JOSIAH WEDGWOOD II
1769-1843
By 1819 or 1820[169] indeed they ceased to try and compete in the china trade, and it was not till 1872 that Wedgwoods again produced the porcelain for which they are now so famous. In 1828 even their London showrooms were closed down, and Josiah Wedgwood II committed the unpardonable vandalism of selling off the stock, patterns, and moulds there stored. The collections in the Mayer Museum at Liverpool and the collection now in the possession of Sir W. H. Lever were formed out of purchases made at this sale. After contesting Newcastle vainly in the interests of “reform” in 1831, Wedgwood was returned as first radical member for Stoke-on-Trent in the reformed Parliament of 1832, and died at Maer in 1843. From 1823 he had had the assistance of his eldest son Josiah, but from 1827 onwards the works were managed almost entirely by his third son, Francis Wedgwood. The firm, which had been called “Josiah Wedgwood” after Byerley’s death in 1810 and “Josiah Wedgwood & Son” until 1827, was thenceforth known as “Josiah Wedgwood & Sons,” which title it retains at the present day.
Pedigree of the Later Wedgwoods:
The progress of invention and specialization had brought into existence quite a number of manufactures subsidiary to potting, and we will take advantage of a little-known Directory of 1818 to show both the names of potters then in business, and also the number and nature of these dependent trades.
The Directory for 1818 was compiled by W. Parson and T. Bradshaw, and printed by Leigh of Manchester. The manufactories of earthenware on the list are as follows: