Wisbech.
Terra-cotta of a remarkably good character, made from the clay of the district, was made here in 1859; but the works were not of long continuance.
Lowestoft and Gunton.
Lowestoft, on the very easternmost point of England, on the coast of Suffolk, is a pleasant town, with delightful sea views, a fine coast, and a picturesque neighbourhood. It is an ancient borough; is divided into three parts, respectively known as the “Old Town,” the “New Town,” and the “Lower Town;” and its principal street, from which branch off other streets to the left, and numberless “scores,” or narrow ways, leading to the Dene and the sea, is about a mile in length, and contains the principal residences, shops, and public buildings. Its chief trade, like that of Yarmouth, is the herring fishery; and many curious traditions of conflicts between the men of the two rival “bloater towns” are still extant among the inhabitants. The principal interest of the place, however, centres in the fact, that here, on one of the easternmost points of the East Angles, a manufactory of fine porcelain existed in the latter half of last century, and that genuine productions of those works are now much sought for by collectors. In 1863 I visited Lowestoft for the special purpose of seeking information regarding the works, about which at that time literally nothing was known, and after a vast deal of research, both in the town and out of it, I succeeded in obtaining the information which is embodied in this chapter, and which, with the exception of its being now revised and here and there amended, I contributed to the Art-Journal of July in that year.
It seems somewhat strange that the absolute “land’s end” on the eastern coast of England should have been chosen as the spot on which porcelain should be made, when the clay for the purpose had to be procured from the western “Land’s End,” Cornwall, and the coal from the extreme northern coast of Northumberland and Durham. It is not improbable, however, that the same cause which conduced to the establishment of the Chelsea works had much to do with the formation of those at Lowestoft. Certain it is that an extensive trade was in the early and middle part of last century carried on, as it is at the present day, with Holland; and certain it is, that at that time, as now, the town was the constant resort of Dutch fishermen and others; and as the first productions of the Ceramic Art in this neighbourhood appear, so far as I have been able to ascertain, to have been delft-ware, it is not too much to suppose that the first potters were from Holland, and made the ware from clay found in the neighbourhood. Specimens of this fine delft-ware, inscribed with names of people in the neighbourhood, and with dates, still exist, and attest pretty strongly to the correctness of this opinion.
Gillingwater, in his “History of Lowestoft,” written in 1790, says at p. 112:—
“The only manufactory carried on at Lowestoft is that of making porcelain, or china ware; where the proprietors have brought this ingenious art to a great degree of perfection; and, from the prospect it affords, promises to be attended with much success. The origin of this manufactory is as follows:—In the year 1756, Hewlin Luson, Esq., of Gunton Hall, near Lowestoft, having discovered some fine clay, or earth, on his estate in that parish, sent a small quantity of it to one of the china manufactories near London, in view of discovering what kind of ware it was capable of producing, which, upon trial, proved to be somewhat finer than that called the delft-ware. Mr. Luson was so far encouraged by this success as to resolve upon making another experiment of the goodness of its quality upon his own premises; accordingly he immediately procured some workmen from London, and erected upon his estate at Gunton a temporary kiln and furnace, and all the other apparatus necessary for the undertaking; but the manufacturers in London being apprised of his intentions, and of the excellent quality of the earth, and apprehending also that if Mr. Luson succeeded he might rival them in their manufacture, it induced them to exercise every art in their power to render his scheme abortive; and so far tampered with the workmen he had procured, that they spoiled the ware, and thereby frustrated Mr. Luson’s design. But notwithstanding this unhandsome treatment, the resolution of establishing a china manufactory at Lowestoft was not relinquished, but was revived again in the succeeding year (1757), by Messrs. Walker, Brown, Aldred, and Rickman. This second attempt experienced the same misfortune as the former one, and very nearly ruined their designs; but the proprietors happening to discover these practices of the workmen before it was too late, they took such precautions as to render every future attempt of this nature wholly ineffectual, and have now established the factory upon such a permanent foundation as promises great success. They have now enlarged their original plan, and by purchasing several adjoining houses, and erecting additional buildings, have made every necessary alteration requisite for the various purposes of the manufactory. They employ a considerable number of workmen, and supply with ware many of the principal towns in the adjacent counties, and keep a warehouse in London to execute the orders they receive both from the city and the adjoining towns, and have brought the manufactory to such a degree of perfection as promises to be a credit to the town, useful to the inhabitants, and beneficial to themselves.”
It appears from this account that the first pottery was established at Gunton, near Lowestoft, in 1756; but I am inclined to think that pot making had been carried on some years before this date. Marryat describes two plates in his possession, of coarse paste, with blue borders, which bear, respectively, the words—
| QUINTON | QUINTON |
| BENJAMIN | MARY |
| YARMOUTH | YARMOUTH |
| 1752. | 1752. |
which he considers may have been ante-dated; but the probability is that they are not, but that they were painted at Gunton or Lowestoft at the period whose date they bear. A remarkably fine blue and white delft plate, or dish, which belonged to the late Mr. James Mills, of Norwich, and traditionally said to be painted at Lowestoft, has a bold border of blue colour round the rim, and the centre bears a heart-shaped tablet (Fig. [836]) with a Cupid at either side bearing a pendent bunch of flowers. Above the tablet is a coronet, and below it a knot and tassel. The tablet bears the words—Robart & Ann Parrish in Norwich 1756. Other examples of this kind of ware, bearing names of individuals and places in the neighbourhood, have also come under my notice, and tend to strengthen my opinion that they must have been made somewhat prior to the year 1756.