It will be perceived that Betew and Nollekins both speak of the Bow works as a thing of the past. And so they were; for in October, 1762, says the London Chronicle, “Mr. Weatherby, one of the proprietors of the Bow china warehouse in Cornhill, died at his house on Tower Hill, on the 15th October, 1762;” and, in the following year, 1763, his partner, “John Crowther, of Cornhill, china-man,” was gazetted a bankrupt. This bankruptcy, however (which was followed by that of “Benjamin Weatherby, of St. Catherine’s, merchant,” probably son of the above), appears only to have had reference to the London warehouse and business, and not to the manufactory at Bow. The stock was sold by auction, by order of the assignees of John Crowther, on March 12 and following days, and on May 19th and 30th, the two first at the Bow warehouse in Cornhill, and the last at the great exhibition room in Spring Gardens, and consisting, among other things, of “curious figures,” “girandoles,” “branches for chimney-pieces finely decorated with figures and flowers,” “dishes,” “compotiers,” “beautiful desserts of the fine old partridge and wheatsheaf patterns,” “knife and fork handles,” &c. John Crowther, however, it seems, retained and still, in his own name alone, carried on the manufactory at Bow, and after a time opened a warehouse in St. Paul’s Churchyard, which he continued to hold from 1770 to 1775, when he sold his entire concern—the works, moulds, tools, &c.—to Mr. William Duesbury, the proprietor of the Derby China Works.
Mr. Duesbury, who not only held the Derby China Works, but had purchased those of Chelsea, Giles’s, and one at Vauxhall, thus became proprietor of the Bow works as well, and was therefore the largest holder either in those or later days. Mr. Duesbury, as he did with those of Chelsea, removed the moulds, models, implements, &c., to Derby, and the Bow manufactory was brought to a close. The next year, 1777, John Crowther became an inmate of Morden College, Blackheath, being elected on the foundation on the 17th of March, and here he was still residing in 1790, “and,” says Thomas Craft, “I am the only person of all those employed there (at Bow) who annually visit him.” On the site of the works some small tenements and a turpentine manufactory soon sprang up, and their exact site was forgotten, having been later on converted into chemical works by Mr. Macmurdo, the calico printer. Afterwards a portion of the place was used as emery mills by Mr. Marshall, and, since then, as a manufactory of lucifer matches, vesta lights, &c., by Messrs. Bell and Black. In 1867, during some sewering operations at these works, a considerable number of fragments of Bow china—probably on the site of one of the old kilns—was discovered. Of this discovery the following interesting account appeared in the Art Journal for 1869:—
“In trenching a drain from the manufactory into the sewer, the workmen, at about eight or ten feet from the surface, came upon the débris of the old Bow China Works.
“Mr. Higgins, jun., who is attached to the match-manufactory, received his first intimation of the trouvaille from perceiving fragments of delicate biscuit china in the hands of some children, who had picked them up as playthings. This led him to keep strict watch over the excavation, and, by permission of the proprietors, the ground remained open for a few months, and, as leisure permitted, he examined the earth for some distance immediately round the spot. Limited as the space was, he found a great quantity of specimens, which he and his sister, Miss Higgins, have taken the pains to arrange carefully in trays, and through their kindness we are enabled to describe some of the more interesting examples.
“Although fragmentary, they are particularly interesting, as showing us the various descriptions of ware made at Bow, verifying its products, and enabling us to identify not only the paste and glaze, but the methods of ornamentation.
“The spot where the excavations were made is supposed to have been where one of the kilns formerly stood; this is borne out to a certain extent by the presence of a quantity of bricks cemented together, the inner surface having become vitrified by the heat of the kiln; and also by a vast number of broken saggers, or cases of baked earthenware, used to contain the china, and protect it from the flame and ashes in the kiln. One of these saggers, of cylindrical form, measures 10 inches in diameter by 8½ inches in height; it had three rows of holes pierced through the sides, at equal distances from top to bottom, into which clay pegs (like large clout nails) were inserted, to support the circular platforms within, at convenient distances, on which the china articles rested while baking. The cockspur, or point, used to separate the china is a simple cone of baked clay, not the usual form, which is like the caltrop, having always three points below and one only uppermost. Large pieces of china clay were found, some in a soft, soapy state, others hardened; bones of animals, which entered into the composition of the paste, as well as calcined flints and pieces of quartz, used in making the frit or glaze; a number of circular medallions of baked clay, from two to six inches in diameter—one was marked on each side with H and M cut into the clay. All the fragments of vessels discovered are of porcelain biscuit: not a piece of Delft or common earthenware was found among them: some few are glazed, but these form the exceptions.
“The first we shall notice, and probably the earliest manufacture, are the pieces decorated with blue painting: the designs are painted, in mineral colour, on the biscuit, and have not been glazed or burnt in. These designs are principally of Chinese landscapes, flowers, figures, and birds. A few examples are given on the next page, to show their general character.
“A very frequent pattern of simple character in the blue ware is three hanging branches of willow leaves. Among the rest is a mottled ground plate with white angular medallions of light blue scenery. The only variations in colour are a cup with green leaves and lake flowers, and a fragment painted in lake camaïeu, with a castellated mansion, of high finish: these two are glazed. Not a single specimen of blue-printed china was discovered: all are painted with a brush. This is not at all surprising, for it must be remembered they are all unfinished pieces, which have never been out of the factory; and, when this decoration was required, they were sent to Liverpool to be printed.
“The next division consists of biscuit china, fragments of services ornamented in relief, the favourite pattern being the Mayflower. The hawthorn is represented quite after nature, with its thorny branches and blossom. About a dozen of the moulds for stamping these flowers were also found quite perfect; they are of biscuit, three inches by two and a half in diameter. Fig. [408] is interesting, being the original mould of a biscuit cup which has its exact counterpart glazed. These pieces form a history in themselves.
“Another mould is of two roses and leaves on a stalk (Fig. [409]). The raised figures on the biscuit are remarkably sharp; but the application of the glaze fills up the spaces.