Here we have part three of my Crown Ducal backstamp styles research. This section documents the
styles used from before the start of WW2 until the end of the UK restrictions on decorated pottery in 1952.
As in the previous sections, I
have numbered the backstamp styles for my own cataloguing purposes and they do
not reference the work of anyone else. Also the usual caveats apply that this is a work in progress based on observations rather than documentary evidence - of which I haven't found any of use.
Part 1 approx 1915-1929
Part 2 approx 1929-1936
http://rhead-crownducal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/crown-ducal-backstamps-part-2-mostly.html
Through the mid 1930s until around 1938 the company had a quite simple regime of using mostly printed backstamp styles according to the tableware shape range, design style or a standard stamp for their fancies. Then during the summer of 1936 more styles start to appear. I ended part 2 of the backstamp blog with a special printed style for Charlotte Rheads snow glaze tableware.
Part 1 approx 1915-1929
Part 2 approx 1929-1936
http://rhead-crownducal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/crown-ducal-backstamps-part-2-mostly.html
Through the mid 1930s until around 1938 the company had a quite simple regime of using mostly printed backstamp styles according to the tableware shape range, design style or a standard stamp for their fancies. Then during the summer of 1936 more styles start to appear. I ended part 2 of the backstamp blog with a special printed style for Charlotte Rheads snow glaze tableware.
From 1936 there were some more new
backstamp styles introduced. The plain little MADE IN ENGLAND, type 401, is
believed to have originally been created to replace the use of type 110 on
small or awkward shaped items. The company continued to use the 1920s style on
lamps and small condiment dishes up until the end of 1935 as witnessed by its
use on Charlotte Rhead patterns Orange Chain, (4100), and Tudor Rose, (4491).
From 1936 onward the lamps tend to get marked with the backstamp type 401.
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| Type 401 |
A special version of this simple backstamp, type 402, was created for mugs designed for the Coronation of Edward VIII. The short mugs have REGD. NO. 813982 and the tall mugs REGD. NO. 813982.
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| Type 402 |
Sometime in 1939 when Charlottes Persian Leaf, (5391) and Caliph, (5411), patterns are in full production there is a short period when the simple MADE IN ENGLAND, type 401, gets put on any shape of Rhead tube-lined pattern and a lot of tableware too. I have never understood why the company produced ware without their own company name or trade mark on it. WW2 was approaching so there is a strong possibility that all sorts of upheavals were occurring for businesses. Perhaps the employees who made the base mark prints joined the war effort and Richardsons just had to carry on with the staff and materials they had to hand to continue production.
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| Type 411 |
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| Type 412 |
The Empress pattern, (4746),
would be a good example of one of the earlier designs that used it, but any Avon shaped ware, typically with coloured bands, floral
transfers and printed repeating motif borders in gold are likely to have this
style. My instinct tells me that this self coloured lithograph backstamp may have been created to replace all other backstamp styles. I have seen this style used on freehand enamel tableware patterns and even Charlotte Rhead tube-lined fancies, specifically patterns 5623, 5802 and 5803. Frequently the lithograph backstamp type 411, was accompanied by the
small MADE IN ENGLAND print backstamp, type 401. When they occur together, I
name the grouping backstamp type 412 because there may be some significance of the pairing I have yet to grasp. This duplication was a very common occurrence
so there must have been a purpose for it. Perhaps the MADE IN ENGLAND
in the lithograph was too prone to damage or was just regarded as too small so
it had to be supplemented. But it appears to have ended up being predominantly used on items with lithographs in
their design, either floral borders and centres or all over chintz
patterns.
In 1938 there appears a whole new series of printed, strap and buckle versions specifically for
particular print and enamel patterns. I group these as type 421. I have seen
them on patterns Dell, (5636), Malvern, (5645), Bewdley, (5646), Delamere, (5647), Ganges, (5755), Devon, (5797), Vale, (5821), Tabor, (5963), and Andover, (5966).
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| Various examples of type 421 |
The pattern name and number often seem to be an integral part of
the backstamp print., but for some patterns the name and number are
above the trade mark and for others, below. The details of the strap and
buckle styles are all slightly different so I suppose each pattern has
its own printed backstamp style but I'm not going to create a new type
number for each pattern! Also, this series needs further study because
examples of Dell have been seen with different versions. Not all designs were given names and so there are examples that fall into the type 421 category without names or numbers in the backstamp.
So more observations and thought are needed here and for the time being I am reserving type 421 as a group container for late 1930s, (and early 1940s?), print and enamel designs. Furthermore, be aware not to confuse them with post war named print and enamel design - Type 661 shown below.
