Wedgwood & Co (Ltd)

Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd






 

Location and period of operation:

Wedgwood & Co (Ltd)

Tunstall

1860

1965

Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd

Tunstall

1965

1980

 

Earthenware manufacturers at the Unicorn Pottery and Pinnox Works in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, England

 

NOTE: 
The ware of Wegwood & Co are sometimes confused with those of Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd. However the inclusion of "& Co" or "& Co Ltd" in the name always differentiates between the two companies as Josiah Wedgwood never used "& Co". 


 

  • Enoch Wedgwood (a distant cousin of Josiah Wedgwood) became a partner in Podmore, Walker & Co. in 1835 and in 1856 the business was renamed Podmore, Walker, Wedgwood & Co. 

  • Following the death of Thomas Podmore in 1860, Enoch Wedgwood inherited shares in the interests of the business left to him by Podmore, the partnership was dissolved and became Wedgwood & Co.

  • Enoch Wedgwood took his younger brother Jabez into partnership.

  • By the 1870's the company was employing between 600 and 700 people. 

  • Enoch died in 1879 and was succeeded by his sons Edmund and Alfred Enoch Wedgwood who ran the business until 1900 when family control ceased. 

  • The company did not have the same drive under the two sons and in 1890 Hollinshead and Kirkham took over the Unicorn Works.

  • In 1900 the firm became a limited company and effective control passed out of the hands of the Wedgwood family. The new money and management put new life into the company and up to 1950 great efforts were put into regaining their former markets, largely by playing to the company's strengths in producing high quality goods.

  • Wedgwood & Co remained open during the Second World War under the Wartime Concentration Scheme - they were permitted to produce undecorated domestic ware. They also produced canteen ware for the British armed forces

  • In June 1945 Wedgwood & Co were granted a licence to produce 'fancies' for the home market

  • In 1965 the company was sold to Semart Importing Co. based in New Jersey, USA and refloated as Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd. Semart was an importer of tableware and at the same time as buying Wedgwood & Co. purchased Crown Staffordshire China Co

  • In 1969 Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd. purchased the Furnivals name together with the rights to a number of patterns which were marked under the Furnivals name. 

  •  In order to expand production facilities the business of A G Richardson was purchased in 1974. Although A G Richardson ceased to exist, the use of their Crown Ducal name and some patterns was continued by Enoch Wedgwood for a few years.

  • In 1980 Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd (who, up to this point had nothing to do with Wedgwood & Co.) purchased Enoch Wedgwood and it operated within the Wedgwood Group as the 'Unicorn Pottery'. 

 

Previously Podmore, Walker and Co 

Taken over by Wedgwood Group and renamed Unicorn Pottery 1980.

[ see "Confused by Wedgwood?" ]

 


 

Unicorn Pottery and Pinnox Works

"These were large and important manufactories of general earthenware, situated in Amicable Street and Great Woodland Street,  ..... they were succeeded by Wedgwood & Co, the head of the firm being Enoch Wedgwood. 
The works were very extensive and gave employment to six or seven hundred persons, occupied an area of about an acre of ground and were among the most substantially built and best arranged in the pottery district. 

The goods produced were the higher classes of earthenware, in which dinner, tea, breakfast, desert, toilet and other services, and all the usual miscellaneous articles were made to a very considerable extent, for the home, Colonial, Continental and American markets.
The quality of the "Imperial Ironstone China" - the staple production of the firm - was of remarkable excellence, both in body and glaze...... They also supplied large quantities of Ironstone china, specially made for the use of ships.

The Unicorn Works were entirely devoted to the production of plain white graniteware for the American trade.

Messrs. Wedgwood & Co. became a limited company in 1900 and continued to use this old title until 1965, when the new style Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd. was adopted to avoid the confusion which often arose between the old title (and marks) and that of Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd."

