3274 - Stitch

Tube-lining: Black
Enamels: Scarlet, orange & black
Lustres: Primrose yellow & orange
Glaze: Mottled
Frequency Ranking: 3/50
Design Date: 1933
Production Period:1934 - 1936
Pattern Name: The name would appear to be contemporary with the time of production according to Bernard Bumpus.

Charlotte Rhead Crown Ducal pattern 3274 Stitch
Pattern 3274 Stitch
 Stitch ranks as the third most common pattern, but it may actually be the most successful of Charlotte’s Crown Ducal productions. Golden Leaves, (4921), is the most common but had an extended production run that continued after World War II and was applied only to fancies. The numbers seen of Byzantine and Stitch are fairly similar, but Stitch may have had a shorter production run and included many tableware shapes which if used for their intended purpose would not have survived. Bernard Bumpus in his books quoted from a letter sent by Rose Cumberbatch, a tube-liner of the time that the quantity made was enough “to sink a boat”.

The Pottery Gazette article, (February 1935), that introduces the pattern appears a year later than the estimated design date and therefore production may have begun much later than the design date. Only about 10% of items have the period 1 backstamp style the remainder have period 2. Production continued through 1936 as witnessed by the ease of finding the pattern on shapes like 207 and 208 which date to that year. Also, there is a pictorial advertisement for Stitch in a December 1936 edition of the West Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail which would confirm its production until at least this time. The Stitch design was also applied to the art deco jug shape 228 which really only became popular with the Coronation Ware patterns. In all probability it was the necessity to move production from Stitch to restart manufacture of Coronation Ware for George VI, that would close production of this simple but successful pattern.


Some variation of design has been seen for chargers, plates and bowls. These shapes can be found with either three or four stitched panel motifs and from observations to date it appears that all examples from period 1 have four. This suggests that the popularity of the pattern encouraged some simplification of the design where the shape made this practical to expedite increased production.

Another variation is the absence of the primrose yellow lustre. In the image shown, the vases in shapes 213 and 211 have the primrose lustre whereas the shape 228 jug has only the mottle glaze and stitch decoration between the orange lustred bands. Although the primrose yellow lustre can sometimes be quite weak it is relatively easy to tell if it is present by comparing the face or sides of the item with the base. The lustre was never applied to the base so if the sides or face look more yellow and more shiny than the base then it probably does have the lustre.