Bristol Earthenware.
Temple Backs.—In 1786 the pottery for fine earthenware was established at No. 9, Water Lane, Temple Street, called “Temple Back,” by Joseph Ring, as I have shown in my notice of that potter and his delft-ware productions on page 354. In January, 1787, the following highly interesting advertisement appeared in the Bristol Gazette and Public Advertiser:—
“Bristol Pottery, Temple Back.—Joseph Ring[97] takes this opportunity to inform merchants and others that he has established a manufactory of the Queen’s and other earthenware, which he will sell on as low terms, wholesale and retail, as any of the best manufacturers in Staffordshire can render the same to Bristol.”
Fig. 801.—Bristol Pottery in 1869.
In December of the same year, as is shown by an invoice of goods, the following goodly variety of articles was made: “oval dishes,” 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 inches respectively; “table plates;” “soups;” “suppers;” “twifflers;” “tureens;” “quart jugs;” “pint jugs;” “sallad dishes;” “coffee-pots;” “sugar dishes with covers;” “coffee cups;” “bowles;” “coffee cups and saucers, paynted;” “table plates, paynted;” “twifflers paynted;” “quart mugs variagated;” and “pint mugs variagated.” Mr. Ring’s friend and assistant, John Bettington, commemorated the establishment of this new manufacture by writing some songs for the Martinmas hiring festivities of the workmen. Two of these are printed by Mr. Owen. The first is entitled “The Bristol Pottery, by J. Bettington,” and is as follows:—
“Ye Gentleman all, I beg your attention,
Unto a few lines which now I shall mention,
A comical ditty of Bristol you’l hear,
And I hope that each man in chorus will bear.
Derry Down, &c.
Its of the new Pottery I mean now to sing,
And I hope to this city great wealth it will bring.
For we are deserving, of many things clever,
Our names are immortal, and shall be for ever.
Derry Down, &c.
Then let me explain a little of our merit,
Which now I will do with a generous spirit,
Great troble we have had to bring it to bear,
But now, my dear Boys, we make cream colour ware.
Derry Down, &c.
It’s true our noble Queen has patron’d this trade,
And many by it great fortunes has made;
Then let us all hope that it may flourish here
As well as it has in famed Staffordshire.
Derry Down, &c.
I now can inform you a trial is made
Which gives us great hope of a flurishing trade;
This being the Case then, let us jovially sing
Success to the pottery and health to Joseph Ring.
Derry Down, &c.”
The second song, called “Bristol Pottery Martinmas Ditty” concludes thus:—
“Then fill up your glasses, let mirth now abound,
And Joy in each Countenance appear all around,
Here’s a Health to His Majesty George our King,
And riches in store to our friend Joseph Ring.
Huzza for this Pottery!
Huzza! my boys, I call,
Each striving to merrit
Will animate your spirit.
So long life to its Founder
And family all.”
On the 5th of April, 1788, “Mr. Joseph Ring, potter, in Temple Street was unfortunately killed by the falling in of a warehouse. He has left a widow and nine children to lament his loss.”[98] He was superintending some alterations at the time, when the roof fell in, and he was killed in the presence of his wife. The business was carried on as usual “by the widow of the late Joseph Ring, and late partners, under the firm of Ring, Taylor, and Carter.” The commemorative song of this year is curious. It is as follows:—
“Come cheer up my lads & let us all be gay,
For now we are meet & it’s Martlemas Day,
Of this Bristol Pottery I mean for to sing,
For wealth to our masters I hope it will bring.
Huza for this Pottery!—Huza! my Boys, I call,
Each striving to merit—Will animate your spirit,
So long live our masters—Their family’s all.
I need not inform you good ware we have made,
And that we have now got a flurishing Trade,
Great Wealth to the City I am sure it will Bring,
So join My Brave Boys & let all of us Sing
Huza, &c.
Then Let us all Strive My Brave Lads to Excell,
that when we are Gone our Children may Tell
What Labour We had for to Bring it to Bare
before that we Could make good Cream Colour ware.
Huza, &c.
Now fill up your Glasses, and let Mirth abound,
and Joy in our faces appear to all Round,
hears a health to hise Majesty Grate George our King,
To our Worthy Masters, & Mistress Ring.
Huza, &c.”
