Early North East Creamware and Pearlware, 1790–1810
Painted ship group
This group from the early 1790s often has a distinctive and deftly painted ship in black enamels. The pearlware teapot below, dated 1792, has some decorative similarities to the creamware items on the previous page, eg the brick-red detail around the neck and rim. The hand-painted flower border around a dated inscription is typical of North East potteries and continued to be widely used until the end of the 1820s.
The mug below, from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London is undoubtedly by the same hand as the items above and below. It has a long red and yellow bloom on either side of the verse. Similar motifs are found on North Hylton, Dawson and Scott items.
The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London draws attention to the similarity of the mug above with a jug in their collection. On the other side, the jug has the following inscription: By untoutch'd (sic) credit/& by honnest (sic) Trade/The upright dealer/Eminent is made.
George III reigned from 1760–1820. The French Revolution of 1789 had repercussions around the globe, with Louis XVI executed in 1793. Perhaps that helps explain the popularity of tokens of Royal allegiance like the mug below in England. The formation of the sprigs of flowers is similar to the mug above. Compare, also, the word 'God' with the mug above.
This mug has similar decoration to the items above. The 't' is again shaped like the number 4. There are centres of the flowers are crossed with black, like an asterisk. Thanks to Norman Lowe for the following information: I have looked for marriage records associated with Joseph Petrie and there are a lot in Angus from 1794 to 1820. Take your pick of 1794, 1800, 1812 twice and 1820 twice. In the context of the items above, 1794 seems like a plausible date.
Attributed to North Hylton by the Sunderland Museum
The mug below, from the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums collection, is attributed in their catalogue to North Hylton, perhaps on the basis of the similarity of the red roses to items produced at that pottery in the mid 1820s (see above and Baker p 19). The mug was included in 'Maling' – an exhibition at Laing Art Gallery in September 1997. Note the shape of the lower case 't' and the small cross in the centre of the flower above the verse.
This mug, also from the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums collection, has a large vertical, red and yellow bloom on either side of the verse. The lower case 't' is similar to the mug above. The flowers have small black crosses in the centre. The Museum catalogue describes it as 'probably North Hylton'.
Other closely related examples
The distinctive 'J' and lower case 'y' and 'b' are an excellent match for the Hodgson mug above. Again, the flowers have small crosses in the centre. The blue enamels are similar to those on the coffee pot below.
Photo Clarke & Simpson Auctioneers
This coffee pot is undoubtedly decorated by the same hand as the Hodgson mug above.
The capital 'C' and small 't' on the jug below are a good match for the Hodgson mug and coffee pot above. The jug has a similar red and yellow bloom motif. The reverse has a pastoral scene with a windmill. The roses are similar to those on the mug below. Norman Lowe writes 'the marriage of Thomas Cooter and Elizabeth Adams on 3 September 1799 at Barcombe Sussex'.
Other items with similar decorative features
The tea pot is of a similar form to the 'Paybas' one above. The script on this teapot is tantalisingly close to others on this page, but not quite there. The lower case 't' does not match the items above. Norman Lowe has identified two potential Thomas and Lucy Lee marriages. One at Kirkhaugh Northumberland to Lucy Snowden, 31 October 1794, and the other at Hawnby Yorkshire to Lucy Harrison, 13 June 1791.
A teapot with an inscription for 1796 and a similar form to those above and a pink band beneath the collar.
Below, a teapot from the Norwich Castle Museum collection with similar lettering and flowers, and a North Yorkshire inscription for 1794. Richmond is about mid way between Sunderland and Leeds, as is Hawnby (see teapot above). Both Leeds and Sunderland produced teapots with flower decoration.
Another floral teapot that's a contender to be from one of the North East potteries.
Although the lower case 't' is not crossed like a 4 on the marriage mug below, the inscription is otherwise very similar to the items above. Note the ampersand and lower case 's' shaped like an 'f'. Norman Lowe has identified a John Watson and Ann Galley married at Monkwearmouth on 20 May 1797, and that date seems to fit. The text on this mug is an almost perfect match for the George and Isobella Beatty on this bridge page. The bridge opened in 1796.
