The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1944-03-09
Wartime Developments In British Pottey|ndustry

british pottery, famous the world
over for its quality, is Il more highly
localized industry than any other in
Britain. 1t comes to Il very large de-
gree from "rhe potterieS,. Il region
almost identical with the area covered
by the North Statf0rdshire cOaliicld.
fTke famous five towns" of The Pot
terieS, immortalized by Arnold Bennett
in his novels, are Hanley, Stoke, Burs-
lem, Longton and NewcaStle-under-
Lyme.) According to the 1921 census,
no less than 72M of all the male work
ers and nearly 500 of the female
workers in this industry We're in North
Statfordshire-GGf6 in the borough Of
Stoke-OnTrent alone, which is com
posed of the six small towns of Stoke,
nrslem, Hanley, Tunstall, Longton,
nd Fenton and has Il population of
nearly 100000 and over 300 pottery
works, known locally as ''potbankS."
1t is uncertain why the pottery in
dustry should have become concen-
records of pottery works there before
the 18th century In the Middle Ages.
the making of rough earthenware pots
was widespread over the whole country
in fact anywhere there was clay
together with wood for firing. In the
18th century, coal replaced wood for
this purpose: and us belts Of clay
III ,l,,,>
found in practically all coalfeldS, the
industry tended naturally to concen-
trate in such an area.
North Stat1fordshire is poor agricul-
turally and rather isolated geographic
ally. lying in the southwest corner Of
the Pennine range The land, in the
main, was occupied by small holders
who used to dig their own clay, often
in their own garden, and Get some sur
face coal to fire their ovens. Pottery
was made in sheds at the side of their
homes or their cowsheds. There grew
up, therefore, among the agricultural
population large number of skilled
pOtterS: but the location of the indus
try in North StraffordShire is probably
due more than anything else to the
genius and activity of Josiah Wedg
wood, who was born in the district in
1870.
Beginning OF Mass Production
Josiah Wedgwood, who in his own
lifetime converted Il peasant craft into
an industrial manufacture, was one of
the great fOrerunnerS of the Industrial
revolution. He was one of the first TO
see the possibilities of mass produc-
tion, and to bring the products of his
intelligence and fine taste within the
reach of the people.
Not only was he a great potter but
he became Il leading figure in the de-
velOpment of the taste of the period
known, in the history of art, as the
Classical Revival. In his "Wedgwood"
pottery he copied freely from classical
designs, especially the Greek vases.
and adapted them to modern uses.
Such was his influence on the decOra-
tive arts that furniture designs and a
style of architecture followed this
trend, which spread over Europe and
dominated Il generation.
He was bent on eliminating waste,
improving processes, and creating a
demand that had not previously
existed. He built bigger and better
kinS, improved the wheel, and intro
duced the turning lathe, which enabled
the potter to give finish and precision
to his work. His experiments improved
the qualities of clays and glazes, and
his invention of the pyrometer for
measuring the heat Of the furnaces
first made the control of firing pos
sble
Nineteenth Century Developments
Special clayS were brought to the
district from DorSt and Devon, china
clayS from Cornwall, fints from Nor
mandy and elsewhere, felspar from
DerbyShire and Norway, and bones
from the great collaborating countries,
such as Argentina. All this made pos
Sible Il refinement of process. Means
for marketing the new products had to
be considered, and WedgwOod was in
the forefront in the demand for new
roads and canals which eliminated in
the building of the Trent and MerSey
Canals, giving direct water commune
cation between Cornwall and Stafford
shire and connections with Hull and
Liverpool, and gave Il further great
impetus to the industry.
Wed&wood had the wit to discover
that art pays His enterprise and
taste founded n firm that is still ruin
by his descendants on Il large scale
and with constant modern improve
mentS.
Other great names of this period
include Thomas Whicdon, who became
associated with Wedgwood, and Spode
1754-1S27) who was the first to Use
bone in the preparation Of white china
and whose chnaWare and DOrcplain