Dwight appears to have been a man of considerable learning and ability. He graduated as M.A. at Christ Church, Oxford, and successively held the appointments of secretary to more than one Bishop of Chester. He seems to have long experimented upon clays and mineral products in the search after the body of which the oriental china was made, and at length to have brought those researches to a successful issue. Six years after the date of the first of his patents, Dr. Plot, the eminent antiquary and keeper of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, thus wrote of his discoveries in his “History of Oxfordshire”:—
“§ 84. Amongst arts that concern formation of earths, I shall not mention the making of pots at Marsh Balden and Nuneham Courtney, nor of tobacco-pipes of the white earth of Shotover, since those places are now deserted. Nor indeed was there, as I ever heard of, anything extraordinary performed during the working these earths, nor is there now of a very good tobacco-pipe clay found in the parish of Horspath, since the first printing of the third chapter of this history.... Let it suffice for things of this nature, that the ingenious John Dwight, formerly M.A. of Christ Church College, Oxon, hath discovered the mystery of the stone or Cologne wares (such as d’Alva bottles, jugs, noggins), heretofore made only in Germany, and by the Dutch brought over into England in great quantities; and hath set up a manufacture of the same, which (by methods and contrivances of his own, altogether unlike those used by the Germans), in three or four years’ time, he hath brought it to greater perfection than it has attained where it hath been used for many ages, insomuch that the Company of Glass-sellers of London, who are the dealers for that commodity, have contracted with the inventor to buy only of his English manufacture, and refuse the foreign.
Ҥ 85. He hath discovered also the mystery of the Hessian wares, and vessels for reteining the penetrating salts and spirits of the chymists, more serviceable than were ever made in England, or imported from Germany itself.
Ҥ 86. And hath found ways to make an earth white and transparent as porcellane, and not distinguishable frome it by the eye, or by experiments that have been purposely made to try wherein they disagree. To this earth he hath added the colours that are usual in the coloured china ware, and divers others not seen before. The skill that hath been wanting to set up a manufacture of this transparent earthenware in England, like that of China, is the glazing of the white earth, which hath much puzzled the projector, but now that difficulty also is in great measure overcome.
“§ 87. He hath also caused to be modelled statues or figures of the said transparent earth (a thing not done elsewhere, for China affords us only imperfect mouldings), which he hath diversified with great variety of colours, making them of the colour of iron, copper, brass, and party-colour’d as some Achat-stones. The considerations that induced him to this attempt were the duration of this hard-burnt earth, much above brass or marble, against all air and weather, and the softness of the matter to be modelled, which makes it capable of more curious work than stones that are wrought with chisels, or metals that are cast. In short, he has so advanced the Art Plastic that ’tis dubious whether any man since Prometheus have excelled him, not excepting the famous Damophilus and Gorgasus of Pliny (Nat. Hist., lib. xxxv. c. 12).
“§ 88. And these arts he employs about meterials of English growth, and not much applyed to other uses; for instance, he makes the stone bottles of a clay in appearance like to tobacco-pipe clay, which will not make tobacco-pipes, although the tobacco-pipe clay will make bottles; so that that which hath lain buried and useless to the owners may become beneficial to them by reason of this manufacture, and many working hands get good livelihoods, not to speak of the very considerable sums of English coyn annually kept at home by it.”
Dwight having patented his discovery of “the mistery of transparent earthenware, commonly known by the names of Porcelaine or China, or Persia ware,” in April, 1671, it is perfectly clear that the discovery must have been made before that time, and that it must have been the result of a long series of patient trials and experiments. Thus, I think, we may safely say that the actual discovery was made some time prior to 1671. In 1684 the patent expired, and a new one granted, in June, for another term of fourteen years—this time the wares and articles being more specifically named. It is as follows:—
“CHARLES THE SECOND, by the grace of God, &c., to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting.
“WHEREAS John Dwight, Gentl, hath represented vnto vs that by his owne industry and at his owne proper costs and charges, hee hath invented and sett vp at Fulham, in our County of Middx, ‘Severall New Manufactures of Earthenwares, called by the Names of White Gorges, Marbled Porcellane Vessells, Statues, and Figures, and Fine Stone Gorges and Vessells, never before made in England or elsewhere; and alsoe discovered the Mistery of Transparent Porcellane, and Opacous, Redd, and Darke-coloured Porcellane or China and Persian Wares, and the Mistery of the Cologne or Stone Wares,’ and is endeavouring to settle manufactures of all the said wares within this our kingdome of England; and hee having humbly besought vs, to grant vnto him our Letters Patents for the sole vse and exercise of the same for the terme of fowrteene years, according to the Statute in that case provided, wee are gratiously pleased to condescend to that his request.
