Whittington Pottery.—At these works, belonging to Mr. James Pearson, the usual classes of goods, as made at the other potteries of the district, are produced.
Whittington Moor Pottery.—Mr. S. Lancaster (late A. Madin) has a manufactory of coarse pancheon ware at this place; the body, as usual, coarse red outside, and lined with a black glaze inside.
Newbold.
There is a manufactory of coarse brown ware—pancheons, bread-pans, stein-pots, &c.,—carried on by Mr. W. Sharratt at this place. The productions are of much the same character as those of Whittington Moor, Tickenhall, &c.
Eckington.
Pilkington in 1789 says, “A manufacture of sickles is carried on. There are also two potteries in the town.”
Belper.
About the middle or towards the latter part of last century, a small manufactory of common coarse brown ware existed here, and about 1800 Mr. William Bourne took to the works carried on by Messrs. Blood, Webster, and Simpson, at Belper Pottery. Mr. William Bourne, sen., was, it appears, very much engaged in the business of the then new canal. Letters of his, and of his son, William Bourne, jun., in which reference is made to his connection with the canal, and show business transactions between them and Mr. Duesbury of the Derby China Works, are in my own possession. Mr. Bourne carried on the manufacture of salt-glazed blacking, ink, ginger-beer, and spirit bottles. The ordinary brown ware, produced from a less vitreous clay, found on the spot, consisted of bowls, pans, pancheons, dishes, pitchers, and all the commoner varieties of domestic vessels, and these were of excellent and durable quality. The stoneware bottles, &c., were made from a finer and more tenacious bed of clay, at Denby, a few miles distant. The finer, or figured wares, were made from clay procured from Staffordshire. By Mr. Bourne all these descriptions of goods were made, but he principally confined himself to the manufacture of stoneware bottles of various kinds. A good antique-shaped hunting jug, and other similar articles, with figures in relief, was also extensively made. In 1812, Mr. Joseph Bourne (son of William Bourne) took to the Denby Pottery (which see) then carried on by Mr. Jäger, and the two works were carried on simultaneously until 1834, when the Belper Pottery was finally closed, the workpeople, plant, and business being removed to Denby, and incorporated with those works, and the premises converted into cottages. From that time no pottery has been made at Belper. The site of the works was at Belper-Gutter, and “Pot-House Lane,” the name of one of the streets, perpetuates the manufacture.