 Jewitt's - Ceramic Art of Great Britain 1800-1900

 


 


Wedgwood & Co
Pinnox & Unicorn Works, Tunstall

 The Pottery Gazette, American and Canadian Edition, January 1st 1880

 



Wedgwood & Co
Pinnox & Unicorn Works, Tunstall

Printed ware on white and Ivory, Decorated table, tea and toilet ware
WHITE GRANITE

The Pottery Gazette,  January 1885

 


 


Wedgwood & Co., Ltd
 Tunstall, Staffs

Pottery Gazette - January 1906

 


 


Wedgwood & Co
Tunstall, Staffs
Imperial Porcelain

The Pottery Gazette -  January 1913

 


 


Transferware plate in the Woronzoff pattern 

The pattern name 'Woronzoff' commemorates the Tsarist governor of the Ukraine, Prince Mikhail Vorontsov (1782-1856), whose statue forms the centre of the design. 
Vorontsov was governor of New Russia from 1823 to 1844 having fought with distinction in the resistance to the invasion by Napoleon. His statue was erected in 1863 in Cathedral Square [later Soviet Army Square] in Odessa, where it still stands.


Paris White Ironstone
Wedgwood & Co
(impressed)

The registration diamond gives a date for the registration of the pattern as 17the September 1867

This mark incorporates the Royal Arms

 

 


 


plate in the Chusan pattern - transfer ware with hand painted colour 

A number of potters produced a pattern called CHUSAN, based on a, 'oriental' style. Probably first produced by Joseph Clementson as a flow-blue pattern.

Chusan is the main island of an archipelago of islands of the same name off the Chinese coast. It was regarded as the key to China.   


Wedgwood & Co

c. 1860-90

 

 


   

 
Hand painted coffee set
Wedgwood & Co, England

c.1862-1900

 The unicorn mark was introduced around 1862
'Ltd' was added to marks from 1900

photos courtesy: Clare Dingwall

 


 


jug in the Blossom pattern - decorated in deep blue with 
orange and green floral sprigs and gilt accents 

typical colours of the Imari style


Royal Semi Porcelain
Wedgwood & Co Ltd
England

c.1900-06

'LD' was added after c.1900

 

photos courtesy: Ed Seeley  




tea set in an unnamed pattern

the marks shown appear on various pieces in the same set

 

photos courtesy: Robert Tree


this style of printed mark was introduced in around 1908

'IVORY' is the style of the body
the impressed mark  1034 is the month/year of manufacture - in this case October 1934

The other impressed number is probably a workman's mark


this style of printed mark was introduced in around 1936

the impressed mark  736 is the month/year of manufacture - in this case July 1936

The other impressed number is probably a workman's mark and the hand painted mark is a decorators mark

 




Mailed Fist
"George III"

1071 will be the pattern/design number
  


Wedgwood & Co wall pockets

Four Wedgwood and Co wall pockets, comprising 'Mailed Fist, Earl of Leicester' 1077, 'Mailed Fist, George III 1071', both hand painted, one with floral decoration and another in the form of a sailing ship, early to mid 20th Century.

Courtesy: Hansons Auctioneers

 



Marks used on ware for identification:

Marks are split into three date ranges (click for more)

Wedgwood & Co
1860-1965
Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall Ltd)
1965-1980 
Unicorn Pottery
1980+

 


Trade Names: 

 

QUEEN'S IVORY

WACOLWARE

WACOL IMPERIAL

EVERWARE

ROYAL TUNSTALL

VITRILAIN

 


Ironstone Names: 

IMPERIAL PORCELAIN

PARIS WHITE IRONSTONE

STONE GRANITE

ROYAL STONE CHINA

SEMI ROYAL PORCELAIN


 

Wedgwood & Co

 

WEDGWOOD & CO
(impressed mark, 1860+)

WEDGWOOD & CO. LTD.
(impressed mark, 1900+)

 


Wedgwood & Co

Standard name-mark used alone or incorporated in printed marks. Used alone - impressed.

c.1860-90


ROYAL STONE CHINA WEDGWOOD & Co.
(printed) 

STONE GRANITE 
WEDGWOOD & Co.
(impressed) 

This mark incorporates 
the Royal Arms

c.1860-90


 


Wedgwood & Co

c.1860+


Semi-Porcelain
Wedgwood & Co
England

marks with ENGLAND are 
generally after 1891 


 


