Richard Askew.

Robert Askew, his son, was employed at Derby in 1772, and in that year, along with John Laurence, absconded from his employment, and was advertised three different times in the Birmingham newspapers. In 1794 Askew, “enamel painter of Birmingham,” was living in Birmingham (at 8, Friday Street), and on the 2nd of August an agreement was drawn up, by which he bound himself “to work by the piece in lieu of the day, and at prizes mentioned in the ajoining list;” the subjects to be executed in the best manner in his power, and not agreeable to the coffee cans already executed, viz., Duke of York, King and Queen of France, and Spinning Wheel, &c., but in quality and effect equal to the Cupids on two flower pots by James Banford having R. Askew’s name written upon them (to prevent a mistake in alluding to them) in ink, subscribed this day in presence of Mr. C. King. The list of prices by the piece, attached to the draft of the agreement, is of great interest, but too long to insert. The coffee cans here named were some then recently painted by Askew, and as the bill for them contains many curious items and much valuable information on the Art-productions of that day, I give it entire. This bill, and many others which are still extant, show that Askew was the principal figure-painter employed at the Derby China Works. It is headed, “Mr. Wilm. Duesbury, Deptur to Richd. Askew, July 1794.”

£ s. d.
“a coffe can, with the king of france, one days work 0 5 3
a coffe can, with the Queen of france, one day 0 5 3
a coffe can, with a woman spining, one Day 0 5 3
a coffe can, with the head of the Duke of york, one day 0 5 3
2 coffe cans, with cupeds, tow Days & a half 0 13 1
a cadle cup, with a woman & child, tow days 0 10 6
a cadle cup, with a begar-Girl & child, tow days 0 10 6
a coffe can, a woman holding flowers siting, a day & half 0 7 10
a flower Pot, with a woman & child, tow days 0 10 6
a cadle cup, with a woman & a Lion, tow days 0 10 6
2 coffe cans, figuors of fath & hope, to days & a half 0 13 1
a cadle cup, with the fourting-teller, three and a half days 0 18 4
a coffe can, with the head of the Prince of Wails, tow days 0 10 6
a coffe can, with a Girl & bird, one Day & a half 0 7 10
2 coffee cans, with cupids, tow Days and a half 0 13 1
a cadle cup, with a woman siting at Woark, tow days 0 10 6
a cadle cup, with Doatage and beauty, three days 0 15 9
a cadle cup, with Age and youth, three Days 0 15 9
2 coffe cans, with cupieds, tow Days and a half 0 13 1
a coffe can, with a man & woman offiring to Cuped, 3 days & a half 0 18 4
a coffe can, with cupied chiding Venus, 3 days & a half 0 18 4
2 cadle cups, first & scount lasson of love, Eaght Days 2 2 0
a Plate, with a head, half a Day 0 2 7
a cup & scarcer, with landsceps, one Day 0 5 3
a coffe can, with a Girl & a Rabbet, tow Days 0 10 6
a coffe can, with bebe & Eagle, tow Days 0 10 6
2 coffe cans, with the Prince of Wails & Dutches of york, 4 days 1 1 0
a coffe can, with maid of Corinth, four Days 1 1 0
a coffe can, with love sleeps, four Days 1 1 0
a coffe can, with sapho & cuped, 3 Days & a half 0 18 4
a coffe can, with a offering to cuped, 3 Days & a half 0 18 4
for Drawings, tow Days & a half 0 13 1
a cup & sacer, in brown, half a day 0 2 7
a coffe can, in brown, half a Day 0 2 7
a Plate, with Plamon & lavinea, 3 Days 0 15 9
2 coffe cans, with single figuars, tow Days 0 10 6
a Plate, with a cupied & Emblems, tow Days & half 0 13 1
12 Tea cups, in brown figuars, three Days & a half 0 18 4
a Plate, with a cupied only, a Day & a half 0 7 10
8 coffe cans, single figuars, Eight Days 2 2 0
2 coffe cans, with figuars, Day & a half Each 1 11 6
4 coffe cans, with the four Elements, 4 Days Each 4 4 0
to three weekes Drawing of cupieds 4 14 6
4 coffe cans, with figuars, a Day & half Each 1 3 7
4 coffe cans, with figuars, a Day & half Each 1 10 6
a coffe can, with the Duke o york, tow Days 0 10 6
a Pair, with figuars, 5 Days 1 6 3
2 chamber Pots, with cupieds in the inside, 4 days 1 1 0
a coffe can, with the Prince of Wails 0 10 6
to Drawing of cupieds, 5 Days 1 6 3
a stand, with cupieds, in Rose couler, Day & half 0 7 10
a cram Pot, in Do, half a Day 0 2 7
a cram Pot, with figuar in brown, half a Day 0 2 7
4 coffe cans, with dancing figuars, 5 Days 1 6 3
4 coffe cans, with the Elements, 4 Days 4 4 0
a cadle cup, with a woman & children a brakefarst, 3 Days & half 0 18 4
a cadle cup in Do, at supper, 3 Days & a half 0 18 4
a stand, a tay Pot, 2 coffe cans, a sugar Bason and cram Pot,work warry heily & neatly finishd by Pertickler Desier,5 weekes 7 17 6
5 cups, in landskips, 2 Days 0 10 6
£61 0 4
the subjects on the stad, 3 womans & cupied tyde to a tree.
on the coffe cans, to woman offereng to Pan & to woman awaking of cupied.
on the Tea Pot, maid of Corinth & love sleeps.
on the sugar-Bason, Euphorsnay & cuped.
on the crame Pot, a flying cupied.
Dilevered October the 3, 1795.
£s.d.
1.2 coffe cans, with the King & Queen of france0100
2.1 Do, with the duke of yorke050
3.1 Do, with the spining weele030
4.2 Do, with Cupets0100
5.1 cadle cup, with a woman & child070
6.1 Do, with Begar Girl & child070
7.1 coffe cup, with a woman siting050
8.a flower Pot, with a woman & cupet090
9.a Cadle cup, with Hosea & a Leon070
10.2 coffe cans, with hope & fath0100
11.a cadle cupe, with the fortin teller0140
12.a coffe can, with a head of the Prince of Wales076
13.a coffe can, with a Girl & bird050
14.a cadle cup, with a woman siting at work070
15.a cadle cup, with doatage & beauty0120
16.Do, with age and youth0120
17.2 coffe cans, with cupets0100
18.2 cadle cups, first & secont leson of love180
19.2 coffe cans, with venus and cupet & sacrafise to love1100
20.a Plate, with hand020
21.a cup & saucer, with Landsceps060
22.2 coffe cans, hebe & the child & rabbet0180
23.2 coffe cans, with heads of the Prince of Wales & Dss of York0150
24.a coffe can, with the maid of corneth0150
25.a coffe can, with love slepes0150
26.a coffe can, with sappho to Phaon0150
27.a coffe can, with offering to cupet0150
28.for Drawings0120
Deliverd. November the 26, 94.£15116
Richard Askew.

