Some Bristol Delftware Workmen
Edward Bye was apprecticed at the Brislington pottery in 1676. He died in 1704, at the Blue Bowl inn, at Hanham. Folklore says that the inn was named after him and that he may have been the landlord. It was called the Blue Bowl between 1698 and 1704 (Bristol Evening Post 6th January 2002).
Moses Johnson
Johnson was appprenticed to Thomas Harper at Montague Close, Southwark, London, in 1679, for seven years. He subsequently took five apprentices. By 1797 he had his own pottery at Bear Garden in St. Saviour's parish, in partnership with Richard White. However, John Dwight had commenced legal action, in 1795, for infringing his stoneware patent. This would eventually ruin him. By 1715 he was in Bristol, where his son Aaron was aaprenticed to Henry Hobbs as Limekiln Lane. Was Moses working as a stoneware or delftware potter in Bristol at this time?
John Niglett was apprenticed at the Brislington pottery between 11th May 1714 and 29th November 1722. In 1734 he is described as at gallypotmaker in Redcliff Street. In 1743 he was at the Temple Backs pottery. In 1745 he was a gallypotmaker in Redcliff Pit, and as a potter in St Mary Redcliff parish in 1754. He died in 1762.
On the 14th January 1722 he married Hester Bower. There are records of that a daughter, Sarah, was baptized in 1725 and she died in 1729. The same year another daughter, Mary, also died. John and Hester took two apprentices, Joseph Watkins in 1734 and Francis Watkins in 1745. These two were brothers. Joseph became a free potter in 1781, after his marriage to Betty Waite, and in the same year is recorded as a potter in Lambeth. For Niglett to take apprentices he must have been working as a master potter somewhere, but the location is unknown.
Niglett's main fame rests with something he probably never did! There is a dish in Bristol museum and on the back is the inscription "N/J E/1733". Pountney thought that these were the initials of John and Esther (Hester) Niglett and that Niglett painted the dish. The piece shows elongated Chinese figures known in England as "long Elizas", this is from the Dutch "lange Lyzen" (long dawdlers or long stupids). Archeology has shown the pieces of this type were painted at Limekiln Lane, which has no known connection with Niglett. The dish probably has nothing to do with Niglett, or could possibly have been presented to Niglett.
John and Hester Niglett took two apprentices, the brothers Joseph (apprenticed 18 Mar 1734) and Francis (apprenticed 8 Aug 1745) Watkins. 1734 is the modern convention for the year, which would have been referred to as 1733 at the time (the same as the date of the dish). Was Niglett working as a master potter at Temple Backs, or another pottery, or did he have some sort of independent business? If the latter is true the dish may have been presented to Niglett (painted by some unknown hand) to celebrate the start of the business.
Quarman was apprenticed at the Brislington pottery in 1745, on closure of the pottery he moved to Temple Back, in 1747, to complete his apprenticeship. He later became a partner in the Isleworth (Middlesex) pottery. In 1753 he married Anne, the daughter of another Isleworth partner, Joseph Shaw. The third partner was Richard Goulding (who married another of Shore's daughters, Mary). Quarman seems to have been at Worcester, from at least 1753, as his four children were bapitized there. He came to Isleworth in 1765, and he may have been responsible for starting porcelain manufacture. He died in 1794. The pottery may have made delftware from 1757 to 1765, porcelain from 1765 to 1800 and "Welsh ware" (combed slipware) from 1800 to 1825. It closed in 1831. (Isleworth Porcelain. Anton Gabszewicz and Roderick Jellicoe. 1998).
Flower was apprenticed at the Redcliff Back pottery between 14th August 1736 and 12th March 1744. His father was a crate maker. He married Sarah Lamb in 1742, and in 1754 is listed as a potter in St Mary Redcliff parish. By 1758 he was a dealer in earthenware and had a warehouse in the Grove, in the parish of St Stephen. In 1766 he had a shop at the Head of the Quay, which would have to be taken down and set back due to the removal of Small Street gate (this was by an Act of Parliament - BRL 13344). The following year the shop closed, but business continued at the warehouse. In 1771 he is mentioned as a potter in St Leonards parish. In 1777 he opened a shop at number 5 Corn Street, next to the post office. He was selling all types of pottery and Michael Edkins probably painted a sign for the shop (cost 0.55 pounds). He died in Corn Street in 1785.
