Cauldon Potteries Ltd

China and earthenware manufacturer Stoke-on-Trent, England.

Originally at the Cauldon Place Works, Shelton (Hanley) and then from 1935 at the Crescent Pottery, Stoke.
The previous pottery company Cauldon (Brown-Westhead, Moore & Co.) had been in financial dificulties for some years
In 1920 the company was placed in receivership andwas brought out of administration by Harold Taylor Robinson and his new company was called Cauldon Potteries Ltd.
Robinson used Cauldon Potteries Ltd as the base for his expanding pottery empire - J. A. Robinson & Sons Ltd and its many subsidiary companies were merged into Cauldon Potteries Ltd - this was followed by the acquisition of Coalport China (John Rose & Co.) Ltd in 1924.
In 1926 Coalport China moved its production from Shropshire to join the Cauldon Potteries at the Cauldon Works in Shelton, Hanley.
Robinson’s businesses, especially those exporting to North America suffered from the effects of the Great Depression and in 1932 Cauldon Potteries Ltd was placed in receivership. The Cauldon Potteries Ltd assets were sold and Cauldon Potteries Ltd and its Coalport subsidiary were acquired by Harrison & Son (Hanley) Ltd.
In 1935 the Harrisons consolidated their pottery interests at their George Jones & Sons Ltd (Crescent China) works in Stoke and the three firms (George Jones, Cauldon and Coalport) operated as a group although maintaining their separate identities.
In 1958 the fine china operations of the group, primarily Coalport but including parts of the Cauldon Potteries Ltd and George Jones businesses were sold to E. Brain & Co. Ltd.
By 1962, the remaining earthenware business trading as Cauldon Potteries Ltd was in liquidation and the name and goodwill was acquired by Pountney & Co. Ltd of Bristol.

Cresent Potteries for China and Earthenware
The CoalportChina Co Ltd
Cauldon Potteries Ltd
George Jones & Sons Ltd

The crown device was first introduced by Brown-Westhead, Moore & Co (previous owners of the Cauldon works), and was used by subsequent owners.

Some former marks from Cauldon Ltd were continued after 1920 and so it is difficult to date these type of marks with any certainty.

Why is some of the Cauldon ware marked "Est 1774"?

First fact: Cauldon Potteries Ltd were established in 1920 and their predecessors, Cauldon Ltd were in operation from 1905-1920.
Second fact: The factory "Cauldon Works" was built in 1802 by Job Ridgway.

Therefore by no stretch of the imagination was the firm "Cauldon Ltd" or "Cauldon Potteries Ltd"; or indeed the buildings it occupied established in 1774!!

However potters were very fond of working back to find the earliest date they possibly could to incorporate in their back stamp.

Job Ridgway built the works in 1802 and his father (Ralph Ridgway) was a potter and it is likely that the date "1774" has some connection with Ralph Ridgway.

Royal Cauldon

the style "Royal Cauldon" was adopted c.1930 onwards

ware marked "Cauldon, Est 1774" was made c.1920-1930
ware marked "Royal Cauldon, Est 1774" was made c.1930-1962

Royal Cauldon "Est 1652"

This date appears after 1962 when Pountney & Co. Ltd. of Bristol aquired the name and goodwill of Cauldon Potteries Ltd.

The Cauldon Place works

Cauldon Potteries operated at the Cauldon Place Works
from 1920 to 1935

- click for more on Cauldon Place Works -

The Crescent Potteries

Cauldon Potteries operated at the Crescent
from 1935 to 1962

- click for more on Crescent Potteries -

The history of the use of the Cauldon name is complex, much of the following information
originates, with permission, from the excellent book
'Handbook of British Pottery Manufacturers 1900-2010' by Michael Perry

Royal Cauldon "Est 1652"

In 1962 Pountney & Co. Ltd. of Bristol took the business of Cauldon Potteries Ltd and incorporated the business into their existing factories at Bristol (and in 1969 in Cornwell). Pountney continued with the crown device and the name "Royal Cauldon" and used it on their ware.

In the same way that Cauldon Potteries Ltd used "est 1774" - even though it was not true; Pountney claimed to be able to trace their Bristol factory origins back to 1652. (although at various times they claimed an established date as 1750 and also 1683). They did not start to use the "Est 1652" claim until c.1945.

The fact of the matter is that some pottery fragments were found which bore the date 1652 and 1653 - these fragments were evidence of a previous works which had been built over and was later occupied by Pountney. So there were no family or business connections with this previous works - just a location.

So the claim "Englands Oldest Pottery Est 1652" was fanciful in the extreme; and the original Cauldon works had no physical connection with Bristol - the Cauldon Works were established in 1802 some 150 miles away in Stoke-on-Trent.

see a 1956 article on Pountney & Co. Ltd.

Cauldon Potters Ltd Bristol (1962-69)

During the later part of 1962 the business of Cauldon Potteries Ltd. was acquired by Pountney & Co. Ltd. of Bristol and the business moved to their existing factory in Bristol as Cauldon Potters Ltd.
Pountney & Co. produced some 19th century Couldon patterns under the 'Royal Cauldon' trade name.
In 1969 the Bristol works were closed and production moved to Redruth in Cornwall.
The new company used the name Cauldon Bristol Potteries Ltd.

Cauldon Potters Ltd. used the trade name 'Royal Cauldon' and produced ware using some of the
traditional 19th century Cauldon patterns.

Cauldon Bristol Potteries Ltd Redruth, Cornwall (1969-c.1974)

The move to Redruth was completed in December 1969. Cauldon Bristol Potteries Ltd. was the name adopted for the merged operations of Poutney & Co. Ltd. and its subsidiary Cauldon Potters Ltd.
In early 1972, following financial difficulties the company was acquired by A. G. Richardson & Co.
In 1974 Richardson was sold to Enoch Wedgwood (Tunstall) Ltd.

Cauldon Bristol Potteries Ltd. used the trade name 'Royal Cauldon' and 'Bristol' hotelware.

T. Brown & Sons Ltd. Knottingley, Yorkshire

T. Brown & Sons Ltd. were a manufacturer of general utilitarian domestic earthenware at the Ferrybbridge Pottery, Knottingley, Yorkshire.
It appears that in the mid-to-late 1970s the purchased the rights to the 'Royal Cauldon' name from Enoch Wedgewood (Tunstall) Ltd.
It is unsure whether they produced ware with the Royal Cauldon name.
In 1984 the Ferrybridge Pottery and the name 'Royal Cauldon' was sold to the Kingston Pottery. Unfortunately production and financial difficulties caused the business to close in 1985.

Cauldon Potteries Ltd Knottingley, Yorkshire (c.1984-c.2007 )

In February 1986 Mason Cash acquired Cauldon Potteries.
It is known that a company by the name Cauldon Potteries Ltd. (or Royal Cauldon Potteries Ltd.) operated at Pottery Lane, Knottingley, Yorkshire.
In 2007 the Mason Cash brand (by now owned by The Tabletop Company) was acquired by the Rayware Group. The use of the Cauldon name apears to have ceased prior to this.