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Thomas Till & Son(s) |
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Location and period of operation:
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Thomas Till & Son(s) |
Burslem |
1850 |
1928 |
Earthenware
manufacturer at the Sytch
Pottery, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent,
England.
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Formerly: Barker & Till.
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Mazarine Blue Band
Thos. Till & Sons
Established 1825
The Pottery Gazette, October 1906
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"Thomas Till & Sons, Sytch Pottery, Burslem, earthenware manufacturers, are represented in London by Mr. E. J. Bennett, who has samples of all the principal productions of the firm always on show at his rooms, Gamage Buildings, 118, Holborn, E.C. Till & Sons’ chief lines are toilet ware, dinner services, and tea and breakfast ware. In all these there is great diversity in shapes and decorations, and quite recently some new samples have been received from the works. There are, however, certain samples that are not likely to be withdrawn for some time, whatever new ones may arrive. For instance, their Mazarine blue band is one of their most popular lines. They are now showing it on dinner and tea ware in conjunction with neat border patterns in all colours. Green bands on dinner and tea ware are a nice change from the blue, and seem likely to become just as popular. New decorations are numerous, and all tastes are catered for. The "Minton" and "Saxon" dinner shapes are given a new lease of life by the judicious variations in decoration. The "Saxon", with its nicely shaped oval vegetable dish, is one of the best of the firm’s dinner shapes. It is now shown with the "Graphic" pattern. This is a neat printed decoration supplied in several colours. The toilet services have had some novelties added to an already large assortment of samples. The "Etruscan" is quite a classical shape, as the name would indicate. It has a full-sized ewer and capacious basin. It is shown in several decorations; one of the best is a happy combination of festoon and rose-buds. Till & Sons supply badge and monogram ware for hotels, restaurants, and shipping companies." The
Pottery Gazette, October 1907 |
Selected by
the Committee for the Staffordshire Potteries
to exhibit at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1855
Till, T., and Son - Sytch
Pottery, Burslem, Stoke-upon-Trent - Stone earthenware
At the Paris Exhibition of 1855, the firm received a certificate of merit
Shanghae pattern
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 the Shanghae pattern was more commonly produced with hand colouring and gliding added over the printed pattern |
| The design is called "Shanghae" (an old Victorian spelling for Shanghai). It features a popular Chinoiserie style common in the mid-19th century. The design mimics traditional Chinese porcelain with large peonies, chrysanthemums, and a bird resting on a central branch. The bands features classic Greek key geometric repetatvce design, which outline the floral scene. |
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249.2 |
 T. TILL & SON SHANGHAE |
 TILL & SON SHANGHAE TILL 249.2 |
The
registration diamond shows
that the pattern was registered on the 3rd March 1869 to Thomas Till
& Sons of the Sytch Pottery, Burslem. |
These various marks all appear
on plates and bowls in the Shanghae pattern - 249 will be the internal pattern
number
Marks with T. Till & Son are 1850-61, marks with '& Sons' are after 1861 when Till's second
son William Thomas Till joined the business.
 Lahore pattern in an 'Oriental' style - transfer ware with hand painted colouring and luster accents |
 LAHORE T. Till & Son Burslem 1850-61 |
photos courtesy: Svetlana
Thomas Till c.1877
from a presentation made by his
employees
- click for more -
click on the following
for more information:
marks listed for Thomas Till in
the 1917 Pottery Gazette
the prior marks of Salt bros
& Brownhills Pottery appear to have been
continued and the name Thomas Till added.
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 ENA pattern with the 'standard' Till mark c.1880+ |
 THOS TILL & SONS BURSLEM ENGLAND |
 ENA pattern with the Salt Bros style mark but with Thos Till c.1903+ |
 ENGLAND THOS TILL & SONS BURSLEM VITRINE WARE |
Initials and marks used on ware for identification:
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Note: many potters liked to put a date on their pottery as far back as possible and a date may be the date the works started or a date of an earlier partneship. On some Thomas Till ware a date of "1825" is displayed - however the earliest recorded operation date involving Till is Barker, Sutton & Till which dates from 1834. An advertisement for Thos. Till & Sons in "The Pottery Gazette and Glass Trades Review Diary 1922" p. 24. also states "Estd. 1825" on the advert. The Sytch Pottery would appear to have been
worked by John Hall & Sons at that time (from 1802 - 1832) so the 1825
reference is a mystery. |
Thos Till & Sons
Burslem
c.1861-1890
TILL
TILL & SON
T.TILL & SONS
"TILLSON WARE"
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NOTE:
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1881 census:
at the time of the 1881 census Thomas Till and one of his sons William were evidently living in the same house:-
Dwelling: Rocklands House
Census Place: Wolstanton, Staffordshire, England
| Name |
Marr | Age | Sex |
Birthplace | Occupation | |
| Thomas TILL | W 76 M | Head | Burslem | Earthenware Manufacturer Employing 200 Work People |
Dwelling: Rocklands House
Census Place: Wolstanton, Staffordshire, England
| Name |
Marr | Age | Sex |
Birthplace | Occupation | |
| William F. TILL | M 47 M | Head | Burslem | Earthenware Manufacturer |
| Mary TILL | M 48 F | Wife | Oswestry, Shropshire | Wife |
| Sarah MEAKIN | U 21 F | Serv | Uttoxeter | Domestic Servant |
| Elizabeth BROUGH | U 28 F | Serv | Swinnerton | Domestic Servant |
A commemoration of Thomas Till
by his workforce - 1877
in the scroll at the very top of the page is a picture of Josiah Wedgwood
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To Thomas Till, Esq. We the Employe's of the Firm of Messrs. TILL & SONS
beg to present you the Senior Member of the Firm with a LIFE SIZE PORTRAIT. Painted in Oil of yourself accompanied by a Framed Address expressing our high respect and esteem for you as our Employer and as one who has successfully passed through half a Century of Commercial success as an Earthenware Manufacturer and who is the Oldest Manufacturer in the Staffordshire Potteries now living
We feel that it would be very remiss on our part to allow the present opportunity to pass without showing in some way our appreciation of your uniform conduct during pro patria of that long period and at the same time bearing our cordial testimony to your manly and straightforward business method and honesty of purpose which has beget in us a feeling alike of respect and confidence
We wish especially to recognise your willingness on all occasions to promote our comfort by your genial disposition and our welfare by your Christian example; endeavouring always to elevate us severally and mentally and engender a good feeling between employer and employed.
We therefore ask your acceptance of these small Tokens of our Regard for your good qualities, and we pray that God may preserve the lives of yourself and family in health and prosperity for many years and that you may ultimately receive that great reward laid up for the good and faithful.
Signed by a few of the oldest hands on behalf the Workpeople
Sytch Pottery Burslem March 2nd 1877 |
Questions/comments/contributions? email: Steve Birks
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