Bradley, originally a village in the Manor of Sedgley, England, is in the Bilston East ward of the City of Wolverhampton.(Wikipedia). It is about one mile from the centre of Bilston. In the 19th century it was in South Staffordshire, but is now West Midlands.
There were potteries in both Bradley and Bilston and the following information is mostly derived from Bilston & Bradley Potteries by Frank Sharman most recently posted on the Black Country Memories Club website (Memories of Industry). They are not mentioned by Jewitt (1) Godden (2) mentions the Bilston Pottery but not Bradley
See maps at bottom of this page.
In his History of Bilston (published in 1893) G. T. Lawley has a short passage (at.p.261) in which he deals with "The Pottery Trade". He says:
"At Mount Pleasant a large Pottery was established a few years ago, where all kinds of Pottery and Art Ware are manufactured. The business which is carried on under the name of the Myatt Pottery Co, was originally located at Bradley in the township, where it was for more than half a century in the hands of the Myatt family. On its removal to Bilston a superior class of articles was manufactured and now some very beautiful art works can be obtained, worthy of being placed in the drawing room or boudoir. Messrs. G. B. & D. Thorneycroft are now the proprietors.
"The Bradley pottery is one of the oldest in the district, having been erected more than a century ago by Wilkinson, the great ironmaster, and has been carried on in succession by Jackson, Myatt & Wild, Myatt, Bew, and at the present time by Messrs A. Turner & Sons, who make a large variety of Salt Glazed Stone Ware for chemical and domestic use, Bristol Glazed Bottles, Jars, Rockingham Tea Pots, Yellow Ware, Garden Pots, Porous Cells, &c.."
Bradley Pottery chronology
- Founded about 1790 by Wilkinson (iron mad) G.T. Lawley (see above)
- Pigot 1818-20 William Starson (Stinson?) potter Bradley
- 1827 John Wilde & Son, manufacturers of black ware, Bradley Pottery
- 1831 & 1834 White. Myatt Benj (yellow) Bradley, Myatt George, (blue and white) Shropshire Row, Wilde Jno & Son (coarse black) Bradley
- 1833 Bridgen: Myatt, George, manufacturer of brown and yellow earthenware, Pothouse Bridge, Myatt, Benjamin, manufacturer of brown and yellow earthenware, canal side, Bradley
- 1835 Pigot: Myatt Benjamin (yellow) Bradley, Myatt George (yellow) Pothouse Bridge, Bradley, Wilde John & Son (black and stone)
- 1845 PO: Bew, Robert, manufacturer of stone and yellow ware, Bradley Potteries3
- 1847 PO: Bew, Robert, manufacturer of stone and cane ware, Bradley Potteries
- 1851 PO: Bew, Robert, manufacturer of stone and yellow ware, Bradley Potteries
- 1851 Slater: Myatt, John, Bradley Potteries, Turner, Alexander, (and stone), Bradley Potteries
- 1868 Jones: Myatt, John, Rockingham teapot and yellow ware manufacturer, Bradley Pottery
- 1876 Kelly: Myatt John & Sons, potters, Bradley
- 1889/90 Hulley: Turner, Alexander and Sons, manufacturers of rockingham tea pots, and every description of yellow and stoneware, Bradley Pottery.
- 1892 Kelly: Turner, Alexander and Son, earthenware and stoneware manufacturer, Bradley
- 1904 Kelly: Alex. Turner & Son, earth
- Note 1 Llewellynn Jewitt, The Ceramic Art of Great Britain, 1877, extended 1883
- Note 2 Geoffrey A. Godden Encyclopaedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks 1964
- Note 3 Robert Bew (Pharmacist) appears to have been the owner of the Bradley Pottery at this time although it was probably managed by the Myatts.
Maps of Bradley Town and Pottery (Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of Scotland)
Maps - 25" to the mile - published 1887
