does occur upon a china cup and saucer which has come under my notice: but it has not any connection with the Leeds works.
The Leeds Pottery at the present time produces the ordinary descriptions of earthenware for domestic use, consisting of dinner ware in great variety, tea and coffee, toilet, and other services, jugs and mugs, screw jugs, bowls and basins, and, indeed, all articles in general use. In dinner ware upwards of ten standard patterns are made for the London market, which market takes nearly one-half of the whole productions of the works in general goods. The white earthenware is of the same quality as the ordinary run of Staffordshire ware, and has a good glaze. It is produced in the usual styles of blue printing, painting and edging. Pearl white of good quality, both plain and decorated, is also manufactured. This pearl body is got up in toilet ware, varying in patterns, printed lines, and fancy stamped; jugs embossed and plain; tea and breakfast services, &c. It is also being introduced for washing-machines, substituting earthenware bottoms for wood; also for patented machines for cloth manufacturers. These were first shown at the Leeds Exhibition of 1875. Scent-jars, leech-jars, &c., &c., are also largely made.
In Rockingham ware, tea and coffee pots and other articles are still made in considerable quantities; as are also Egyptian black glazed wares and yellow earthenware, which is made from native clays procured from Wortley. Thus it will be seen that the Leeds potteries of the present day—of the very existence of which but few persons are aware—are of considerable size and importance, and are doing a large business—a business which, unlike that of the olden times, is principally confined to the supplying of the home markets, where, not being marked, the ware usually passes for that of Staffordshire.
The marks used at the present day are, an old English letter L
within a gothic quatrefoil in a circle, impressed in the body of the ware; or the name of the pattern within an ornamental circle, and, below it, the initials of the firm, R. B. & S., printed on the surface.
Leathley Lane Pottery.
Closely adjoining the works I have been noticing is another small pottery, of whose history a few words may be said. They were established in the early part of the present century, by, I believe, a Mr. North, for the manufacture of black ware, but were afterwards used by the same person for the making of the ordinary white earthenware. From Mr. North the works passed into the hands of a Mr. Hepworth, who made the ordinary brown salt-glazed ware. It was next worked by Mr. Dawson, one of the trustees of the Leeds pottery, who took into partnership Mr. Chappell, of whom I have spoken as, for a period, proprietor of the Leeds pottery; and it was for some time carried on by Dawson and Chappell, afterwards by Chappell alone, and then by Shackleton, Taylor and Co. This partnership was dissolved in 1851, and the works were then continued by two of the former proprietors, Messrs. Taylor and Gibson. Since 1859, the factory has been continued to the present time by Messrs. Gibson & Co. The premises are small, and produce only the commoner and inferior kinds of earthenware for domestic purposes. These are white ware of the commonest kind, yellow ware made from the Wortley clays, and Rockingham ware.