Other early inscribed items
It is interesting that this small jug and the one below have inscriptions with the same dates. As always, I'm indebted to Norman Lowe for the following information: Richard Banister married Ellen Eastham on 6 March 1786 at Leyland Lancashire. They were living there at least until 1799 as they are recorded as having children there between 1787 and 1799. There is nothing to suggest that May 1798 was significant to them so I presume that they were the donors and Hannah Coultherbank the recipient. I have not been able to trace Hannah.
I've placed them here to keep them in date order. Although the script differs from that found on mugs with similar dates, the bridge transfer appears on the Ann Lax bowl below with enamelled flower decoration.
I've placed them here to keep them in date order. Although the script differs from that found on mugs with similar dates, the bridge transfer appears on the Ann Lax bowl below with enamelled flower decoration.
Norman again writes: George and Jane (or Jenny) Bretherton were also living in Leyland at that time, presumably at the Bay Horse which is still a pub just south of Leyland. They had children there between 1791 and 1801. This information creates almost as many questions as answers. Lancashire inscriptions on NE wares are uncommon as that county was not on the coastal shipping routes served by Sunderland and Tyneside manufactories and the area was already well served by Liverpool potteries.
The inscriptions on the mugs below are similar to the Sarah Henderson mug above. The first, again, is attributed in the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums catalogue as 'manufactured by North Hylton'. The dotted border around the rim of the first mug is similar to that found on the bowls below. The green and red motif on either side of the inscription on the first and second mug is similar to those with red roses above.
As with the Sarah Henderson mug above the names on the first and third of these mugs are separated by a large dot, surrounded by a halo of smaller dots. The second has a cross of four small dots between the names,
This item has the same bridge transfer as the jug above, but the inscription appears to be in a different hand. The black crosses in the centre of the flowers link it with the mugs above and below. The Wearmouth Bridge opened in 1796, and this bowl was likely made soon after that. Norman Lowe has provided the following information: There were two possible candidates for dates of birth for Ann Lax. Ann Lax born 2 June 1800 christened 22 June 1800 at South Shields and Ann Lax born 17 May 1804 christened 3 May 1804 Houghton le Spring.
John Phillips at the Garrison Pottery from 1807
This large punch bowl has a different bridge transfer, but one that is found on firmly attributed Dixon Austin items. The rim of the bowl is decorated in the same way as the Ann Lax bowl above. The bowl has hand-painted panels with flower decoration similar to some of the items below. The dotted border on the bowl with two brick red lines is found on the Thomas Dunn mug (1798) and the Ann Lax bowl above.
Unfortunately, this is the only view I have of this hand-painted tankard. The inscription 'Horsefield' has a lower case 'f' which matches the pre-Phillips items above. The man is painted in similar enamels to the ploughman above.
Photo Wilkinsons Auctioneers
Another punch bowl with a similar mixture of hand-painting and Sunderland Pottery transfers, from the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums collection. There's a transfer of Francis Burdett, a reformer imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1810. Read more here. The aerial balloon transfer depicts Napoleon Bonaparte, 1813, and, therefore, could only have been made at the Garrison Pottery, as it predates Phillips' time at North Hylton.
This large tankard sits firmly within the Phillips period. Norman has identified a Joseph Wakefield who married Ann Blakey at Earsdon, near Whitley Bay, on 27 June 1816. It has a variation of a shipping transfer that also appears with 'Sunderland Pottery' marks (see plate below). Note its similarity to the hand-painted ships above, although a mirror image.
The monochrome rose decoration provides a link with firmly attributable North Hylton items from the early 1820s. The text, on the other hand, is very similar to the late 18th century items above.
These plates, with printed marks for 'Phillips & Co' and the 'Sunderland Pottery', could have been made at either of Phillips' sites.
