Ware Suppliers
Suppliers of white ware to Gray’s Pottery
Gray’s Pottery didn’t actually make pots. It was a decorating company, buying so-called ‘white ware’ from various manufacturers, a common practice in the Staffordshire Potteries, even today.
Typically, large companies producing high volumes of pots often have excess capacity throughout the manufacturing process: if, for example, you want 1000 perfect pots in the final decorated & fired stage, then you may have to produce 1050 in the first part of the process ie the clay or green stage. There is likely to be a fall-out of fully acceptable items at each stage: after the first firing (called the ‘biscuit’ stage), after the second firing (the ‘glost’ stage) and after any subsequent firings relating to on-glaze decoration. You may finish-up with 1050 perfect pots, but such perfection is most unlikely.
These manufacturers therefore have the opportunity to sell any ‘excess’ pots created during their production processes. Typically, they will be glazed rather than unglazed and usually white in colour. Hence, the term ‘white ware’.
Inevitably, some white ware suppliers were contracted specifically to supply regular quantities of pots to decorating companies, as a normal part of their business: this was the case between Gray’s Pottery and the earthenware manufacturer Johnson Brothers of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent. Anecdotal evidence tells us that AE Gray was exceedingly fastidious in the selection of his white ware and would return any product that didn’t come up to his exacting standards. Woe betide any supplier that tried to palm off any less-than-perfect cup or plate which had discrete imperfections!
Known Suppliers
The list which follows has been created by deducing the ‘understamps’ beneath Gray’s Pottery backstamps and by looking at manufacturers’ shapes in their advertisements and trade literature. Note that primary source information is scant in respect of the vast majority of the suppliers.
Where possible, both the original maker’s mark and the overstamped Gray’s mark are shown.
We are indebted to Geoffrey A Godden and his major tome Encyclopaedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks, (Herbert Jenkins, 1964 & 1991), for various information and images included in the list.
Dates shown after the company’s name in the left-hand column are those of that company’s existence and is sometimes an estimation.
Major Suppliers
| Company and/or brand | Backstamp/s |
|---|---|
| Bishop & Stonier, Hanley, 1891-1939 A major supplier of both earthenware and bone china to Gray’s Pottery during the early years of Gray’s existence – probably up until the late 1920s. |  |
| Johnson Brothers, Hanley, 1883-2015 (part of the Wedgwood Group from 1968) As the largest supplier of white ware to Gray’s Pottery, from the mid-1920s through until the late 1950s, a wide range of Johnson backstamps can be found on Gray’s products. Typically, a Johnson’s backstamp comprises:
Shape references
Body colour references
Small hollowware, such as cups and coffee cans, usually has an impressed mark which will be JOHNSON BROS and/or ENGLAND The following letter was sent to AE Gray by Sir Ernest Johnson (1881-1962), a second-generation MD of the Johnson Brothers company, absorbed into the Wedgwood Group in 1968. He was expressing his feelings on the association between Gray's Pottery and his company, an association marked by the gift of a 'fruit centre piece of exquisite design and decoration'.  |      Jeanne Morgan Zarucchi offers an interesting idea regarding this name in her book The Material Culture of Tableware (Bloomsbury, 2018) It is a combination of the two words Parian and Belleek   Image courtesy Ebay seller cornwallhospicecare1. |
| Kirkland & Co, Etruria, 1892-1938 Kirklands (Etruria) Ltd, Etruria, 1938-c.1970 AE Gray purchased an interest in Kirklands pottery in 1936 and a new company Kirklands (Etruria) Ltd was created in 1938. It is likely that Gray’s used Kirklands pots from the mid-to-late 1930s until the late-1940s, after which the company closed. Probably all items in the undecorated and matt classification were made at Kirklands, specifically for Gray’s Pottery and, as such, have no manufacturer’s mark. See the pattern A3702 for an example of a 1937/8 Gray’s catalogue page with various ‘plain’ shapes illustrated. |   |