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| Type 661 |
Jumping ahead to the mid 1950s a very similar style is adopted for post war print and enamel designs like Peover, (6514), Wilmslow, (6515), Rydal, (6591) and Selby. I am inserting them here so readers are aware of the differences. The younger versions tend to be crisper in outline, (possibly commercially produced lithographs), pattern numbers are absent and there is often the text HAND COLOURED UNDERGLAZE above the crown and crest.
Back to late 1938, to recap, (refer back to part 2 of the backstamp blog for details):
- Most Charlotte Rhead tube-lined items and other fancies will be marked with type 245
- Tableware on Victory shape has type 246
- Tableware on Cotswold shape has type 247
- Tableware on Queen Anne shape has type 252 or 253
- Tableware on Avon shape will probably have the new lithograph type 411 and most likely with the addition of the type 401 MADE IN ENGLAND.
- Other tableware ranges such as Gem or Premier will likely have type 245
- Small items and awkward shapes will have type 401
- Snow glaze tableware will have type 261
- Floral print and enamel designs from Dell, 5636), onwards have their own variation of type 421
Then as we approach or begin 1939 a significant number of items get marked with only type 401. This includes a lot of Charlottes tube-lined designs particular 4016, 4491, 4921, 5391, 5411 and 5623. If my deductions are correct then this provides a neat snapshot of which Rhead patterns were popular at that time.
In early 1939 when Fruit Border, (5802) and Palermo, (5803), were introduced the company flirted with the idea of using the lithograph, type 411 on Rhead items. I have only seen 5 examples, two on 5803, one on 5802 and two on Tarragona, (5623). I don't think it worked well, perhaps the uneven mottled glazes did not suit the delicate detail of the lithograph. The supporting evidence for the timing of these backstamp changeovers is that the youngest Crown Ducal patterns seen with type 245 backstamps are Sunshine Salad Ware, (5787), Fruit Border, (5802) and Palermo, (5803).
So, in 1939 type 411/412 seems to remain the standard for mostly white glazed Avon shape, and the new print and enamel tableware patterns get individually designed printed backstamps from the type 421 style group. But it is not that simple, there is yet another group of styles that are to be found on lithograph and print and enamel tableware which like the 421 group is a work in progress for me. I name them type 415, but the details of the script letters can be different so it is a collection of similar styles. I believe they are lithographs but I can't be certain.
Examples of this style have been seen on print and enamel designs ranging from pattern 4561 to 5971 and Avon shaped tableware with white glaze with or without lithograph decoration from pattern 5055 to 5212. Such a range of patterns makes it difficult to place it in sequence especially as these patterns have been seen with other backstamps.
A new lithograph is crafted for fancies, particularly Charlotte Rhead patterns - type 461.
Type 461 is larger and simpler than type 411 and so probably has a better chance of being legible on mottled glazes. The patterns it is most likely to be found on are 5982, 5983 and 6016 which would date its use to early 1940. It has been seen on over a dozen designs on fancies, (mostly tube-lined), but this is not a common backstamp style and could not have been in use for more than a few months at most.
There are two more backstamp styles found on Crown Ducal Rhead items that have facsimile signatures, (implying they were made while Charlotte was still working for the company).
Type 471 is yet another printed strap and buckle design, it is the most common style found on Rhead items from this period of the late 30s early 40s, although I have yet to see it on a signed piece with patterns 6189, 6198 or 6353. It is most commonly found on patterns 5623, 5802, 5982, 5983 and 6016, as well as lots of earlier designs with extended production runs. A version of type 471 with the addition of the registration number for the Cotswold shape tableware defines type 472 and is presumably a replacement for type 247.
Type 465 is most common on patterns 6016 and 6189. There are quite a few examples also on 5802, 5982, 5983 and importantly, all signed examples of 6189, 6198 and 6353.
It is extremely difficult to be certain about any of this. The observations are clear that there are distinct clusters of Rhead patterns with these short lived backstamp styles, (types 401, 411, 461 and 465), and yet there is an overwhelming number of examples with the type 471 style. It is impossible to create a sequence where type 471 slots in between a pair of the other styles. I think the best explanation is that when type 245 stopped being used in early 1939, and the use of the lithograph type 411 proved impractical, the company introduced the print type 471, they dabbled with type 461 for a little while but stopped using it, reverting to 471, then tried type 465 until the government introduced the restrictions on decorated pottery and the company had to settle on one style only for all its ware, and that was yet another variation of the strap and buckle style.
This is a good time to mention a paper which helps to put in perspective what was going on in the pottery industry during the war.
It explains the rules and consequences to the Staffordshire potteries of concentrating production to a reduced number of factories in order to save materials, energy and labour as these were needed elsewhere for the war. The process was initiated in the autumn of 1941, but by the summer of 1942 they were extended to restrict the sale of decorated pottery in the home market. Some restrictions were relaxed in 1945 and subsequent years but they were not fully lifted until August 1952.
