John Edwards (& Co)

John Edwards	Longton/Fenton	1847	1873
John Edwards & Co	Fenton	1873	1880
John Edwards	Fenton	1880	1900

China & earthenware manufacturer at Longton and then King Street, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, England.

John Edwards operated a factory in Longton and around 1850 moved to the King Street Works in the adjacent town of Fenton. China and earthenware was produced until 1856 when only earthenware was made.
In 1861 the business employed 170 people.
At sometime John Edwards was in partnership with James Edwards (relationship uncertain), James left the partnership in January 1865.
Between 1873 and 1879 "& Co" was included in the name.
A significant part of the output was semi-porcelain and white granite for the American markets.

notice of the dissolution of the partnership between
John & James Edwards - John Edwards to carry
on the business on his own account

King Street Works

These works were established in the latter part of last century [18th C.] by Mr. Shelley, who was succeeded by Mr. Marsh, from whom they passed to Messrs. T. & J. Carey. The productions of these firms were the ordinary Rockingham ware and common classes of earthenware ; Messrs. Carey also occupying two other manufactories at Longton.

They were next held by a company, and about 1850 passed into the hands of the present proprietor, Mr. John Edwards. The goods now produced are semi-porcelain and white granite for the American markets. Until 1856 Mr. Edwards produced china in addition, but this has since then been discontinued. Mr. Edwards is patentee of a process for making thimble pins; and he also, in 1859, took out a patent for "improvements in stacking or holding biscuit, earthen, china, and glossed ware for firing" by means of "a ring frame or holder, with a rim or flange projecting inwardly, so as to occupy the whole or part of the centre of the ring."

The Ceramic Art of Great Britain - Llewellynn Jewitt. 1878

fragment bearing a John Edwards mark found in 2024 on a beach in Maine, USA.
the mark at the top shows what the full mark originally looked like

c.1880 - 90

photo courtesy: Rebecca Sellers

fragment bearing a John Edwards mark found
on the beach at North Haven Island, Maine, USA

c.1891-1900

photo courtesy: Kaitlyn Kirby

fragment bearing a John Edwards mark with the Prince of Wales feathers
found [2024] on the beach near Pocasset, Massachusetts, USA

c.1891-1900

photo courtesy: Tenny Platt

John Edwards produced significant amounts of
semi-porcelain and white granite for the American markets

Porcelaine De Terre
John Edwards
England

'Holland' is a pattern name

Porcelaine De Terre
John Edwards
England

'Medallion' is a pattern name

the registration number 269590 shows that the pattern was registered on the 22nd January 1896