The ceramic art of Great Britain from pre-historic times down to the present day, Volume 1 (of 2)

by Llewellynn Frederick William Jewitt

I now proceed, in succeeding chapters, to speak of the various earthenware and porcelain works and seats of pottery manufacture, of the kingdom.

CHAPTER VI.

The Fulham Works—Dwight’s Inventions and Patents—First China made in England—Dwight’s Books of Recipes, &c.—Present Productions—Lambeth—Exchequer Trial—High Street—Coade’s Works—London Pottery—Lambeth Pottery—Fore Street—Waters’ Patent—Imperial Pottery—Crispe’s China—Blackfriars Road—Bas-reliefs for Wedgwood Institute—Vauxhall—Aldgate—Mill Wall—Mortlake—Southwark; Gravel Lane—Isleworth—Stepney—Greenwich—Deptford—Merton—Hounslow—Wandsworth—Ewell—Cheam—Chiselhurst.

Fulham.

In 1671, as I have already shown,[39] John Dwight took out a patent for “the mistery of transparent earthenware, comonly knowne by the names of Porcelaine or China, and Persian Ware,” &c. The patent runs as follows:—

“CHARLES THE SECOND, &c., to all to whome theise presents shall come, greeting.

“WHEREAS wee have bene informed by the humble peticon of John Dwight, Gentl, that he had discovered “The Mistery of Transparent Earthenware, comonly knowne by the Names of Porcelaine or China, and Persian Ware, as alsoe the Misterie of the Stone Ware vulgarly called Cologne Ware; and that he designed to introduce a Manufacture of the said Wares into our Kingdome of England, where they have not hitherto bene wrought or made.” And thereupon the said John Dwight hath humbly besought vs to grant him the sole benefitt of the manufacture of the said wares for fourteene yeares, according to the statute in that behalfe made and provided.

