The cream-coloured Queen’s Ware was the chief product of Wedgwood’s early times in Burslem. It was at first decorated, when required, by the widow Warburton, of Hot Lane. But the invention of the cheap method of printing designs on to the glazed ware, made in 1755 by Saddler and Green of Liverpool, provided an excellent substitute for enamelling on the more useful ware. Wedgwood used to send his ware to Liverpool to be printed, and was often there himself, importing clay, or looking after the export trade to America, then, as now, the most important branch of the export trade. It was on one of these visits to Liverpool that he first met his life-long friend, Thomas Bentley, a dissenting radical merchant of the Clapham school, who became his partner in 1768.[87]
Wedgwood had moved entirely into the Brick House Works, afterwards called the Bell Works, early in 1763, but in 1766 he bought the Ridge House estate of about 150 acres in Shelton, where he proceeded to build his new “Etruria”—factory, dwelling house and village. The Etruria works were opened for the production of the black basalt and other ornamental ware in 1769, and here ever since his descendants have carried on the same work. The factory at Burslem continued to produce the useful cream colour, and in this branch of the business, his cousin Thomas Wedgwood was his partner from 1766 till his death in 1788. In 1773, however, Wedgwood, finally closed down the Burslem works, and transferred the last of the “useful” work to join the rest at Etruria.[88]
Wedgwood was now becoming famous. In 1765 he opened his first London warehouse under the charge of his brother John. After John Wedgwood’s death in 1766,[89] he finally induced Bentley to take permanent charge of the London office and showrooms, which became a sort of fashionable lounge.
But that which chiefly brought Wedgwood before the public was his determination to secure better transport facilities to and from the Potteries. In 1762 he and others were busy pressing for a new turnpike road[90] from Cliff Bank, on the Newcastle and Uttoxeter turnpike, through Burslem to the “Red Bull” at Lawton, on the London, Newcastle and Liverpool road.[91] The petition sent up on this occasion gives a description of the state of the industry which is worth quoting. The petition says:—
“In Burslem and its neighbourhood are near 500 separate potteries for making various kinds of stone and earthenware, which find constant employment and support for near 7000 people. The ware of these potteries is exported in vast quantities from London, Bristol, Liverpool, Hull etc., to our several colonies in America and the West Indies, as well as to almost every port in Europe. Great quantities of flint stones are used in making some of the ware, which are brought by sea from various parts of the coast to Liverpool and Hull; and the clay for making the white ware is brought from Devonshire and Cornwall chiefly to Liverpool, the materials from whence are brought by water up the rivers Mersey and Weaver to Winsford in Cheshire; those from Hull up the Trent to Willington; and from Winsford and Willington the whole are brought by land carriage to Burslem. The ware, when made, is conveyed to Liverpool and Hull in the same manner.
“Many thousand tons of shipping ... are employed in carrying materials for the Burslem ware; and as much salt is consumed in glazing one species of it as pays annually near £5000 duty to Government. Add to these considerations the prodigeous quantity of coal used in the Potteries ... and it will appear that ... those who are supported by the pot trade, amount to a great many thousand people; ... and the trade flourishes so much as to have increased two-thirds within the last 14 years.”[92]
The determined opposition of the Newcastle tradesmen and inn-keepers, afraid of loss of traffic, prevented the full scheme being carried out. The Bill, as passed in 1763, provided for the turnpike from Lawton as far as Burslem only.
A Newcastle and Leek turnpike through the future Etruria and Cobridge followed. On February 1, 1765, we find Josiah Wedgwood writing to his brother John in London, “we have another turnpike broke out amongst us here betwixt Leek and Newcastle, and they have, vi et armis, mounted me upon my hobby-horse again.... He carried me yesterday to Leek, from whence I am just returned much satisfied with our reception there. Tomorrow I wait upon Sir Nigel (Gresley) to beg his concurrence, and on Monday must attend a meeting to settle the petition etc. at Mony Ash at yr frd Isaac Whieldons. We pray to have the Utoxeter and Burslem turnpike joined [i.e. Cliff Bank, Shelton, Cobridge and Burslem], and to have the road made turnpike from Buxton and Bakewell to Leek, and from Leek to Newcastle. Whether or not our good friends at Newcastle will give us battle on this occasion we do not know, if they do there will be some probability of my having a commⁿ and seeing the great City again. £2000 is wanting for this road. My uncles Thos. and John (of the Big House) have, I am quite serious, at the first asking subscribed ... five hundred pounds. I have done the like intending 2 or 300 of it for you, and if you choose any more you must let me know in time.”[93]
What these roads were like one can gather from Arthur Young’s travels. He describes the road from Knutsford to Newcastle as “in general a paved causeway, as narrow as can be conceived, and cut into perpetual holes, some of them two feet deep; a more dreadful road cannot be imagined.... Let me persuade all travellers to avoid this terrible country....”[94]