| Lancaster & Sons, Hanley, 1900-1944 Lancaster & Sandland, Hanley, 1944-1968 Sam Talbot, Gray’s Art Director from about early 1930, left in 1959 and joined Lancaster & Sandland where he then appears to have created similar lustre designs to those which he had been creating at Gray’s Pottery. Lancaster was a significant white ware supplier to Gray’s Pottery, probably from about 1923 until the 1950s. ‘Thousands’ of their Paris jugs Examples must have been supplied during the 1920s and 1930s. They range in size from just over a ¼ pint (150ml) to more than two pints (1200ml). Similarly, thousands of so-called Castle jugs, in three sizes, were supplied by Lancaster & Sandland to Gray’s Pottery from the late 1940s through into the 1950s. Almost 200 different designs have been recorded on these jugs. During and post-Second World War, the British government introduced regulations regarding the prices that could be charged for decorated pottery. Manufacturers were obliged to add a letter or letters to their backstamps to indicate the regulation group in which they had been placed. For Lancaster/Lancaster & Sandland it was the single letter ‘A’ under both the 1942 and 1945 groupings. This helps in dating pots of the period. |    |
| Wood & Sons, Burslem, 1865-2003 HJ Wood, Burslem, 1884-1990s It appears that Wood supplied a range of earthenware shapes to Gray’s Pottery in the 1920s and 30s. Often they had a honey glaze, rather than a white or clear glaze: see patterns 7956 and 8744 for comparison examples. When Susie Cooper left Gray’s Pottery in 1929 to set-up her own business, she continued an association with Wood by buying her own designed shapes from that company. In the mid-1920s at Gray’s, she was a young, highly-competent designer, on the cusp of a long and successful career, but she became frustrated at having to use bought-in shapes on which to apply her designs. She wanted to design the entire pot and so the off-the-shelf products of assorted white ware didn’t quite fit the bill in her desire for perfection. The range of Wood marks shown here, used in just the 1920s and 1930s, is a testament to the complications inherent in buying shapes from external suppliers. |   LH image courtesy Ebay seller robinhor.  RH image courtesy Ebay seller meridiangallery.  Image courtesy Ebay seller gorlett.  LH image courtesy Ebay seller woodym392.  |
Minor Suppliers
| Company and/or brand | Backstamp/s |
|---|---|
| William Adams & Sons (Potters), Tunstall, 1769-late 1990s (part of the Wedgwood Group from 1968). Gray’s Pottery seemed to have purchased Adams’ white ware post-Second World War, probably in the 1950s. |   |
| W Baker & Co, Fenton, 1839-1932 |  Image courtesy A-M den Brave-l’Ami. |
| Birks Rawlins & Co, Vine Pottery, Stoke-upon-Trent, 1894-1934 Gray's Pottery produced a range of small bone china souvenir items in the first few years of the company's existence, up to 1913. They can be classified into two groups: ● towns and/or buildings (9 examples to date); ● football clubs (see the Named Patterns section - Sports China). Over 50 examples have been recorded to January 2022. Although none of the items recorded so far has a maker's understamp, many of the shapes can be attributed to the Vine Pottery, thanks to the comparisons possible by consulting Peter Goodfellow's book The Vine Pottery, Antique Collectors' Club, 2006. |  L to R: see Goodfellow's Colour Plates 524, 283, 288, 473 and 343. |