“KNOW YEE, that wee, being willing to cherish and encourage all laudable endeavours and designes of such our subiects as shall find out vsefull and profitable arts, misteries, and invencons, by granting and appropriating vnto them for some terme of yeares the fruite and benefitt of their industry, whereby their labours and expences in the attainm^t thereof may be recompensed and rewarded vnto them, of our especiall grace, certaine knowledge, and meere mocon, have given and granted, and by theise presents, for vs, our heires and successors, doe give and grant vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, speciall lycense and full and free libertie, priviledge, power, and authoritie, that he, the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, by him and themselves, or by his or their deputies, servants, workemen, or assignes, and none other, shall and may, from time to time, and att all and everie time and times hereafter, dureing the tearme of fourteene yeares next ensueing the date of these presents, att his and their owne proper costs and charges, vse, exercise, practise, and enioy the said misterie and Invencon of makeing transparent earthen ware, comonly knowne by the names of porcelaine or China, and Persian ware; and also the mistery and Invencon or makeing the stone ware vulgarly called Collogne ware, within any convenient place or places within our Realme of England, Dominion of Wales, or Towne of Berwick-vpon-Tweed, in such manner as to him or them in their discrecons shall seeme meete; and shall and may have and enioy the sole benefitt and advantage from, by, or vnder the said misteries and invencons or manufactures of the said wares, or either of them by him the said John Dwight found out and discovered, as aforesaid, ariseing or groweing from time to time dureing the terme hereby granted, to have, hold, and enioy the said lycenses, priviledges, powers, and authorities, benefitt, advantages, & other the premisses in and by these presents granted or menconed to be granted, and everie of them, vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, from and dureing the tearme of fourteene yeares from henceforth next ensueing, and fully to be compleate and ended, yeilding and paying therefore yearely and every yeare dureing the said tearme into the receipt of our Exchequer att Westminster, to the vse of vs, our heires and successors, the yearely rent or sume of twentie shillings of lawfull money of England, att the two most vsuall feasts or tearmes in the yeare, (that is to say) att the Feast of Saint Michaell the Archangell, and the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by even and equall porcons. And to the end the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and everie of them, may the better enioy the full and whole benefitt and sole vse and exercise of the said misteries, invencons, and manufacture of the said wares, as well within liberties as without, wee doe by theise presents, for vs, our heires and successors, require and streightly charge and comand all and everie person & persons, bodies pollitique and corporate, of whatsoever qualitie, degree, name, or condicon they be, that neither they nor any of them, dureing the tearme hereby granted, either directly or indirectly, doe or shall vse or putt in practise the said misteries and invencons or manufacture of the said wares, or either of them, soe by the said John Dwight found out or discovered as aforesaid; nor doe or shall counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same; nor doe or shall make any addicon therevnto, or substraccon from the same, whereby to pretend themselves the inventors or devisors thereof, without the lycense, consent, and agreement of the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, or assignes, in writeing under his or their hands and seals first had and obteyned in that behalfe, vpon such paines and penalties as can or may be inflicted on such offendors for the contempt of this our comand in that behalfe, and further to be answearable to the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, according to law and justice, for his and their damages thereby susteined. And further, we doe by theise presents, for vs, our heires and successors, give and grant vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, full power and authoritie that he, they, and everie of them, his, theire, & everie of theire deputies, servants, and agents, or any of them, haveing first obteyned a warrant in this behalfe from the Lord Chiefe Justice of the Court of King’s Bench for the time being, may, with the assistance of a constable or any other lawfull officer, as well within liberties as without, vpon request, att convenient times in the day, dureing the time aforesaid, and in lawfull manner, to enter and make search in any houses or other places where there shall be iust causes of suspition, for discovering and finding out of all such persons as shall within the tearme of fourteene yeares aforesaid imitate or cause to bee imitated or vse or putt in practise the said misteries and invencons, or manufacture of the said wares, or either of them, soe by the said John Dwight found out and discovered as aforesaid, that soe such offendors may be proceeded against and punished according to their demeritts. And further, wee doe by theise presents, for vs, our heires and successors, will, authorise, and require all and singuler justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffes, bayliffes, constables, head-boroughs, and all other officers and ministers whatsoever, of vs, our heires and successors, for the time being, that they and every of them respectively be from time to time dureing the said tearme hereby granted in their respective places, favouring, ayding, helping, and assisting vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, adminr^s, and assignes, and to be his and their deputie and deputies, servants, and agents, in and by all things in and aboute the accomplishment of our will and pleasure herein declared, and in the exercise and execucon of the powers and priviledges herein and hereby granted or menconed to be granted as aforesaid; and, moreover, wee will and comand by theise presents, for us, our heires and successors, that our said officers, or any of them, doe not molest, trouble, or interrupt the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or his or their deputie or deputies, servants, or workemen, or any of them, in or about the vse or exercise of the said misteries and invencons or manufacture of the said wares, or either of them, or any matter or thing concerning the same, or either of them: Provided alwaies, that if att any time dureing the said tearme of fourteene yeares it shall be made appeare vnto vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of our or their Privy Councell, that this our grant is contrary to law or preiudiciall or inconvenient or not of public vse or benefitt, then, vpon significacon & declaracon to be made by vs, our heires or successors, vnder our or their signett or privie seale, or by the Lords and others of our Privy Councell, or any six of them for the time being, in writeing vnder their hands, of such preiudice or inconvenience, these our Letters Patents, and all things therein conteyned, shall forthwith cease, determine, and be vtterly void to all intents and purposes, anything hereinbefore conteyned to the contrary notwithstanding. And our will and pleasure is, that the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, or assignes, shall enroll these presents, or cause the same to be enrolled, before the Clerke of the Pipe within six moneths next after the date hereof. And lastly, wee doe by theise presents, for vs, our heires and successors, grant vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, that these our Letters Patents, and the inrollment thereof, shall bee in and by all things good, valid, sufficient, and effectuall in the law, according to the true intent and meaning of theise presents, and shall be taken, adiudged, and construed most favourably and beneficially for the best benefitt and advantage of the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, as well in all our Courts of Record as elsewhere, notwithstanding the not specifying the various sorts of the said Collogne wares, and the not full and certaine describing the manner and qualitie of the said misteries and invencons, or any of them, or of the materialls, way and manner of workeing the same, or of the true and certaine vse and benefitt thereof, and notwithstanding any other defects, incertainties, or imperfeccons in theise presents conteyned, or any act, statute, ordinance, provision, proclamacon, or restraint to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding.

“In witnes, &c. Witnes our selfe att Westminster, the Three and twentieth day of Aprill P bre de privatoe sigillo.”

This was the commencement of the Fulham Pottery, whose history I am about to attempt to trace, and which has continued uninterruptedly in work for more than two centuries.