Owen was of the opinion that Flower ran a pottery, in Redcliff Street, and reproduces a sketch (after Nicholas Pocock) showing the kiln. Pountney showed that the sketch was incorrect, however, he still maintained that Flower ran a pottery. There is no evidence that he had a pottery anywhere.
Flower painted the only piece of English delftware, of which we can be sure who the decorator was. This is the "Flower Bowl" in the Robert Hall Warren Collection (no 68). It has a design taken from Bickham's "Musical Entertainer" and includes the inscription "Joseph Flower sculp. 1743". There is also a similar bowl in the Bristol collection (Britton 8.1), but it lacks the inscription. There are two other pieces probably by Joseph Flower. The first is the view of Hotwells dish (Britton 10.46), which bears the inscription "S/IF 1741/2". The design is based on an engraving by J Mynde after William Halfpenny. The second is the voyage to the Moon dish (Glaisher no 1567), which is inscribed "I.F. 1740". The V & A has the taking of Chagres dish (Archer B11), which was formerly owned by a relative of Flower. The scene is from a print by H Overton (1740). It is not inscribed. The Glaisher collection has a similar dish (no 1568). These may have been painted by Flower.
In 1756 he became a free painter due to his marriage to Elizabeth (Betty), the daughter of William James, glassmaker. The marraige probably took place on 28th April 1755. In 1764-67 he appears to have kept an alehouse (this may have been a secondary occupation). Between 1772 and 1795 he is described as a painter. He died in 1811, aged 77. With his wife he took three apprentices between 1761 and 1795. His painting business had started by 1761, as this is the earliest date in his ledger. On this death his son, William, continued the decorating business. Wm. EdKins & Sons were in business until 1916. On his death Felix Farley's Journal published the following on 27th July 1811: "Tuesday fe'nnight in his 78th year, at his house in Bridge Street, Mr. Michael Edkins, painter; whose uniform affibility and urbanity rendered him equally esteemed in life as lamented in death".
In 1859 Hugh Owen had a conversation with Michael Edkins, who was a grandson of the original Michael and an antiques dealer. He was exhibiting half-a-dozen dinner plates, one of which he presented to Owen. On the back of the plate was "E/M+B/1760", said to stand for Michael and Betty Edkins. One of these plates is now in the V & A (Archer plate B253). It has been assumed that Edkins painted the plates. In 1840 William Edkins (the son of Michael) dictated a manuscript to William Edkins Junior. Owen reproduced an extract.
'My father (Michael Edkins) was apprenticed in a manufactory in Birmingham; his master died before his apprenticeship expired, when he came to Bristol, and became acquainted with Mr Thomas Patience and the Hope family, who were delft potters, at Mr Frank's pottery on Redcliff Back; close to Messrs. Little Longmans glass-house, now (1840) Llewellyn's wharf; where he became a pot painter - that is - to ornament dishes, Flemish tiles for grates, dairies, etc., which were all, at that time, painted by hand, with pencils made by the workmen themselves, of bristles from the noses and eyelids of oxen. He followed the pot-painting till the delft pottery declined, when he became a coach and general painter. Was with Mr Moffat and Mr Simmons; both in Bristol. Was Mr Simmons right-hand-man - assisting him for instance, in such works as the bas-relief on each side of the altar-piece in Redcliff Church, where he principally painted, and he wrote the decalogue, etc. At length he pitched his tent in Bridge Street, where he did the principal part of the decorative work and coach-painting in the City and its neighborhood. He was exceedingly clever at ornamenting enamel and blue glass ware, at which he had no equal; which he principally did for Messrs. Vigor & Stevens, successors to Messrs. Little & Longman. He was a very good musician and counter-tenor singer; so much so that Mr Powell, tragedian, (who died in Bristol and was buried in the Cathedral) introduced him on stage in Bristol and Covent garden, London. He would probably have settled in the latter place, but for the dispute between Mr Powell the proprietor, and Messrs. Rutherford, Coleman, and the other proprietors; but he quitted the theatre in disgust, and then returned to his business in Bristol. Still, when the London Company came down in the summer, he and several tradesmen, -viz., Winstone, Richards, &c., (which was the custom at the time) played and sang whilst they (the London Company) were there. But he had a stronger inducement than the others, being more connected with the Theatre, as he painted the scenery, properties, &c. He had a very large family - thirty-three children.'
