The company was established in 1890 by a partnership between James Frederick Wiltshaw, W.H Robinson and J.A Robinson. It was an earthenware and pottery company known as Wiltshaw & Robinson and the factory at Copeland St. in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire was named the Carlton Works.
In spite of heavy competition, the fine quality of their goods allowed the company to prosper. However, by 1911 major disagreements between the two families resulted in the Robinsons dropping out so that ownership transferred entirely to the Wiltshaws. James Wiltshaw brought his son Frederick Cuthbert Wiltshaw into the company. Cuthbert enlisted as a fighter pilot in the First World War but returned to take over the company when James Wiltshaw was killed in an accident on a railway station at Stoke-on Trent in 1918.
Moderne cup and saucer
Single stem vase
Cuthbert Wiltshaw was to succeed in establishing the name of Wiltshaw Robinson, later to become Carlton Ware, as a top quality manufacturer for nearly the next fifty years. The Copeland Street works greatly expanded production in the 1920s and 30s. Cuthbert Wiltshaw bought the company of Birks, Rawlins and Co in 1928 with the intention to produce bone china and as a decorating shop, but the high cost of running the new site resulted in its closure in 1933.
The Japanese had become very proficient in copying good quality wares at far lower cost by the mid 1930s. Cuthbert Wiltshaw discovered a clause in the South East Asia Treaty Organisation that designs registered in Australia could not be copied by the Japanese, and he took advantage of this to register many designs in Australia to protect them often seen on the backstamps..
The Second World War stopped production of all but 'utility' wares, but after the war the company introduced new manufacturing techniques, particularly with electric ovens that greatly improved efficiency. The company again prospered and the 1950s was probably the most productive period in the Carlton Ware history. Most pieces now had the word 'Handpainted' on the backstamp, although many were not. The company changed it's name to Carlton Ware Ltd In 1958 but there were poorer times ahead due to labour problems and rising costs of fuel. Cuthbert Wiltshaw died in 1966 and the company was sold to Arthur Wood and Son in 1867. Anthony Wood, the son of Arthur Wood, took over as Managing Director. He tried to reintroduce some earlier pieces but nothing caught the public's imagination. A recession in the early 1980s saw the firms fortunes suffer further, and the company was bought by County Potteries, a holding company that already owned the James Kent works in 1987. The stated aim was to rebuild the ailing pottery industry around Stoke-on-Trent but this never eventuated. A brief production run at the James Kent works carried the name Carlton Ware, but with little success. Eventually the Receivers were called in to the Copeland Street works in 1989.
In May of 1989, John McCluskey purchased from the Receivers the Name, shape and pattern books, a quantity of moulds, and the goodwill. Production of Carlton Ware resumed in 1990, but sadly ceased again in 1992. The name then remained dormant untill 1997 when Francis Joseph acquired it together with a small number of moulds and a few pre-production models. It is a tribute to Francis Joseph and Carlton Collectors that today the name has been rejuvenated and the products being made are once again eagerly sought after.
One sad aspect to the story is the amount of material which has been lost. Patterns and shapes appear regularly which do not exist in any of the known records. Given time and a very enthusiastic Collectors Club, possibly the entire history of Carlton Ware and its pieces can be re-constructed.
Dating Carlton Ware is greatly helped by the backstamp, pattern number, shape number and registration number, some or all of which may be on the base.
Carlton Ware Pattern Numbers
1-2000 Pre 1916
2001-2700 1916-1923
2701-4000 1923-1936
4001-4500 1936-1940
4501 on Post 1940
Carlton Ware Shape Numbers
1-1000 Pre 1934
1000-1100 1934
1100-1200 1934-1935
1200-1300 1935
1300-1400 1935-1936
1400-1500 1936-1937
1500-1600 1937-1938
1600-1700 1938-1939
1700-1800 1939
1800-1900 1939-1940
1900-2000 1940-1945
2000-2100 1945-1950
2100-2200 1950-1953
2200-2300 1953-1955
2300-2400 1955-1958
2500-2600 1959-1964
2600-2700 1964-1968
2700-2800 1968
2800-2900 1968-1969
2900-3000 1969-1970
3000-3100 1970-1971
3100-3200 1971-1976
3200-3300 1976-1980
3300-3400 1980-1985
3400-3500 1985-1986
3500 on 1986-1992
For further information, “A pocket guide to Carlton Ware” by Dr Czes and Yvonne Kosniowski is recommended. The book is linked to a very useful website through the Carlton Ware Newsletter ( www.carltonware.com ) with a vast number of images to help identify the pieces.
