate supply of clay and stone was available at the time the Company was formed, and there is proof of this in the following document:—

“I, John Varcoe, farmer, resident in Treloar, of the parish of St. Denis, in the county of Cornwall, have this day agreed with Thomas Minton, of Stoke-upon-Trent, in the county ofStafford, to let to the said Thomas Minton all my right of lower tin bounds in Trelavour Common, for the purpose of the water for washing china clay, so long that Thomas Minton, or his representatives, may carry on the clayworks in Lord Arundel’s lands, or in Hendra Common—but not to hinder any streaming—with privilege of making pools for the use of the works, at the yearly rent of one pound and eleven shillings and sixpence, to commence at Michael. next. As witness our hands the 26th day of July, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine.“John Varcoe.Thomas Minton.“Signed in the presence ofCharles Bagnall.James Kent.”

“John Varcoe.Thomas Minton.

“Signed in the presence of

Charles Bagnall.

James Kent.”

Difficulties of all kinds sprung up. Sometimes the water-courses were obstructed; robbery of all kinds was going on; and there were also the exacting demands of lords of the manor to battle with and satisfy. Bad roads, imperfect machinery and methods of getting the minerals, were other stubborn facts tending to abate “the pleasures of landlordism.” The property was within three miles of St. Austel, but Charlestown was then the port of shipment, and the cost of transit thither in waggons over the wretched roads was 8s.per ton; cost of raising, working, and casking, £1 15s.; and other expenses, raised the value free on board there to £4 15s.Freight from Charlestown to Liverpool 12s., dues 2s.6d., canal freight to the Potteries, 11s.6d., and making a moderate allowance for capital invested, the clay could not be delivered at less than £6 15s.per ton.[43]As a trading concern the Hendra Company was not a profitable one; but it afforded the proprietors for twenty years a supply of good and pure material, and checked any attempt at monopoly. The clay mines were abandoned, but as there were good tin lodes on the property, and other minerals, the investment proved not a bad one.

From the first establishment of the Pottery works at Stoke, their success was unbroken, and not only were great advances made in processes of manufacture, but they were so much enlarged, that at the time of Mr. Minton’s death in 1836, they were among the most important in the district. Mr. Minton married, on January 1st, 1789, Miss Sarah Webb, of Bruton Street, London, and by her had a family of four sons, two of whom were the Rev. Thomas Webb Minton and Herbert Minton, and six daughters. After his marriage, his mother-in-law, Mrs. Webb, resided with them, and was a valuable acquisition to him in his business; keeping his books and accounts, and being, in fact, the financial manager of the concern. Shereceived and paid all money, and superintended the entire office arrangements, thus leaving Mr. Minton at liberty to devote his entire time to the manufactory and to the engraving. Mrs. Minton, also, so far as the cares of her home and family would permit, took her share in the business.

Mr. Herbert Minton, the second son, was born at the house erected at the works, at Stoke-upon-Trent, in March, 1792, and when old enough, was, with his brother and sister, sent to a dame-school kept by Miss Cheadle, at the only house, beyond what is now the Queen’s Inn, at that time existing on the Liverpool Road, the remainder being fields and gardens. At that time the Mintons had removed from the house at the Works to one on Talbot Bank (now Hill Street, corner of Commerce Street). Later on, Herbert Minton (as was also his brother) was sent to Audlem Grammar School, under the Rev. Nicholas Breakspear, where he remained until nearly fourteen, when he was placed in his father’s manufactory. In 1808, when only sixteen, he had attained such proficiency in the business that he became traveller and salesman, and represented the house both in London and the provinces; and this he continued till more pressing engagements necessitated his more general attendance at the works.

“He was ever at the works, before any one else in the morning, and frequently at five o’clock. In the depth of winter, or however inclement the weather, at all seasons of the year, nothing hindered his early commencement of the duties of the day. Lucifer-matches were unknown in those days, and he, therefore, usually brought a tinder-box in his pocket—the old flint and steel affair. He thus procured a light and made himself a fire. Then he would proceed to examine the stock in the warehouses, that he might be enabled to order what was necessary to replenish it, and thus keep the printers and others constantly at work. He also devoted a certain portion of his time to the mixing-room, in order to keep up the supply of bodies, glazes, &c. Then he would proceed to the counting-house, where I,” says Mr. Stringer, “was an assistant-cashier under his special superintendence. To convey an idea of his peculiar nicety and accuracy in this department of his labours, I may relate the fact that, on a certain Saturday evening, after examining my cash account, Mr. Herbert told me that I was onehalfpennyshort in my balance. He was aware of my usual accuracy, and was surprised even at this trifling mistake. I opened my cash-box for further examination, when, to my good fortune, I discovered the missing halfpenny within it standing on its edge. This rectified the supposed mistake, and afforded us both a hearty laugh.”

In 1817, Thomas and Herbert Minton were admitted into partnership with their father, the firm being “Thomas Minton and Sons.” In 1821, the elder brother, Thomas Webb Minton, quitted the works, for the purpose of studying for the Church, and he was ordained in 1825, taking his first curacy at Chesterfield, and afterwards at St. Cuthberts, Darlington, and other places. He died in 1870, at Darlington, where he was incumbent of the Church of the Holy Trinity.In 1828 the partnership was dissolved, although Mr. Herbert Minton continued to devote his energies to the development of the concern. On his father’s death, in 1836, he again took up the business, and shortly afterwards took into partnership Mr. John Boyle, under the style of “Minton and Boyle.” In 1841, Mr. Boyle withdrew from the firm, and, about 1842, became a partner with Mr. Wedgwood; and in 1845, Mr. Michael Hollins, nephew to Mrs. Minton, joined the firm under the style of “Herbert Minton and Co.” In 1849 a nephew of Mr. Minton’s, Mr. Colin Minton Campbell, now M.P. for North Staffordshire, joined the firm under the same style. In 1858, Herbert Minton died, and Messrs. Hollins and Campbell continued the manufactory. The present head of the firm is Mr. Colin Minton Campbell, M.P.; the trading style being simply “Mintons.”

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