| Joseph Bourne & Son, Denby, 1809-date (now known as Denby Pottery) Gray’s Pottery offered various items in a heavy stoneware body from the early 1930s through into the 1950s. The pots ranged from useful ware such as jugs, storage jars and casseroles to decorative items such as vases and bowls. Two Derbyshire potters, Bourne (Denby) and Pearson (Chesterfield), are known to have been suppliers of this type of white ware but there is no documentation extant which may give a clue as to what it was. Casserole dishes with a Denby mark (see right) have been recorded but these represent just a couple of examples out of a wide range of unmarked stoneware decorated by Gray’s (see the examples for pattern A1191). See patterns A9167 and A9168 for known Denby white ware examples. |   |
| Sampson Bridgwood & Son, Longton, 1805-1984 This company is the foundation for what is today Churchill China. Research suggests that Gray’s Pottery purchased Bridgwood white ware in the early period of the company’s existence, probably up to 1930. |  |
| Campbell Tile Co, Stoke-upon-Trent, 1882-1986 Several single tiles with designs of the 1950s have been recorded, items that are expected to have been used as teapot stands, perhaps set-in a metal or wooden frame. |  |
| Collingwood Brothers, Longton, 1887-1957 A bone china manufacturer. Gray’s Pottery used relatively small amounts of bone china (as opposed to earthenware or stoneware). |   |
| Crown Staffordshire Porcelain Co, Fenton, 1889-1985 A bone china manufacturer. Gray’s Pottery used relatively small amounts of bone china (as opposed to earthenware or stoneware). Research suggests that Gray’s used Crown Staffordshire white bone china in the 1940s and 1950s. |  |
| Dudson Brothers, Hanley, 1898-2019 The pots supplied to Gray’s Pottery, seemingly in very small volume, are of a tough stoneware body. The range of Gray’s products so far recorded is both small and rather unusual and probably covers the period from 1929 to the 1950s (see image 1 and image 2). |   |
| Edwards & Brown, Duchess China, Longton, 1882-1933 A bone china manufacturer. Gray’s Pottery used relatively small amounts of bone china (as opposed to earthenware or stoneware). Research suggests that Gray’s used Duchess white bone china in the mid-to-late 1920s. See patterns 7103, 7110, 7614, 7698 and 7713 for examples of the Duchess Argyle shape. |   |
| S Fielding & Co, Crown Devon, Stoke-upon-Trent, 1870s-1982 It is believed that this factory, close to Gray’s Pottery in Whieldon Road, supplied some earthenware white ware. This may have been the result of Robin Gray’s involvement with Fielding on a technical level. No pots have yet been recorded with both Gray’s & Fielding’s marks. | |
| Futura Art Pottery, Hanley, 1947-56 (the company may have started a few years earlier) Gray’s Pottery produced three different versions of a ‘breakfast-in-bed’ set – a tea tray for one, from 1940 through into the mid-1950s. Two of the trays on which the individual items sat were made by Futura. This is the only known white ware supplied by that company, with the exception of a ‘plain’ tray (without any indentations – example). See the tray examples at the end of this section: note that the individual pots (teapot, cup, toast-rack etc) were white ware items from other manufacturers such as Johnson Brothers and Royal Winton. |  |
| TG Green & Co, Church Gresley, 1864-2007 Only one item has been recorded with a Gray’s backstamp of any sort – see image at right. |  |
| Grimwades, Hanley, 1900-1970s (includes Royal Winton brand) |  RH image courtesy Ebay seller adptra_11.   |
| WH Grindley & Co, Tunstall, 1891-1991 |   |
| E Hughes & Co, Opal China Works, Atlas Street, Fenton, 1889-1953 (also known under the trade name Paladin China) A bone china manufacturer. Gray’s Pottery used relatively small amounts of bone china (as opposed to earthenware or stoneware). No Gray’s pot has yet been found with a Hughes understamp. The reasons for including the company here is because (a) Robin Gray confirmed it was a supplier and (b) there are a few trade magazine illustrations which show Hughes shapes and which are known shapes used by Gray’s Pottery: | |
| George Jones & Sons, Crescent Pottery, Stoke-upon-Trent, 1907-1957 |  |