William Billingsley, whose name is more intimately mixed up with the history of porcelain than most of his contemporaries, was a china painter of unusual excellence, and a practical maker as well. Like many another man of genius, he was, however, unstable and erratic in his movements; but to this very quality we are indebted for the establishment of more than one eminent manufactory. To him and his practical skill is due the establishment of china-works at Pinxton, at Mansfield, at Nantgarw, and at Swansea, and to some extent the improvement of the ware at Coalport and at Worcester, as well as much of the high class of decoration at the old Derby Works; and he has thus “left his mark” on the history of Ceramic Art. Billingsley was a man of great genius, of extraordinary talent, of extreme ability as an artist, and of skill as a practical potter; but wanting stability, he became but a living illustration of the adage which says “a rolling stone gathers no moss.” He settled only for a very short time anywhere before he again moved; but wherever he did remain, if only for a short time, he left the impress of his name and the most indisputable evidence of his skill behind him. William Billingsley was the eldest son of William and Mary Billingsley, of the parish of St. Alkmund, Derby. He was baptized in that church on the 12th of October, 1758. The following is the entry of his birth:—“1758, Oct. 12, Baptized, William, the son of—Billingsley and—his wife.” Other entries in the register show that the names of his parents were “William” and “Mary.” His father died in March, 1770, when he was only twelve years of age.[23] Four years afterwards, on the 26th of September, 1774, when sixteen years of age, he was bound apprentice to William Duesbury. In the indenture he is described as “William Billingsley, son of Mary Billingsley, of Derby, in the county of Derby,” and he is bound apprentice for five years to “William Duesbury, of Derby aforesaid, China or Porcelain Maker,” to “learn the Art of Painting upon China or Porcelain Ware.” He was to receive as wages five shillings per week for the whole time of his servitude; not an advancing scale year by year as was usual. The indenture is signed by “William Billingsley,” “Mary Billingsley,” and “Wm. Duesbury,” in the presence of “Wm. Clarke.” To Mr. Duesbury he served the full time of his apprenticeship, during which time he received considerable instruction as a painter, from Zachariah Boreman,[24] one of the best artists of the old Chelsea Works, who had removed with those works to Derby. On the 4th of November, 1780, William Billingsley, then just over twenty-two years of age, married, at St. Alkmund’s Church, Derby, Sarah Rigley, of that parish, by whom he had several children, three of whom were baptised at St. Alkmund’s Church. On the expiration of his apprenticeship, William Billingsley continued in the service of Mr. Duesbury, and by his extreme skill as a flower-painter became the best artist in that line of decoration. In 1785, Mr. Duesbury died; and the business was carried on by his son, with whom Billingsley and other artists remained for some years. Soon after this time some correspondence having taken place between Mr. Duesbury and Mr. Coke concerning the properties of a bed of clay at Pinxton, in Derbyshire, which it was considered would be useful for the manufacture of china, trials were made, which ultimately resulted in Billingsley making an arrangement with Mr. Coke for the establishment of a manufactory at that place (see [Pinxton]).

Billingsley’s name frequently occurs in papers and memoranda relating to the Derby China Works in my possession, and certain patterns and designs in the old pattern-books of the works are distinguished as “Billingsley’s flowers.” As it is highly interesting to know what artists and other principal “hands” were employed at the same time as, and worked along with, William Billingsley, I give the following copy of a document relating to the keeping of the men employed on one part of the works from entering any other part:—“Derby China Manufactory, 23rd Nov., 1787. If any person in Future, either within the working Hours or at any other time, is seen or discover’d in the Rooms, Kilns, Apartments, or other Premises of the other (not having any proper Business relative to his particular Occupation there) he will positively be fined the sum of five Shillings. The Fines (if any are incur’d) to be put into the Box of Donations at pay time, on the Saturday after the detection.

Again, in 1788:—

“In November last notice was given that persons of one branch of the manufactory were not to go into the premises of the other, unless they had real business there relative to theire particular occupation, notwithstanding which the practice is still by some Individuals continued. Notice is therefore hereby finally given, that if any person in future (having received this Notice) shall intrude themselves contrary to this injunction they will positively be fined 5 shillings.

“Sept. 24th, 88.