Ford & Sons






 

Location and period of operation:

Ford & Sons (Ltd)

Burslem

1893

1938

 

Earthenware manufacturer at the Lower Manufactory, Newcastle Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England
  • Thomas Ford had been involved as a pottery manufacturer with a number of partners since at least 1868, (some records give 1865). In 1893 the business of Ford & Riley closed and became Ford & Sons. 

  • The '& Sons' were Thomas Isaac and Sampson Hancock Ford. 

  • In January 1902 Thomas Ford retired and the business was continued by his two sons - the name 'Ford & Sons' was retained. 

  • The business was incorporated as Ford & Sons Ltd in 1908. Notice in the June 1908 Pottery Gazette - "Ford & Sons Ltd - Registered capital, £15,000 in £1 shares. Objects, to take over the business of earthenware manufacturers carried on by T. I. Ford and S. H. Ford, at the Lower Manufactory, Newcastle- st., Burslem, as "Ford & Sons.” The subscribers are Mr. T. I. Ford, Mrs. S. L. Ford, Mrs. M. A. Ford, Messrs. S. H. Ford, J. Robinson, A. J. Copey, and F. W. Hodgkinson." 

  • Notice in the January 1913 Pottery Gazette sumarises the will of S. H. Ford... "Mr. Sampson Hancock Ford, of Blackwood, Horton, Staffs., left estate valued at £13,248 13s. 1d., with net personalty £9,534 13s. 4d. Testator left £500 upon trust for life to his brother-in-law, John Edward Meir, then to his wife Betsy M. Meir, for life, with remainder to the United Methodist Church, called Mount Tabor, at Tunstall ; £500 upon trust for life to his sister-in-law, Sarah Jane Walters, with remainder to his niece, Dorothy Hodgkinson ; 250 shares in Ford & Sons, Ltd., Burslem, to his works manager, Joseph Robinson, in the hope that he will continue to be works manager."

  • The business was purchased in 1938 by Oswald Shufflebottom. He renamed the business Ford & Sons (Crownford) Ltd

See more on the Shufflebottom family

 

Previously: Ford & Riley

Subsequently: Ford & Sons (Crownford) Ltd


NOTE:  Crownford was a trade name introduced by Ford & Sons and continued by Ford & Sons (Crownford) Ltd - the Crownford name was continued by a later company called Crownford China Co. Ltd which was also owned by the Shufflebottom family. 

There was also an unrelated American importer called variously Crownford China and Crownford Giftware.

 

 



The London Gazette
24th January 1902
 


notice that Thomas Ford had left the business
which continued as Ford & Sons
 

 

 


 


set of jugs in the Poppies pattern 


F & Sons 
B
England

c.1893-1908
"B" stands for the town of BURSLEM 

 


 

 


Gravy boat in the transfer-ware Weir pattern 


F & Sons Ltd
Burslem
England 

"LTD" appears after 1908

 

 


 


Milford Ware - covered cheese dish 


F & S
B
England
Milford Ware 

1930's
"B" stands for the town of BURSLEM 

 


 


Imperial Windsor, hand painted bon-bon dish 


F & S
B
England
Imperial Windsor
 Ware 

1930's

 

photos courtesy: Mark Hawley

 


 

 


Sandford Ware salad dish and serving dish 


F & S
B
England
Sandford Ware 

1930's

 

 


 

 


Oxford Ware serving dish 

standard shapes were produced and decorated in the different patterns
compare this dish with the Sandford ware dish above


F & S
B
England
Oxford Ware 

1930's

 

photos courtesy: R. Rowe

 

 


 

 


Hand painted plate
Dorothy Dale
 


Genuine
Dorothy Dale
on
Crown Ford
Ware 

1930's



 

 


serving dish with lid

 


 

 


coffee pot in TULIP pattern 

 



Marks & initials used on ware for identification:

 

F & S

 

F & S
B
"B" stands for the town of BURSLEM 

 

F & S
BURSLEM

F & Sons LTD
"LTD" may appear after 1908

 


Trade names used in the 1930's

DOROTHY DALE

NEWCRAFT WARE

IMPERIAL WINDSOR WARE

 


CrownFord

Crownford Ware

Milford Ware

Oxford Ware

Sandford Ware

 Ford & Sons used a number of trade names 
with the word 'ford' in them

 


 

 


F & Sons 
B
England

this Trade Mark with the bee symbol
was used by the predecessor Ford & Riley 


F & Sons 
Burslem

 


F & Sons 
B

 

c.1893-1908

often the pattern name is included 
"B" stands for the town of BURSLEM 

 


 


F & Sons 
BURSLEM

c.1893-1908

BALMORAL is the pattern name

C.W.S. stands for the 
Co-operative Wholesale Society
who were the retailer


 


F & Sons Ltd
Burslem
England 

"LTD" appears after 1908

WEIR is the pattern name

 


 


BURSLEM  F&S  ENGLAND 


Crownford
B
URSLEM  F&S  ENGLAND 

MOORLAND is the pattern name

these marks were used from the 1930's by Ford & Sons
it was continued by Ford & Sons (Crownford) Ltd from c.1938 


 


F & S
B
England
Sandford Ware 

F & S
B
England
Milford Ware 

marks from the 1930's
"B" stands for the town of BURSLEM 

 


 


 
Crownford
F & Sons  
BURSLEM  ENGLAND 


CrownFord
Made in
England

marks from the 1930's

 


 

Vase with the mark of F & Sons Ltd of Burslem - however it is possibly a 'pass off' - produced by someone else to appear as having been made by Ford & Sons. 

   Ford and Sons used the trade name 'Crownford' - and were not recorded as using 'Cranford', also the lettering underneath the crown is not properly alligned


F & Sons Ltd
Cranford Ware
Burslem
England

photos courtesy:  Lucia Morales

 


Newcastle Street,
Burslem


Ford and Sons, earthenware manufacturers 

from: 
1907 Staffordshire Sentinel 
'Business Reference Guide to The Potteries, Newcastle & District'

 


 

 
Ford & Sons - Lower Manufactory - 1929

- click for more - 

 


Questions, comments, contributions? email: Steve Birks