James Edwards






 

Location and period of operation:

James Edwards

Burslem

1842

1851

 

Earthenware and Ironstone manufacturer at the Dale Hall Pottery, Dale Hall, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England

  • James Edwards operated (with Thomas Edwards) at the Kilncroft Works & Sylvester Street Works, Burslem) for a couple of years from 1839-41

  • In 1842 James Edwards purchased the Dale Hall Pottery - which he considerably enlarged and extended ; a flint-mill erected ; new machinery of the most approved construction (including steam jiggers, lathes, jollies, throwing- wheels, and pressing machines for preparing clay by filtration) - the whole place so increased as to be enabled to produce fully six times the amount of ware it was capable of doing when he first entered upon it. 

  • He specialised in producing white ironstone ware which was mainly for export to America

  • In 1851 he took his son Richard into partnership as James Edwards & Son

 

Subsequently: James Edwards & Son 

 

Dale Hall Pottery

The extensive works of Messrs. James Edwards and Son are the oldest existing works in Dale Hall. They belonged to Messrs. John and George Rogers (brothers) till 1815, when the latter died, and Mr. Spencer Rogers having joined his father, the business was carried on under the style of John Rogers and Son. In 1816 Mr. John Rogers died, leaving £1,000 to the North Staffordshire Infirmary, and other charitable bequests. He had erected a handsome residence, "The Watlands" near Wolstanton. 

The firm continued as John Rogers and Son until 1842, when the manufactory was purchased by the late Mr. James Edwards, formerly of the firm of James and Thomas Edwards of the Kiln-Croft Works. Messrs. Rogers produced tableware of a higher and better quality than most of their contemporaries, and were especially famed for their light blue "Broseley" or "Willow" pattern services. 

The mark used by them appears to have been simply the name ROGERS impressed in or printed on the ware; sometimes with the addition of the sign of Mars or Iron.

Mr. James Edwards was entirely a self-made man, and was one of those bright examples of indomitable perseverance, unflinching rectitude, steadiness of purpose, and genuine benevolence, which crop up every now and then among our most successful manufacturers. 

Commencing simply as a thrower at Messrs. Rogers, he became a manager at Philips's of Longport, and at John Alcock's of Cobridge, then commenced business in partnership with John Maddock, and afterwards, in partnership with his brother Thomas Edwards, carried on business in Sylvester Square, Burslem, and next in partnership with Mr. John Maddock, in the same town. 

In 1842 he purchased the manufactory of Messrs. Rogers and Son, where he commenced entirely on his own account. By him the manufactory was considerably enlarged and extended; a flint-mill erected ; new machinery of the most approved construction (including steam jiggers, lathes, jollies, throwing- wheels, and Needham and 
Kite's patent pressing machines for preparing clay by filtration) put up, patent stoves and pug-mills erected, and the whole place so increased as to be enabled to produce fully six times the amount of ware it was capable of doing when he first entered upon it. 

By these improvements much of the heavy drudgery of labour both to children and adults was saved. In these works, too, the whole of the rooms containing the machinery are heated by steam, and kept at one uniform temperature. 

To Mr. Edwards the white graniteware, which has now become so important a feature in the Pottery district, mainly owes its excellence; that made by him being considered to be all that could be desired by our transatlantic brethren, and to be the standard of perfection to which the aims of other houses were directed. 

In 1851 a medal was awarded to Mr. Edwards, and an additional certificate of merit, for beauty of form and excellence of goods exhibited. At the New York Exhibition they also received honourable mention, and in 1865 a prize medal was awarded for electrical, chemical, galvanic, and photographic apparatus in both ironstone and earthenware. 

Mr. Edwards, who had taken his son Mr. Richard Edwards into partnership, retired from the concern in 1861, and died, full of honours, as a magistrate and otherwise, in January, 1867, one of his last acts of thoughtful benevolence being that of (only a few days before his death) sending to a number of his old workpeople at the manufactory cheques varying in amount from £20 to £100 each, according to each one's length of service. The works are now carried on by Mr. Richard Edwards under the style of "James Edwards and Son." 

