History of Swan Bank Pottery

History of Swan Bank Pottery

Phase 1 A farm owned by John Mollatt or W. Blackely.

Phase 2 (1749) Possibly sold by John Mollatt to John Wedgwood of the big house Burslem.

Subsequent phases/possible sequences:

Josiah Wood	1783-89 Note 1
	1789-93 Owned by Ralph Wedgwood
John Gilbert	1793-1803 Note 2
Daniel Steel	1804-1809 Let by John Gilbert.
William Bathwell	c1810-c1819
Henshaw and Smith	1815 Sub let by Bathwell.
T and E Bathwell	1818 Sub let by Bathwell to his sons Thomas and Elijah.
William Barker	1820 Sub let by Bathwells.
George Vernon	1822 Sub let by Bathwells.
Enoch Wood and Sons	1826 Sub let by Bathwells.
Thomas Edwards	1838-(46?)
Thomas Pinder	1849-51
Beech, Hancock & Co.	1851-54
Hancock,Leigh & Co.	1860-61
Messrs. Hancock,
Whitingham and Hancock	1863-1873
Messrs. Tundley, Rhodes &
Pinder or Proctor	1875-1880
Messrs. Beech and Hancock	1881-5
Keeling and Co.	1887-1888
Samuel Johnson	1892 Note 3

Demolished Late 19th Century.

Thanks to Les Higgins and Rodney Hampson for providing the information on which the above is based.

Note 1: Bailey’s Directory 1784 states he made “fine black, glazed, variegated and cream coloured ware and blue”

Note 2: J. Allbut Directory of Staffordshire Potteries 1802, site number 41. Plus Auction catalogue 16th and 17th May 1803 (Enoch Wood I scrap book (Potteries Museum) which suggests that Gilbert made engine turned ware, shell edged ware, twig baskets, Bath and Royal shaped plates etc.

Note 3: Samuel Johnson made Rockingham and jet at Newport street and swan square. The excavations suggest the last pottery manufactured was almost entirely Rockingham ware teapots.