Francis Morley & Co






 

Location and period of operation:

Francis Morley (& Co)

Shelton

1845

1858

 

Earthenware, and in particular decorated ironstone, manufacturer at the Broad Street Works, Shelton (Hanley), Stoke-on-Trent, England

  • In 1835 the Broad Street Works passed into the hands of William Ridgway and Francis Morley (Ridgway's son-in-law)

  • By 1845 Morley became sole owner and the business traded as F. Morley & Co. The partners were Francis Morley and Samuel Asbury.

  • As well as manufacturing in Shelton in the North Staffordshire Potteries the partnership were earthenware merchants in Philadelphia, North America.

  • 1852 Morley bought the moulds of C. J. Mason, inventor of Mason's Ironstone China. 

  • December 1852 Samuel Asbury retired from the business and Francis Morley continued on his own account.

  • In 1858 George Ashworth joined the business which became Morley & Ashworth.

 

 

Previously: Ridgway & Morley

Subsequently: Morley & Ashworth

 

 

The London Gazette
3 June 1853

 
notice that  Samuel Asbury  left the business which
was continued by Francis Morley  

 

 

Selected by the Committee for the Staffordshire Potteries 
to exhibit at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1855

 

 


Plate for the Engineeers Mess 
transfer ware plate - recovered in Feb 2016 by Graham Lockett whilst diving in Portland harbour, Dorset - the plate was part of a Royal Navy ships galley - the harbour was used by the RN for many years


F.M. & Co
Shelton

Vista is the pattern name

Shelton is the town name where 
the works were located

 

 

 


PAXTON 
F.M. & Co

PAXTON is the pattern name
 it was available in mono-chrome (grey or blue)
poly-chrome (with a small amount of colour decoration)
or full colour

 


PAXTON pattern teapot in poly-chrome 

 


PAXTON pattern in blue mono-chrome 
 (also produced in grey)
this would have been the cheapest style as it just had a transfer print in one colour
PAXTON pattern in poly-chrome 
this had the transfer print applied and then selected areas hand painted without any guilding

 
PAXTON pattern in full colour 
 this would have been the dearest style 
it had a transfer print applied and then was fully hand painted including guilding

 

 

EARLY TRANSFERWARE TEAPOT. PATTERN IS VERMICELLI  VERMICELLI F.M. & Co
Transfer ware teapot
F.M. & Co

VERMICELLI is the pattern name

this teapot shape was used with a number of different patterns
- compare with the PAXTON pattern teapot above - 

 

 


Green transferware plate in the American Marine Pattern

There were a number of patterns in the American Marine series
American Marine
F.M. & Co

 

 


a warming dish in the Japan Flowers pattern

Japan Flowers - a generic title which embraces several different floral patterns by John & William Ridgway; Ridgway, Morley, Wear & Co; Ridgway & Morley and Francis Morley & Co.

"The typical design consists mainly of flowers with a prominent vase in the foreground, all within a a border of flowers and scenic reserves."  - The dictionary of Blue & White Printed Pottery 1780-1880; Coysh & Henrywood
Japan Flowers
F.M. & Co

"The printed cartouche mark shows a ship within a shield superimposed on an anchor. The title and relevant makers' initials appear on a ribbon below" 

photos courtesy: Georgia Piper 

 


Marks used on ware for identification:

Not all ware made by Francis Morley & Co have a makers mark  some only have the pattern name, sometimes the same pattern name can be also found with a mark.

Some patterns were produced during the partnerships with Ridgway and Morley and were continued by Morley & Co and subsequently Morley & Ashworth. 

Ware for export to North America sometimes had pattern names and backstamp marks designed to appeal to the American market - such as California, American Marine and marks with the American Eagle

Marks with only the initials FM are likely to be 1853-58, the partner Samuel Asbury retired from the business in December 1852. 

Francis Morley bought many of Charles Mason’s moulds when the latter went bankrupt in 1848, and established the Broad Street factory as the producer of Mason’s famous Ironstone China. The works also continued producing earthenware. 

The Mason's Ironstone China mark was continued by Francis Morley and by sucessive companies

The Morey partnerships supplied ware to prestigious importers such as Tyndale & Mitchell in Philadelphia, US and the Stiffel Brothers in Odessa, Russia. This ware was often marked with the importers name. 

 

 

F M & Co

F MORLEY & Co

F M

REAL IRON STONE CHINA

ROYAL STONE CHINA

PATENT OPAQUE CHINA

 

 
Ironstone China

Real Ironstone China
F. Morley & Co 

this style of arms was used by  Francis Morley (& Co)
Morley & Ashworth and  G. L. Ashworth & Bros

 

 


SOBRAON 
LAKE 
AURORA 
CASHMERE 

Many designs attributed to Francis Morely & Co only have the pattern name and not a makers mark 

 

 


F.M. & Co

initials in script style
F.M. & Co

initials in print style

 

 


F.M. & Co
F.M. & Co
Shelton

Lady Peel and Vista were two popular transferware patterns 

 

 


CALIFORNIA
F M & Co 
AMERICA
F M & Co 
AMERICAN MARINE
F M & Co 

some pattern names and backstamp marks were 
designed to appeal to the American market 

 

Royal Stone China
Royal Stone China
F. Morley & Co
Shelton
Patent Opaque China
F. Morley & Co
Shelton

Typical marks with the British Royal Arms and the 'Mason's' crown mark

Shelton is the town name where the works were located

 

 


Mason's
Patent Ironstone China

In 1852 Francis Morley bought the moulds of C. J. Mason, inventor of Mason's Ironstone China
The Mason's Ironstone China mark was continued by Francis Morley and by sucessive companies

 


F Morley & Co
Real Stone China 
Real Stone China 
F Morley & Co

these Francis Morley marks, used on ironstone ware,  
incorporate the crown mark from the original Mason's mark

 

 
Flow-blue with guilding - plate in the SCROLL pattern
This pattern was also produced by the predecessor Ridgway & Morley  

 


F M 
Ridway & Morley's
Improved Granite China
Manufactured for and imported by
Tyndales's
Philadelphia

SCROLL is the pattern name

NOTE: The lower mark is that of Ridgway & Morley the upper one is that of Francis Morley. 
Francis was evidently using the existing marks of the predecessor company with the addition of his own mark.
Best Quality
Tyndale & Mitchell
No. 219 Chestnut Street
Philadela
F M & Co

ZAMARA is the pattern name

 

Both of these patterns were made by Ridgway & Morley and Francis Morely & Co
they were made for general sale and also for Tyndale.
Morley was recorded as an earthenware merchant in Philadelphia, North America 

Harold Tyndale (later his son Hector Tyndale) was an importer and retailer of china, earthenware & glass
later he was joined by E.P. Mitchell and the business becameTyndale & Mitchell Co.

 


'Real Iron-Stone China'
plates produce by F. Morley using the moulds/patterns of C.J. Mason

 


this 'Real Iron-Stone China' mark was originally used by Mason's - Morley purchase the moulds & patterns from him in 1852

Manufactured by order of Stiffel Brothers, Odessa
FM

Francis Morley produced this ware for the show rooms of the Stiffel Brothers
The mark includes the British Royal Arms

The Stiffel brothers had a show room in Odessa, Russia
from 1819 to 1858 it was a free port 

Handbook for Northern Europe, part II Finland and Russia, 1848 - page 401


Information on the Broad Street Works: 

 

- Broad Street Works - dates and description of working conditions -

- details of the Broad Street Works - 

Questions, comments, contributions? email: Steve Birks