England
Stoneware
Wedgwood & Co Ld
 
Stoneware
Wedgwood & Co Ld
England

this mark on a Willow pattern plate with impressed Wedgwood & Co Ltd together with the manufacturing month/year of April 1913 


variations of the Stoneware mark
 'Ltd' or 'Ld' shows a date 1900+


 


Royal Semi Porcelain
Wedgwood & Co
England

c.1890-1900


Royal Semi Porcelain
Wedgwood & Co LD
England

c.1900-1906

'LD' was added c.1900 


Imperial Porcelain
Wedgwood & Co Ld
England

c.1906+

with or without 
'Imperial porcelain' 


Wedgwood & Co Ld
England

c.1908+

often the name of the pattern is included


Wedgwood & Co Ld
England

c.1908+

the unicorn mark was registered as a trade mark in 1910 (although it was used prior to this) 


 


Estabd 1835
The original manufacturers
Asiatic Pheasants
Wedgwood & Co Ltd

c.1925+

note: the introduction of "Estab 1835" 

It was the earlier company of Podmore, Walker & Co which was established around 1835 and are generally acknowledged as being the first producers of the 'Asiatic Pheasants' pattern


Wedgwood & Co Ltd
Queen's Ivory
England

c.1925+

 

 

 
Wedgwood & Co Ltd
England

c.1936+

 

 




G VI R 
Wedgwood & Co Ltd
1944 

The mark shown indicates that the ware was produced for and supplied to the British Government; it was ultimately property of the Crown/Government, hence the GR-VI Cypher.

This mark is there to distinguish the piece from being normal ‘utilitarian’ ware for public sale during the period surrounding the Second World War. 

Wedgwood & Co (and others) were given government contracts throughout the late 1930s and into the 1940s (WWII) and produced canteen ware - most likely for the armed services.

The year of manufacturer is generally included.

 


 


WACOLWARE
Made in England

c.1951+

 


EVERWARE
Wedgwood & Co Ltd
England
Reg Trade Mark
No 547269

c.1952+


WACOL
Imperial
Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire
Reg Trade Mark

c.1956+


 


WACOL
Made in 
England
4 B 52

the "4 52" refers to the month & year of manufacture 
in this case April 1952

the letter "B" refers to the permitted class of ware produced under the 
Wartime Concentration Scheme



Wedgwood & Co Ltd
England
Founded in 1835
by Enoch Wedgwood

c.1952+

the "8-63" refers to the month & year of manufacture 
in this case August 1963

It was the earlier company of Podmore, Walker & Co which was established around 1834 and in 1835 Enoch Wedgwood became a partner in the firm of Podmore, Walker & Co

 




AMS
Trade Mark
 

"These initials, AMS occur in a bow knot type outline, on a dinner service made by Wedgwood & Co of Tunstall. This service bears the registration mark for June 1880. The initials probably relate to the retailer."

Geoffrey A. Godden ' Encyclopedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks'

NOTE: the AMS mark denotes the retailer 'Silber & Fleming' - a number of North Staffordshire pottery companies produced ware for them.

 


 

Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd

In 1965 the company Wedgwood & Co. was sold to Semart Importing Co. based in New Jersey, USA and refloated as Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd. 

 

     

   

 Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd

1965 - 1980


 

Unicorn Tableware

In 1980 Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd (who, up to this point had nothing to do with Wedgwood & Co.) purchased Enoch Wedgwood and it operated within the Wedgwood Group as the 'Unicorn Pottery'. 

It is unclear when Josiah Wedgwood & Sons Ltd stopped producing ware under the Unicorn Tableware name.

 

    
Unicorn Tableware
Est. 1835
Made in England

It was not Unicorn Tableware nor Enoch Wedgwood & Co who were established in 1835 - it was the earlier company of Podmore, Walker & Co which was established around 1834 and in 1835 Enoch Wedgwood became a partner in the firm of Podmore, Walker & Co

 

 
Unicorn Tableware

Est. 1835
Made in England

The earlier company of Podmore, Walker & Co are generally acknowledged
 as being the first producers of the 'Asiatic Pheasants' pattern

 


- click for information on the Pinnox Works -  

    


Questions, comments, contributions? email: Steve Birks