|
1774. A firm for the manufacture of pottery was established by Job Ridgway.
1802. Job Ridgway built a factory at Cauldon Place at Hanley in Staffordshire.
1808. Job’s two sons John and William had joined the firm which then became known as Ridgway and Sons, then J & W Ridgway when Job died and later John Ridgway & Co.
1821. Bone china of excellent quality was introduced. John Ridgway became Potter to the Queen Victoria. He sold out his interest in 1858 and died two years later.
1856. For two years the firm became John Ridgway Bates & Co. (1856-1858) then Bates, Brown-Westhead & Moore for two years (1859-1861) and then Brown-Westhead, Moore and Co. for the next 42 years (1862-1904). The initials for these various firms formed the backstamps for those times. The crown in the backstamp was introduced in 1891.
1905. The firm became Cauldon Ltd.
1920. The name again changed to Cauldon Potteries Ltd.
1930. The previous appointment to Queen Victoria allowed the firm to be known as Royal Cauldon and this was used in the backstamp from that time.
1962. The firm was divided. The porcelain side was continued by E.W. Brain & Co. Ltd., now Coalport in turn part of the Wedgwood group. Cauldon Potteries Ltd. was acquired by Pountney & Co. Ltd. of Bristol but this business failed in 1977. Pourtneys considered that they could trace their origins to 1652 so that pieces marked Royal Cauldon, Est 1652 or that contained Bristol in the backstamp were made between.1963 and 1977.
1885. The name Cauldon Potteries Ltd. was re-established by the Perkes Ceramic Group of the Kingston & Ferrybridge Potteries in Yorkshire.
Backstamps
The earlier pieces had the name or appropriate initials:
I RIDGWAY 1802-1808
RIDGWAY & SONS 1808-1813
J & W RIDGWAY 1814-1830
J & WR 1814-1830
JWR 1814-1830
JR or IR or JOHN RIDGWAY 1830-1841
JR & Co. 1841-1855
Brown-Westhead, Moore and Co. marks from 1862 to 1904 and Cauldon marks subsequent to 1902 include:
|