In 1797 these works are described as “a large pottery,” so they must at that time have been very extensive. In that year a curious reference to “two gentlemen of the name of Ring,” sons, no doubt, to Joseph Ring, occurs in the account of the death of James Doe, a potter who worked there under them, which I have given under the head of Lambeth (see page 137, ante). A mug bearing his name, “J. Doe, Sept. 1797,” is engraved in Mr. Owen’s book. In 1813 a deed of partnership between Joseph Ring (son of the late owner), Henry Carter, and John D. Pountney was drawn up, but through the death of the first-named was not executed. The business was therefore carried on by Pountney and Carter, under the style of Elizabeth Ring & Co., until 1816, when Carter retired and was succeeded by Edward Allies, the style being Pountney and Allies. In 1825–6 it was, according to Chilcott’s and Matthews’ Guides, worked by the firm of Pountney and Allies, and at that time gave employment to about two hundred persons. Mr. Allies retired in 1835, and in the following year Mr. Pountney took into partnership Mr. Gabriel Goldney, who retired in 1850. Mr. Pountney died in 1852, and the works were then carried on by his widow under the style of “Pountney & Co.,” under the management of Mr. Clowes. In 1872, in which year Mrs. Pountney died, the works were purchased by Mr. Halsted Sayer Cobden, who also owns the Victoria Pottery, in Bristol, and by whom they have been much extended, and give employment to about four hundred hands. The goods produced are the ordinary classes of white and printed earthenware, principally for exportation. During Mr. Pountney’s lifetime, some parian figures, &c., were made at these works; and some exquisite examples, made by one of the workmen named Raby, who removed into Staffordshire, were in the possession of the late Mrs. Pountney, as were also some excellent imitations of the Etruscan and other styles. Examples of the early productions of these works are scarce, and it is interesting to state that the good old Bristol mark of the cross was used on some of the pieces of earthenware here made. The mark is sometimes in blue, and sometimes impressed. A name well known in connection with these works is that of William Fifield (and his son John), who was a painter of some merit. One of his plaques—a sportsman with dog, gun, and glass—is, with other examples, in my own possession. It bears on the back his initials, “W. F.,” and the words, “Here’s to my Dog and my Gun, 1855.” The view of the works, painted on four large tiles, and dated May 15th, 1820, now on the wall of the office of the Water Lane Pottery (Fig. [802]), was also painted by him.
Fig. 802.
Fig. 803.
The Temple and St. Thomas’s Street Works.—The oldest stoneware pottery in Bristol is that of Mr. J. and C. Price and Brothers, in St. Thomas’s Street and Temple Street, where their famous glazed stoneware is made. It was established about 1735 or 1740, and has been continued in work by three generations of the same family until the present day. The old “Salt Glaze” was used till 1842, when great improvements having been made through the long-continued and successful experiments of Mr. Powell (as named in the notice of his works), it was at that time found practicable to dip the stoneware into liquid glaze in its green state, instead of first burning and then “smearing,” as formerly practised. Messrs. Price, having adopted the new method, continued to improve their works, and built much larger kilns than usual in potteries of the kind. The superiority of “Bristol stoneware” over others became so well established, that the metropolitan makers bought their glaze from that city until very recently, and, indeed, I believe some of them do so at the present day. The stoneware goods produced by Messrs. Price are of the highest quality, and, besides the more homely and useful articles, they have succeeded in making some excellent imitations of the antique, of very fine body, faultless glaze, and elegant form. Many of these are admirable copies from the antique, and are perfect in shape and in firing. Among the goods produced by this firm are filters of a remarkably simple but excellent construction and of elegant form; feet and carriage warmers; barrels and churns; bread, cheese, and other pans, and every other kind of domestic vessel, as well as every possible size and variety of bottles, jugs, &c. They do an immense export trade for bottles for ale, stout, &c., these being found for the purpose far superior to glass. Messrs. Price also make all the other usual varieties of stoneware goods, and all are of faultless quality both in body and glaze.
Other stoneware potters besides those already named were, in former times, John Hope,[99] in Temple Street; Thomas Patience,[100] in the same district; James Alsop, first at 9, Water Lane, and afterwards at Temple Street, and others, as well as at Baptist Mills, Easton, and Westbury.
Temple Gate Pottery.—At Temple Gate a stoneware pottery has long been established, and is still successfully carried on by Messrs. William and Septimus Powell, the sons of its founder. The goods manufactured at this establishment are what are generally termed “Bristol ware” or “Improved stone,” which was invented and perfected some forty years ago by the late Mr. Powell. “Its peculiarity consists in its being coated with a glaze which is produced simultaneously with the ware itself, so that one firing only is needed.” So great was Mr. Powell’s success in his discovery, that “shortly after its introduction at the Temple Gate Pottery almost every other manufacturer of stoneware adopted it, and it has now, in a large measure, superseded the old salt-glazed ware.” The goods principally made by the present proprietors, Messrs. W. & S. Powell, are bread-pans, filters, foot-warmers, and other domestic vessels, as well as bottles and jars of every size, shape, and use. Messrs. Powell have a registered arrangement for fitting, fastening, and keeping air-tight, by means of a three-pronged, or tripod, iron clamp furnished with an elastic washer, the lids of preserve and other jars—thus doing away with the necessity of any other covering. At these works, too, vases and bottles of classic shape are occasionally made, as are also enormous jugs—one of which, capable of holding twenty-five gallons, has been exhibited by the firm.
Wilder Street Pottery.—About 1820 a pottery on a small scale was worked in Wilder Street by a family named Macken, a descendant of the owner of the old pottery at St. Ann’s, at Brislington, where flower-pots and other coarse brown ware was made. Macken afterwards went to America.