Joshua Heath






 

Location and period of operation:

Joshua Heath

Hanley

c.1770

c.1800

(See sources)

Earthenware and creamware manufacturer in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent

  • Heath was one of the earliest producers of blue-printed wares, many of which were based on Chinese designs.

  • In 1770 Joshua Heath joined with other manufacturers to agree the lowest selling price. 

  • In 1784 a Joshua Heath was one of the attendees at the second festival of the newly formed Hanley Corporation at the Swan Inn. 

 


sauce boat in the V&A collection and attributed to  Joshua Heath


Joshua Heath - Willow pattern plate
transfer printed in underglaze blue - typical of J Heath ware

 



early earthenware - large cheese dish - possibly by Joshua Heath
marked with the impressed initials IH 

 

Marks used on ware for identification:

 


impressed mark IH
on the cheese dish shown above 


impressed mark IH
on the willow pattern plate shown above

the impressed number 3 may
refer to the plate size 

 

IH

HEATH

impressed marks of the initials I.H.
or the name HEATH

 

NOTE: there were other J Heaths (John or Joseph)
working in Stoke-on-Trent in the first half of
the 19th century


The traditional attribution of this mark to Joshua Heath has been questioned - the manufacturer is thought by some to be that of John Harrison of Stoke, a potter who is listed in Bailey’s Directories of 1781 and 1783 - the factory survived until the early 19th century.

See ‘Attribution of the ‘IH’ Mark’ by Roger Pomfret, Transferware Collectors Club Bulletin Summer 2008 Vol.IX No.3 pp 4-5,

 

Questions/comments/contributions? email: Steve Birks