Hogarth was in Bristol painting the great triptych for St Mary Redcliff Church, when he noticed the sign of the Angel Inn in Redcliff Street. It was, obviously, an angel and the great painter was told it was painted by Mr Simmons of Bristol. Hogarth replied: "They need not have sent for me". From the Bristol Evening Post - 11th June 2002. Probably not true, but it does tie in with Simmons' probable painting of the altar-piece. A John Simmons was paid 3/7/0d for painting in 1764, and 6/1/6d in 1767.
Owen reproduces an enamel-glass jar and said that Edkins (the dealer) had some fine specimens of such pieces. It has since been shown that such pieces were not even made in Bristol, and certainly not painted by Edkins. It would have been good business for the grand-son to promote the pieces as having been made by his grand-father! By reference to the surviving ledger it can be shown that Edkins only did simple decoration on glass. Owen says that Thomas Patience kept the "Cross Keys" at 131 Temple Street, the inn used by potters, and that John Hope had been apprenticed to Richard Frank. Patience did keep the inn (in 1764, street number unknown), but Hope was not apprenticed to Richard Frank. Both men were stoneware, not delftware potters, although Edkins probably knew them (he painted an inn sign for Hope in 1764). Did Edkins really have 33 children? The only recorded children are a daughter Jane, who was buried on 20th August 1757; another Jane buried on 13 January 1761; a son William, who was baptized on 25th may 1764; a daughter Ann, who was baptized on 2nd May 1766; and a daughter Susannah, who was baptized on 10th May 1771. There may also have been sons called Michael and Joseph.
Did Edkins ever paint any delftware? The plates could just as easily have been presented to Michael and Betty Edkins, perhaps by Mr Simmons. If Edkins was a delftware painter in 1760, then when did he work for Moffat and Simmons, since he had his own business by at least 1761 (it could have been 1759)? Even if he did not work for Moffat or Simmons, then he still must have learnt his trade somewhere, as the painting he did was very different to delft painting. In my opinion there is insufficient evidence to say that Edkins ever painted any delftware.
See also: Michael Edkins' Ledger, Apprentices and History of the Edkins' Business.
Magnus Lundberg (or Lundberry)
In 1741 there was a Magnus Lundberg who was a delftware painter at the Rorstrand pottery, in Sweden. A bowl in the national museum, Stockholm, Sweden, which depicts the ship Magdalena Dorothea is dated 1757, and on the base is inscribed Magnus Lundberg. Bowls and plates inscribed with the names of ships were commonly made at Liverpool and less commonly at Bristol. He has been credited with introducing the bianco-sopra-bianco into English delftware, although there is no direct evidence.
A Magnus Lundberg appears in Bristol in 1746 and in the following year was paying land tax on a property on the 'Backside of the (Queens) Square' (this last part is not in Jackson and Price). He had property in that street until 1771, including a separate warehouse (1760-64). By 1750 he was a dealer in pottery, based in Bristol, with a warehouse near the Corn Market, behind Queens Square. An advert in the Bristol Weekly Intelligencer on 21st April 1750 said he was selling "Blue and white earthenware, stoneware, North Country ware (presumably Staffordshire), &c". He had an account with Wedgwood, to purchase pottery, between 1764 and 1769. In 1767 and 1770 he is mentioned as being in charge at the Redcliff Back pottery (the first of these accounts mentions that he was a Swede). In 1770 he is again referred to as a dealer. He died in 1780. There is nothing to link this person with the Swedish delftware painter, he could be a different person. It is not certain that he inroduced bianco-sopra-bianco, since it seems to appear in Lambeth before Bristol, and there is no evidence that he was ever in Lambeth. It could be that the Lambeth piece dated 1747 was actually made in Bristol, in which case he could have introduced bianco-sopra-bianco!
There was a son, also called Magnus, who was baptized in 1746, and in 1771 he is described as a potter in St Nicholas parish. He also became a quaker, for the quaker registers show that an infant called Andrew Lundberry, the son of Magnus and Catherine, was buried in 1781. By 1780 he was an auctioneer and by 1787 an accountant. Magnus I appears to have had two other sons, Captain Andrew Lundberry and Captain Michael Lundberry. It seems that Lundberg was pronounced Lundberry in Swedish, which accounts for the change of name.