“KNOW YEE THEREFORE, that wee being willing that the said John Dwight may reap some reasonable recompence and compensacon for his great charge and paines in and about the premisses, and to incourage the inventers of such arts as may be of publick vse and benefitt, of our especiall grace, certeine knowledge, and meere mocon, have given and granted, and by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, doe give and grant, vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, speciall licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that hee, the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, by themselves, or their deputy or deputys, servants or agents, or such others as the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, or assignes, shall at any time agree with, and noe others, from time to time and at all times dureing the terme of yeares hereafter in these presents expressed, shall and lawfully may vse, exercise, and enioy the said Invencons of new manufactures within any part or parts, place or places whatsoever, of, in, or belonging to our kingdome of England, dominion of Wales, and all and every or any of our kingdomes and dominions whatsoever, in such manner, and according to such reasonable and lawfull rates and limitacons, as to him, the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, or any of them, shall in their discrecons seeme meet, and that hee, the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, shall and may have and enioy the sole benefitt, profitt, comodity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing, and arising by reason of the said Invencons of new manufactures, for and dureing the full terme of yeares hereafter menconed; to have, hold, exercise, and enioy the said licence, powers, privileges, and advantages hereinbefore granted or menconed to be granted vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, for and dureing and vnto the full end and terme of fourteene yeares from the day of the date of these presents next and imediately ensueing and fully to be compleate and ended according to the Statute in this case made and provided; and to the end that the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and every of them, may enioy the full benefitt and the sole vse and exercise of the said Invencons of new manufactures according to our gratious intencons hereinbefore declared, wee doe by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, require and strictly comand all and every person and persons, bodys politique and corporate, and all other our subiects whatsoever, of what estate, quality, or degree, name, or condicon soever they be, within all and every our kingdomes & dominions, that neither they nor any of them, at any time dureinge the continuance of the said terme of fowrteene yeares hereby granted, either directly or indirectly doe, vse, or put in practise the said Invencons of new manufactures, or any of them, or any part of the same soe atteined vnto by the said John Dwight as aforesaid, nor shall in anywise counterfeite or resemble the said Invencons of manufacture, or any of them, nor shall make or cause to be made any addicon thereto or substraccon from the same, whereby to pretend themselves the inventers or devisers thereof, without the licence, consent, or agreement of the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, or assignes, in writing vnder his, their, or some of their hands and seales, first had and obteyned in that behalfe, vpon such paines and penaltys as can or may be iustly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of this our Royall comand; and further to be answerable to the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, according to law for his and their damages thereby to be susteined. And wee doe, of our further especiall grace, certeine knowledge, and meere mocon, for vs, our heires and successors, grant vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, by these presents, that hee, they, and every of them, and his, their, and every of their deputys, agents, and servants, haveing first obteined a lawfull warrant from the Lord Chiefe Justice of our Court of King’s Bench at Westm for the time being, and with the assistance of a constable or any other lawful officer, at convenient times in the day dureing the terme hereby granted, and in lawfull manner, may enter into and make search in any place or places whatsoever within any of our kingdomes and dominions where there shall be iust cause of suspicon for the discovery and finding out of all and every person and persons as shall imitate or cause to be imitated, or shall vse or put in practise the said Invencons of new manufactures, or any of them, or shall make or counterfeite any instruments or materialls to the same belonging, that soe such offender or offenders may be proceeded against and punished according to law. And further, wee doe by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, will, authorise, and comand all and singular justices of the peace, mayors, sheriffs, bayliffes, constables, head-boroughs, and all other officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors, for the time being, as well within our kingdome of England and dominion of Wales, as within all and every other our kingdomes and dominions, that they and every of them respectively be from time to time dureing the terme hereby granted, in their respective offices, favouring, aiding, helping, and assisting vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and to his and theire deputy and deputys, servants and agents, in and by all things in and about the accomplishment of our Royall will and pleasure hereinbefore declared, and in the exercise and execucon of the powers and privileges hereby granted as aforesaid. And moreover wee doe by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, will and comand that our said respective officers and ministers before menconed, or any of them, doe not, nor shall att any time hereafter dureing the said terme hereby granted, in anywise, molest, trouble, or hinder the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any his or their deputys, servants, or agents, in or about the due and lawfull vse or exercise of the aforesaid Invencons, or any of them, or anything relateing therevnto: Provided always, and these our Letters Patents are and shalbe vpon this condicon, that if at any tyme dureing the said terme hereby granted it shalbe made appeare to vs, our heires or successors, or any six or more of our or their Privy Councell, that this our present grant is contrary to law or preiudiciall or inconvenient to our subiects in generall, or that the said Invencons and every of them are not new invencons as to the publick vse and exercise thereof within this our kingdome, and not invented and found out by the said John Dwight as aforesaid, then vpon significacon and declaracon thereof to be made by us, our heires or successors, vnder our or their signett or privy seale, or by the lords and others of our or their Privy Councell, or any six or more of them vnder their hands, these our Letters Patents shall forthwith cease, determine, and be vtterly void to all intents and purposes, any thing before herein conteined to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding: Provided alsoe, that these our Letters Patents or any thing therein conteined shall not extend or be construed to extend to give privilege vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, or assignes, or any of them, to vse or imitate any invencon or worke whatsoever which hath been heretofore found out or invented by any other of our subiects whatsoever, and publicly vsed or exercised within our said realme and dominions, or any of them, vnto whom we have already granted our like Letters Patents of Privilege for the sole vse, exercise, and benefitt thereof, it being our will and pleasure that the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and all and singular other person and persons to whom we have already granted our like Letters Patents or privileges, as aforesaid, shall distinctly vse and practise their severall invencons by them invented and found out according to the true intent and meaning of the said Letters Patents and of these presents. And lastly wee doe by these presents, for vs, our heires and successors, grant vnto the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, that these our Letters Patents or the inrollment thereof shalbe in and by all things firme, valid, sufficient, and effectuall in the law according to the true intent and meaneing thereof, and shalbe taken, construed, and adiudged in the most favourable and beneficiall sense for the best advantage of the said John Dwight, his executors, administrators, and assignes, aswell in all Courts of Record as elsewhere, and by all and singular the officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors in all and singular our realmes and dominions whatsoever, and amongst all and every the subiects of us, our heires and successors, whatsoever and wheresoever, notwithstanding the not full and certaine describing the nature or quality of the said Invencons, or any of them, or of the materialls thereto conduceing or belonging, or any other defects or incertaintys in these presents contained, or any act, statute, ordinance, provision, proclamacon, or restriccon, or other matter, cause, or thing whatsoever to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding.