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Peace - 1813
petition from the Enoch Wood scrapbook |
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Context of the 1813 Petition By 1813, the British pottery industry was under severe economic strain as a result of the prolonged wars with France (1793–1815) and the continuing conflict with the United States (War of 1812–1815). These conflicts disrupted international trade routes, restricted access to key export markets, and contributed to widespread financial instability among manufacturers. The Staffordshire Potteries were heavily dependent on overseas trade, particularly to Europe and North America, and many firms experienced reduced orders, falling profits, and uncertainty over future markets. In response, leading pottery manufacturers from across the district came together to coordinate a collective appeal for the restoration of peace and normal trading conditions. The notice calling a meeting at Hanley Town Hall in 1813 was issued by more than sixty manufacturers, representing a broad cross-section of the industry. The intention was to organise a formal petition to Parliament urging an end to hostilities and a return to stable international commerce. The signatories included a mixture of prominent and lesser-known potters, reflecting the unusually unified response of the industry during a period of acute commercial pressure. |
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1813 notice calling a meeting of Staffordshire pottery manufacturers The original document was collected by the Staffordshire industrialist Enoch Wood and is now held in the collections of Stoke-on-Trent Museums. Image source: Staffordshire Past Track (staffspasttrack.org.uk) and reproduced here for reference. |
Peace. WE whose names are hereunto Subscribed, request a Meeting of the Inhabitants of the Potteries, at the Town Hall, Hanley, on Wednesday the 27th day of January 1813, at Eleven o'clock in the Morning, to take into consideration the propriety of Petitioning the Legislature, to adopt such measures as in their wisdom they shall think fit, for bringing about a General Peace, on Terms consistent with the safety and honor of the Country.
Chester, Printers, Newcastle |
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What this document tells us This notice shows the Staffordshire pottery industry acting collectively during a period of severe economic disruption caused by the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.
The inclusion of a wide range of manufacturers highlights how even individual works were connected into a broader regional network that could mobilise quickly in response to external economic pressures. |
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