The gist of the paper with regard to A G Richardson and Co Ltd is that in 1941 the company was designated a “Nucleus Firm” by the Board of Trade. This meant it was able to continue production at its own site, (The Gordon Pottery, Tunstall), but that the work done at the Britannia Pottery in Cobridge would be moved to Tunstall. This “concentration” of the industry was a restructuring to allow people to leave the the pottery trade to work in the armed forces or industries in demand for the war effort. Decorated pottery required a lot of man-hours and energy costs for extra firing in the kilns. These were to become luxuries generally denied to the home market, but some production would continue for sale abroad in order to earn foreign currency. The domestic market would soon get used to plain, undecorated tableware.
Type 481 appears to be the general style that Richardsons used during the period of the war time pottery restrictions, (1942-1952). Type 482 is the same mark but found with the letter "B" denoting the price band for tableware. They are very similar to type 471 except that the crest plumes are slightly different and there are no pierced holes in the crown beneath the plumes.
For small and awkward shaped items of Crown Ducal produced at this time the company used a modified form of type 401 with the addition of A.G.R. which I have named type 405.
This brings to a close my review of the backstamp styles used until the ending of the WW2 pottery restrictions in 1952. Please treat all this as my best guess. There are bound to be errors and omissions.
For post 1952 productions I have not started to record what was used on tableware. It will probably be the most difficult as there are hardly any numbered patterns with which to build a reference framework for age determination. For the fancies, we know that a new style was introduced sometime between August 1952 and the beginning of 1955, here named type 501. This backstamp will be familiar to collectors of tube-lined Crown Ducal pottery that was made after the war. Particularly the pink and grey enamelled designs, 6778, 6822, 6884, 6907, 6918 and 6927. The Pink Palermo design which carries the original 5803 pattern number and later productions of Persian Rose, 4040, Green Chain, 4298 and Golden Leaves, 4921 can also be found with this backstamp. A couple of the nursery ware patterns Who Said Dinner?, 3131 and Little Boy Blue, 3133 also continued in production and have this mark.
As an end note I feel quite chuffed to have discovered a technique for confirming if a tube-lined piece of Crown Ducal was made whilst Charlotte was still at Richardsons or if it was made after she had left the company. Assuming Charlotte departed around the time when the the Board of Trade restrictions were introduced along with most of her colleagues, and the backstamp syle, (type 481), was introduced around the same time, and the backstamp is legible; then there appears to be a test to determine if an item was made whilst Charlotte was still an employee.
I have tested several examples, and apart from the legibility issue of smudgy backstamps, all those that I have seen with distinctive type 471 or 481 styles do pass the test. That is to say, age determination by backstamp type supports the results of other tests based on pattern, shape and the tube-lined markings. So collectors can remain calm, the discovery has not revealed any surprises. So hopefully all those ambiguous examples with the old AGR5 group style backstamp, without signatures, can have their age categorised with more confidence. Where it has proved to be most helpful is in the dating of nursery ware which rarely have base markings other than the backstamp. Also examples of the simpler designs like Circular Fruits, (5982), which often did not get marked by the tube-liner and remained in production throughout the war can now be dated more precisely.
I am open to being shown wrong. If you have an example of tube-lined pottery with backstamp type 481 with a facsimile Rhead signature please let me know. Similarly if you have a tube-lined piece with a type 471 and it has a pattern number greater than 6353 I would like to know.
The email address is on the rhead-crownducal.info website.
In early 1939 when Fruit Border, (5802) and Palermo, (5803), were introduced the company flirted with the idea of using the lithograph, type 411 on Rhead items. I have only seen 5 examples, two on 5803, one on 5802 and two on Tarragona, (5623). I don't think it worked well, perhaps the uneven mottled glazes did not suit the delicate detail of the lithograph. The supporting evidence for the timing of these backstamp changeovers is that the youngest Crown Ducal patterns seen with type 245 backstamps are Sunshine Salad Ware, (5787), Fruit Border, (5802) and Palermo, (5803).
So, in 1939 type 411/412 seems to remain the standard for mostly white glazed Avon shape, and the new print and enamel tableware patterns get individually designed printed backstamps from the type 421 style group. But it is not that simple, there is yet another group of styles that are to be found on lithograph and print and enamel tableware which like the 421 group is a work in progress for me. I name them type 415, but the details of the script letters can be different so it is a collection of similar styles. I believe they are lithographs but I can't be certain.
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| Various examples of type 415 |
A new lithograph is crafted for fancies, particularly Charlotte Rhead patterns - type 461.
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| Type 461 |
There are two more backstamp styles found on Crown Ducal Rhead items that have facsimile signatures, (implying they were made while Charlotte was still working for the company).
