Mariners' Compass (Tyne)

Mariners' Compass – Tyneside

Labelled from North Shields

The glazes on this jug appear to have misfired in the kiln. That hasn't held it back though. There's a label on the underside explaining that it was purchased in 1830 at Shields. If I'd had to guess its date of manufacture, I'd have said mid 1820s, based on the creamware body and style of decoration. But 1830 is close enough to make it credible that it was purchased direct from the manufacturer, so possibly Cornfoot, Colville & Co (1828–1832) at the Low Lights Pottery, North Shields. Despite its condition, it was a treasured enough item for its owner to record its passage through the family over almost a century. The label reads:

This Jug was Bought at Shields in the year 1830 by William Waters, Son of George and Mary Waters,
presented to William Waters Son of George and Mary Waters the second
and presented to Stanley Waters Parsons, by his Grandfather Waters in the Year of Our Lord 1915.

I'm indebted to Dr Sophie Nield for the genealogy below. She writes: The whole family are mariners and shipwrights from Bothenhampton, Dorset, which might explain the choice of the Mariners Compass.

One thing more to note is that these versions of the transfers, which are titled underneath, 'Mariner's Compass', 'Landlord's Caution' and 'Success to [indecipherable] Trade', have not yet been recorded on any other items.

Attributed to Robert Maling, Ouseburn Bridge Pottery

Early imprint without border above title

On the early imprints there is no serrated wheel border above the words Mariner's Compass (see section below for examples with the border).

The second jug below commemorates the coronation of William IV the 'sailor king' in 1831. This is the earliest dated use of the transfer that I've found.

The version of the transfer without a border (see left details below) has scratches that also appear on the transfer with the border (right details below). So the copper plate was likely reworked at a later date, and the border added. The later imprints with a border also have a diagonal scratch just to the left of NE (see bottom right detail).