| Kirkham, Stoke-upon-Trent, 1862-1961 AE Gray & Co Ltd and Kirkhams Ltd were combined in 1961 as reported in the Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review in February of that year. The two companies had been working together for several years and, with the influence of Susan Williams-Ellis towards the end of the 1950s, it is likely that new shapes were being made at the London Road works for use by Gray's Pottery. The Gray's backstamp shown, Clipper N6, is on a 1953 Queen Elizabeth II coronation mug. |  According to Godden, this mark was in use from 1952-61. |
| Alfred Meakin, Tunstall, 1875-1976 |  According to Godden, this mark was in use from 1907. RH image courtesy Ebay seller debrookesceramics |
| Pearson & Co, Chesterfield, c.1805-c.1994 Note there was a number of Derbyshire potteries, including some named Pearson. It is not known which of these was a supplier of white ware to Gray’s Pottery. No Gray’s item has yet been found with any form of Pearson understamp. Gray’s Pottery offered various items in a heavy stoneware body from the early 1930s through into the 1950s. The pots ranged from useful ware such as jugs, storage jars and casseroles to decorative items such as vases and bowls. Two Derbyshire potters, Bourne (Denby) and Pearson (Chesterfield), are known to have been suppliers of this type of white ware but there is no documentation extant which may give a clue as to what it was. Casserole dishes with a Denby mark (see Denby above) have been recorded but these represent just a couple of examples out of a wide range of unmarked stoneware decorated by Gray’s (see the examples for pattern A1191). | |
| RH & SL Plant, Tuscan, Longton, 1891-1971 The only known product supplied by this company is the bone china coffee ware for Portmeirion designs in the late-1950s/early 60s. | |
| Sylvan Pottery, Hanley, 1946-1985 The only known product supplied by this company is a puzzle jug, used uniquely for Gray’s pattern A9010. |  |
| JH Weatherby & Sons, Falcon Ware, Hanley, 1891-c.2000 |  |
| F Winkle & Co, Whieldon Ware, Stoke-upon-Trent, 1890-1931. It is believed that the factory, ‘on the other side of the canal’ to Gray’s Pottery in Whieldon Road, supplied some earthenware white ware in the 1930s but the information is anecdotal. No pots have yet been recorded with both Gray’s & Winkle’s marks. |
Other manufacturers’ names have also been recorded during conversations with Gray’s employees in the 1980s and 1990s. No Gray’s pot with these understamps has yet come to light (May 2020):
- Burgess & Leigh, Burleigh Ware, Middleport, 1851-date. Note that in 1941 Kirklands (see entry above) was concentrated, ie production moved to, Burgess & Leigh for the duration of the war under 1941 government regulations. Because Gray’s Pottery bought Kirklands white ware at this time, it is likely that it was made, but probably never marked, by Burgess & Leigh.
- J Lockett & Co, Longton, 1882-1960
- Palissy Pottery, Longton, 1946-1989
Futura
Breakfast-in-bed sets, also called bachelor sets, solitaire sets and, simply, breakfast sets, comprise a tray with a set of tea/coffee ware for one person. Gray’s Pottery appears to have introduced them in 1940, decorated with established patterns, and continued until about the mid-1950s. A tray with pattern A767 (a 1932 design) is the first recorded, the last with pattern D509 (1956). The London retailer Heal & Son illustrates a set in its 1942 catalogue, probably Gray’s silver lustre pattern A7507.
Three different trays were used:
- the first, octagonal, was probably supplied by Royal Winton, the company that seems to have started the fashion for these sets. The set comprised teapot, cup, milk jug, sugar bowl and toast-rack: it is thought that all these items were made by Royal Winton. This tray was used from 1940-44, based on the majority of recorded pattern numbers.
- the second trays, spherical, were made by Futura Art Pottery and came in two types. The items on the trays were made by different manufacturers, in particular Johnson Brothers. These trays were in use from the early 1940s:
- one with four indentations, for tea or coffee pot, cup, milk jug, sugar bowl
- and the other with five, for tea pot, cup, milk jug, sugar bowl and toast-rack.