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| Type 471 |
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| Type 472 |
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| Type 465 |
Type 471 is yet another printed strap and buckle design, it is the most common style found on Rhead items from this period of the late 30s early 40s, although I have yet to see it on a signed piece with patterns 6189, 6198 or 6353. It is most commonly found on patterns 5623, 5802, 5982, 5983 and 6016, as well as lots of earlier designs with extended production runs. A version of type 471 with the addition of the registration number for the Cotswold shape tableware defines type 472 and is presumably a replacement for type 247.
Type 465 is most common on patterns 6016 and 6189. There are quite a few examples also on 5802, 5982, 5983 and importantly, all signed examples of 6189, 6198 and 6353.
It is extremely difficult to be certain about any of this. The observations are clear that there are distinct clusters of Rhead patterns with these short lived backstamp styles, (types 401, 411, 461 and 465), and yet there is an overwhelming number of examples with the type 471 style. It is impossible to create a sequence where type 471 slots in between a pair of the other styles. I think the best explanation is that when type 245 stopped being used in early 1939, and the use of the lithograph type 411 proved impractical, the company introduced the print type 471, they dabbled with type 461 for a little while but stopped using it, reverting to 471, then tried type 465 until the government introduced the restrictions on decorated pottery and the company had to settle on one style only for all its ware, and that was yet another variation of the strap and buckle style.
This is a good time to mention a paper which helps to put in perspective what was going on in the pottery industry during the war.
In the Journal of the Northern
Ceramic Society Volume 12 from 1995 there is a paper entitled Ten Plain Years: The
British Pottery Industry 1942-1952 by Kathy Niblett.
The gist of the paper with regard to A G Richardson and Co Ltd is that in 1941 the company was designated a “Nucleus Firm” by the Board of Trade. This meant it was able to continue production at its own site, (The Gordon Pottery, Tunstall), but that the work done at the Britannia Pottery in Cobridge would be moved to Tunstall. This “concentration” of the industry was a restructuring to allow people to leave the the pottery trade to work in the armed forces or industries in demand for the war effort. Decorated pottery required a lot of man-hours and energy costs for extra firing in the kilns. These were to become luxuries generally denied to the home market, but some production would continue for sale abroad in order to earn foreign currency. The domestic market would soon get used to plain, undecorated tableware.
My understanding is that the rules were strict and even a backstamp could be deemed decoration and so the company would not be using a large number of styles at this time. Each company was allotted a price band that their ware could be sold for. Richardsons price band for tableware was "B", and one can occasionally find tableware with a backstamp accompanied by the letter B. This would indicate that the ware was made during the period of price controls from June 1942 until August 1952.
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| Type 481 |
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| Type 482 |
Type 481 appears to be the general style that Richardsons used during the period of the war time pottery restrictions, (1942-1952). Type 482 is the same mark but found with the letter "B" denoting the price band for tableware. They are very similar to type 471 except that the crest plumes are slightly different and there are no pierced holes in the crown beneath the plumes.
For small and awkward shaped items of Crown Ducal produced at this time the company used a modified form of type 401 with the addition of A.G.R. which I have named type 405.
 |
| Type 405 |
For post 1952 productions I have not started to record what was used on tableware. It will probably be the most difficult as there are hardly any numbered patterns with which to build a reference framework for age determination. For the fancies, we know that a new style was introduced sometime between August 1952 and the beginning of 1955, here named type 501. This backstamp will be familiar to collectors of tube-lined Crown Ducal pottery that was made after the war. Particularly the pink and grey enamelled designs, 6778, 6822, 6884, 6907, 6918 and 6927. The Pink Palermo design which carries the original 5803 pattern number and later productions of Persian Rose, 4040, Green Chain, 4298 and Golden Leaves, 4921 can also be found with this backstamp. A couple of the nursery ware patterns Who Said Dinner?, 3131 and Little Boy Blue, 3133 also continued in production and have this mark.
 |
| Type 501 |
I have tested several examples, and apart from the legibility issue of smudgy backstamps, all those that I have seen with distinctive type 471 or 481 styles do pass the test. That is to say, age determination by backstamp type supports the results of other tests based on pattern, shape and the tube-lined markings. So collectors can remain calm, the discovery has not revealed any surprises. So hopefully all those ambiguous examples with the old AGR5 group style backstamp, without signatures, can have their age categorised with more confidence. Where it has proved to be most helpful is in the dating of nursery ware which rarely have base markings other than the backstamp. Also examples of the simpler designs like Circular Fruits, (5982), which often did not get marked by the tube-liner and remained in production throughout the war can now be dated more precisely.
I am open to being shown wrong. If you have an example of tube-lined pottery with backstamp type 481 with a facsimile Rhead signature please let me know. Similarly if you have a tube-lined piece with a type 471 and it has a pattern number greater than 6353 I would like to know.
The email address is on the rhead-crownducal.info website.
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| Left, type 471 Charlotte Rhead era - Right, type 481 post Charlotte Rhead era |