The productions consist of white graniteware for the American and steamship trade; ordinary earthenware for the home trade, in which all the usual services, &c., are made; Indian ironstone goods; and electrical, chemical, galvanic, and photographic appliances. These are all of the highest quality, and are much in repute. In "stone china," which is of good firm semi-transparent quality, many excellent patterns are made. Among these are the "bishop," "barley," "mediaeval," "rope," "tulip," ''scroll," and others. 

 

The Ceramic Art of Great Britain. Llewellynn Jewitt, 1878

 

 


 


To prevent this shape from
being copied it was entered 
at the registry office of
designs May 30th 1842 by
James Edwards

the design registration applied for was granted
on the 30th December 1842 - it was for a
vegetable dish and tureen

 


 

 


Mott Schober & Co
Importers
47, North Third St.
Philadelphia
Manufactured by
James Edwards 

Edward T. Mott and Samuel Schober were partners in  Philadelphia for 13 years. They imported china, glass and Queensware (white ironstone) After the partnership was dissolved in 1851 Mott continued to operate the store, which moved up 3rd street every 3 or so years, first at 47, then at 72, and finally at 120 No. 3rd. Mott died in 1858.


Wright & Pike
Importers
Philadelphia
Manufactured by
James Edwards 

Robert K. Wright and Thornton Pike were the principles in the partnership, which had a store at 29 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia between 1847 and 1850, and at 205 High Street between 1851 and 1856 

 

source: Queensware Direct from the Potteries 

 


 


Shallow dish in the Saxon Blue Design

Saxon Blue
James Edwards

Saxon Blue was originally produced by Dillwyn & Co (Swansea Pottery)

 

 


 


Shallow dish in the Bochara pattern

transferware with a pattern in the 'Oriental' style

 


J E
James Edwards
(impressed)

BOCHARA is the pattern name

 


 


bowl with applied decoration 
Porcelaine à la Perle

Porcelaine à la Perle was not porcelain but a name used by James Edwards for an ironstone type earthenware.

In the mid to second half of the ninteenth century British manufacturers found their markets being eroded by inexpensive French porcelain - adopting French sounding names with a faintly grey look of continental porcealin was one way of meeting the competition.   


Porcelaine à la Perle
J E

 

 

 

 

 




covered chamber pot in white ironstone 

James Edwards specialised in producing white ironstone ware 
which was mainly for export to America

 


Registered design information for the Curved Gothic shape  


The National Archives 
registered design 10370
6 October 1843

 


Dish for all sizes in Earthenware
James Edwards Burslem Staffordshire
Class 4 10370

copy of the registration entry held at the National 

courtesy: james-edwards.info 

 


large white ironstone platter in the Curved Gothic shape

introduced in October 1843 this was a popular shape produced by James Edwards
mostly in plain white ironstone but occasionally with a transfer pattern 

 

 


James Edwards
Dalehall

impressed name and place with the registration diamond and number 10370


James Edwards

impressed name with the registration diamond and number 10370


although difficult to read the circular inscription reads.... 

Registered By James Edwards 
No. 10370 Oct. 6 1843


Ironstone China
 
James Edwards 

impressed marks on platters sometimes accompanied by this printed mark 

 

 


small dish in the Curved Gothic shape with a transfer pastoral pattern

Registered By James Edwards 
No. 10370 Oct. 6 1843

impressed circular mark 
with the registration diamond

 


 

 

Marks & initials used on ware for identification:

J E

James Edwards

Jas Edwards


 


James Edwards
Dalehall
(impressed)

 


 


Ironstone China
James Edwards


shard discovered at the site of a settlement
in rural New York

Probably manufactured by James Edwards

photo courtesy: Abby Cataldo      

 


 


James Edwards

the diamond registration mark 
gives a registered date of 25 June 1847



Jas Edwards
impressed: IRONSTONE

CORINTH is the pattern name



James Edwards
JE

the diamond registration mark 
gives a registered date of 16 July 1847

FOLIAGE is the pattern name

 


 


The Dale Hall Pottery is shown in blue

- click map for more -

 


Questions, comments, contributions: email: Steve Birks