Untitled orange lustre ships– Sunderland
Moore & Co's Wear Pottery and Scott's Southwick Pottery – Ship 1
Moore's pottery appears to have made a strategic decision to commission unnamed ship transfers. This would futureproof their use and broaden their appeal. At present I'm unclear how many copper plates there were, perhaps two. The bulk of the items on this page are from a period when Scott's and Moore's shared transfers. We know from records that Scott's supplied Moore's with 'blanks' (plain earthenware) for decoration. The consistency of enamelling of these Moore-Scott items indicates they were all decorated in one location.
Ian Sharp writes of this transfer of the new levelled bridge (see bottom left), which was completed in 1859: 'This transfer bears the initials of William Mowat (W.M.), lower right-hand side. Other transfers bearing Mowat’s initials have appeared on pieces manufactured by Thomas Fell of Newcastle. Mowat worked as an engraver in Dean Street, Newcastle on Tyne in the 1850s–1870s.' It seems likely to me that, given the consistency of style of the transfers on this page, that they were all engraved by Mowat.
The ship 1 transfer on a chamber pot. The 'Oh Dear Me' transfer in the centre is more commonly associated with poorly executed and later items (c1880–1900) from Ball's Deptford Pottery. Ball acquired many of the transfer plates from the Sunderland potteries, so where production by Moore & Scott ends and Ball begins, is anyone's guess. See the end of this page for items firmly attributed to Ball's Deptford Pottery.
A frog mug with orange lustre and green enamel decoration typical of Moore's, and a Scott frog.
See another image of this bowl further down the page. The combination of orange lustre and green enamel, again, particular to Moore's.
Photo Martel Maides Auctions
Moore & Co's Wear Pottery and Scott's Southwick Pottery – Ship 2
Below on an unmarked bowl, with the Unfortunate London in the centre. Like the mug above, the bowl has a transfer with the new bridge. It also has the ship 4 transfer (see below).
The transfer on a plaque form attributed to Moore's. See a marked example below.
Photo Ian Holmes
Moore & Co's Wear Pottery and Scott's Southwick Pottery – Ship 3
A large jug with ships 1 and 3, paired with the new bridge.
The transfer on a plaque form attributed to Moore's. See a marked example below.
Photo Ian Holmes
This unmarked bowl has the transfer inside and out. This transfer pairs with 'Jack's Safe Return' on all the items below, suggesting they were on the same copper plate.
Moore & Co's Wear Pottery and Scott's Southwick Pottery – Ship 4
The left plaque has a Moore & Co impressed mark. The right plaque is of a form particular to Scott's.
A large jug with ships 3 and 4.
A bowl with ships 2 and 4 together with the Unfortunate London and the new bridge.
Photo Philip Serrell
Moore & Co's Wear Pottery and Scott's Southwick Pottery – Ship 5
I have seen quite a few of these white-bordered plaques picked out with orange trim. The form is typical of Scott's pottery.
A bowl with a Guernsey inscription dated 1873. The fine script is typical of Moore's during that period. See another image above.
Photo Martel Maides Auctions
Ball's Deptford Pottery – Ship 2
Photo Rowley's Auctioneers
The mixture of transfers on this bowl, including a Masonic transfer from Scott's pottery, suggests it was made by Ball's pottery. Balls was the last of the North Eastern potteries to continue producing 'Sunderland ware' and became a repository for copper plates and moulds from both Sunderland and Tyneside potteries. Balls continued to produce 'Sunderland ware' items of varying quality into the early 20th century.
Ball's Deptford Pottery – Ship 3
This bowl has transfers unique to Ball's (eg Jack Crawford, and 'Heave O Cheerily') combined with recycled Moore/Scott transfers. See the Ball Ships page for more items with the Barque and Brig transfers.
The tapered shape of the jugs below and the slate-grey enamelling over the transfer suggest that they are later items, from Ball's Pottery.
Photo Wheeler Antiques
Ball's also made items of pink lustreware. In some cases, a spurious 'Dixon, Phillips & Co' printed mark was added, perhaps in an attempt to pass items off as being older than they were (see the last bowl below).
Ball's Deptford Pottery – Ship 5
A similar bowl to the one above, but with a spurious Dixon, Phillips & Co mark (see right below).
