Mariner's Compass – Sunderland
Attributed to Dawson's Low Ford Pottery
Although this version of the Mariner's Compass is more commonly associated with Tyneside, it does appear on items attributed to Dawson's from c1840.
Both of the jugs above and below have a small scratch on the transfer, just above the point 'W' on the compass.
The jugs below don't have the Mariner's Compass transfer, but are from the same group. The first jug has the same verse transfers as those above. It has the same lustre decoration around the collar, and shrill green and yellow enamel decoration as the firmly attributed Dawson jug beneath it.
The jug below appears to have an identical Mariner's Compass transfer to the those above, but it is cleaner, without the nicks and scratches. So it is likely earlier (1830s).
Mariner's Compass – Tyneside
John Carr and Co, North Shields
Click here to read about the history of the business partnerships at North Shields (Low Lights Pottery). The jug below was made after the Carr and Patton partnership dissolved in 1846. In this version of the transfer, there are two masts to the right of the compass.
John Patton, Phoenix Pottery Newcastle
After the Carr and Patton partnership dissolved (1846), John Patton continued to produce lustre wares at the Phoenix Pottery in Newcastle. The printed mark under the transfer states business interests in both Newcastle, and North Shields where Patton owned the Low Lights Brewery.
The first row below shows the other transfers on the jug. Beneath it an example with coloured enamel decoration (clobbering).
This mug below, from the Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums collection, and the one beneath it, are decorated with orange lustre, which was introduced in the early 1860s. It is unclear when Patton ceased operating at the Phoenix Pottery. R C Bell states that by 1857 it was trading as the Phoenix Pottery Co, and by 1858 as Bell, Cook & Co. These orange mugs must have been produced after the pottery was converted into a chemical works in 1860, and presumably the copper plate was sold to another Tyneside pottery. The Museum catalogue lists their mug as Low Lights, c1880.
The jug below is also likely later and has a degraded version of the transfer with profuse lustre decoration.
John Hobson
As yet, we know very little about the potter John Hobson. The wares below are linked to him on the basis of the initials 'JH' in the transfers, and impressed marks. However, if it weren't for those marks, the wares below would likely be assumed to be made by John Carr.
The same transfer also appears on slop bowls. Note the two black speckles, nicks on the transfer plate, that appear to the left of SSE in the bottom centre details.
Below are the other transfers on the slop bowl. This bowl doesn't have an impressed mark on the base.
And next, a similar slop bowl with the same transfer and the impressed mark JH under a Staffordshire knot on its base. NB it was not uncommon for Tyneside potteries to try to pass off their wares as made in Staffordshire.
Finally below, a bowl marked Hobson. Thanks to Ian Sharp for drawing my attention to an article in the Northern Ceramic Society Journal, Vol 17, 2000, where the following paragraph appears:
On 1 August, 1882, the Pottery Gazette reported that the Pottery [the North Shore Pottery] had closed permanently. It is just possible that, between William Smith leaving in 1880 and the Pottery closing in 1882, the executors of James Smith’s will let the premises to a John Hobson. A local directory dating from about 1880 [Porter’s Directory of Stockton, Middlesbrough, etc. undated but c1881, p.125] contained an advertisement relating to John Hobson, Potter of the Rockingham Works, Stockton . A John Hobson and other members of his family worked at the Stafford Pottery, South Stockton , over a very long period. No other reference to the Rockingham Works has been found and it is just possible that in order to avoid confusion the Pottery [the North Shore Pottery] was given this name for a short period.
On 1 August, 1882, the Pottery Gazette reported that the Pottery [the North Shore Pottery] had closed permanently. It is just possible that, between William Smith leaving in 1880 and the Pottery closing in 1882, the executors of James Smith’s will let the premises to a John Hobson. A local directory dating from about 1880 [Porter’s Directory of Stockton, Middlesbrough, etc. undated but c1881, p.125] contained an advertisement relating to John Hobson, Potter of the Rockingham Works, Stockton . A John Hobson and other members of his family worked at the Stafford Pottery, South Stockton , over a very long period. No other reference to the Rockingham Works has been found and it is just possible that in order to avoid confusion the Pottery [the North Shore Pottery] was given this name for a short period.
The bowl above certainly matches the rather poor quality we might expect from the early 1880s. However, that doesn't apply to the plaque above with the JH transfer, which I had previously guessed was made in the 1850s. The mariners' compass transfer on this bowl is different to the J H items above. Not least in that there appears to be an obliterated printed mark beneath it. Could it possibly be J P? Compare the details below: Hobson impressed bowl below left; J P clear imprint below centre; and later degraded J P imprint below right. More work needs to be done about tying these wares together.
Attributed to Thomas Fell, St Peter's Pottery
This plaque form is usually attributed to John Carr. However, it is a one of a group of transfers that I've attributed to Fell on the basis of a bowl with the crown impress, known to have been used at St Peter's Pottery. See the Marco Polo page for more information. Note that the transfer also has JH under the compass, but this time it has been hatched out. This transfer differs from those marked JH above. The tops of the masts and flags are different. There are only two gulls to the left of the mast in the bottom right detail.
A monumental jug with the transfer and an improvised blacksmith's repair to the handle.
Below an orange lustre mug with the Mariners' Compass transfer with erased JH initials.
