George Jones (& Co)

George Jones & Sons Ltd






 

Location and period of operation:

George Jones & Co

Stoke

1861

1873

George Jones & Sons Ltd

Stoke

1873

1957

 


Manufacturer of earthenware, majolica and china ware at Stoke, Stoke-on-Trent 
  • At the age of 14 George Jones started a seven year apprenticeship with Minton. After completion in 1844 he worked as a traveling salesman for Wedgwood

  • By 1850 George had established himself as a successful pottery merchant and by 1856 he had opened a pottery showroom in Glebe Street, Stoke.

  • George started manufacturing around 1861 at the Bridge Works, Stoke, as George Jones & Co.

  • In 1864 he purchased land from Colin Minton Campbell and in 1865 the company moved to the newly built factory - the Trent Potteries. Production of majolica ware started in 1865. 

  • From 1872 china production was started.

  • By 1873 the two eldest sons, Frank Ralph Jones and George Henry Jones became partners in the business which was renamed George Jones & Sons. 'Crescent' was registered as a trademark for the new company.

  • At this time the business had 590 employees. 

  • In 1894 the business was incorporated as George Jones and Sons Ltd. 

  • George Jones died in 1893 - the business continued under the name 'George Jones & Sons' 

  • Around 1907 the works were renamed 'Crescent Potteries' 

  • From the 1920s Cauldon Potteries Ltd. and Coalport China Co. Ltd. had moved their manufacturing to the Crescent Potteries and were sharing the works with George Jones & Sons Ltd. 

  • In 1929 the Jones family ownership ended when Walter Bakewell (who was the managing director) bought the business.

  • In 1933 Harrison & Son (Hanley) Ltd bought out Bakewell's controlling shareholding. 

  • George Jones & Sons remained open during the Second World War under the Wartime Concentration Scheme - they were permitted to produce undecorated domestic ware. They also produced canteen ware for the British armed forces

  • In June 1945 George Jones & Sons were granted a licence to produce 'fancies' for the home market

  • c.1947 there was some modernisation of the Crescent Works. Manufacture of Coalport and Cauldon was favoured. 

  • Use of the Crescent China trade name ceased around 1951.

  • 1957 George Jones & Sons Ltd ceased trading and in 1959 the Crescent works were demolished. 

 

 


 

 


Stone China
George Jones
Stoke on Trent 

Napoleon III Empereur


Awarded to 
George Jones
Stoke on Trent 

Napoleon III Empereur
Paris 1867

Fragment found (2024) during excavations in the town of Lincoln, Ontario, Canada.

photo courtesy: Courtney Corbeil 

Following the 1851 "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations" held in the Crystal Palace in London, many world cities held international exhibitions to showcase state-of-the-art science and technology.  

George Jones won a medal at three of these exhibitions: 1862 London International Exhibition, 1867 Paris Exposition and the 1873 Vienna World's Fair.  

 


 

 


George Jones and Sons
Manufacturers of every description of
Earthenware, China, majolica, Ivory, &c.,
Trent Potteries
Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire

The Pottery Gazette,  February 2nd 1880

 


 


blue & white transferware platter 


Ironstone
Gerorge Jones
Stoke-on-Trent 

1861-73

photos courtesy:  MaryAnn Seymour, NSW Australia

  


 


Majolica compote with giraffe and antelope  

Geroge Jones was a prolific manufacturer of majolica. The business produced a wide range of  ware of sufficient quality to rival Minton and Wedgwood. 

The Majolica International Society provides more information on George Jones 

 


 


Ironstone bowl

The bottom is marked in black "Stone China George Jones Stoke - upon - Trent" with a lion and unicorn on either side of a crest. There is also an impressed "Ironstone George Jones Stoke on Trent" in an Oval. 


5" high urn by George Jones & Sons
and sold by Tiffany & Co. New York. 


 majolica tri-part dish
 with impressed 'GJ & sons' mark



hand painted china dish
with gilt




red transferware ironstone plate in the classic ABBEY pattern

 

 


teapot in the ABBEY pattern

This pattern was originally known as ABBEY WREATH and had been produced by WILLIAM ADAMS in the 1840s. 

GEORGE JONES bought many of the ADAMS patterns in 1861, this being one of them. JONES reissued the pattern when the interest for earlier china patterns was at its height.


 

  
plate in the Sutherland Japan pattern  

 



 

photos courtesy: John Prasanth Jacob
 


Crescent
G J & Sons
Made in England

G VI R
1945

 

The mark shown indicates that the ware was produced for and supplied to the British Government; it was ultimately property of the Crown/Government, hence the GR-VI Cypher.

This mark is there to distinguish the piece from being normal ‘utilitarian’ ware for public sale during the period surrounding the Second World War. 

George Jones & Sons (and others) were given government contracts throughout the late 1930s and into the 1940s (WWII) and produced canteen ware - most likely for the armed services.

The year of manufacturer is generally included.

 


 

 

Marks and initials used on ware for identification:

Early George Jones majolica was marked with the impressed superimposed letters GJ contained within a circle. In 1873, a crescent inscribed with "& SONS" was added beneath the initials. 

Many pieces also have a small unglazed area or "thumbprint" which has a pattern number written in black ink. Often ware also bear a British registry mark.


George Jones
c.1861-73

G J
c.1872 - 1891

G J & Co
c.1872 - 1891

G J & SONS
"& Sons" was added from 1873

CRESCENT
the trade name Cresent was registered in 1873
although it may have been used before that date

 

STONE CHINA




Ironstone
Gerorge Jones
Stoke-on-Trent 

c.1861 - 1873

 


Stoke
Crescent China

c.1872 - 1891

this mark appeared on a plate with the registration number 826 - which means the pattern was registered in 1884 


GJ
Stoke-on-Trent

c.1861 - 1873

moulded mark from a majolica dish 

Rarely seen is a raised two lobed cartouche with STOKE ON TRENT below the initials and the pattern number in ink above.


JG

c.1861 - 1873

as either an impressed or moulded mark

The monogram only (i.e. GJ without the crescent) used c.1861-72 when the company was "George Jones" (without the "& SONS")


Stone China
George Jones
Stoke-upon-Trent

c.1861 - 1873

Some marks incorporate "Stoke-upon-Trent" and / or "Stone China"

click for more on the use of the Royal Arms

 

 


 


Stratford is the pattern name 

The registration diamond gives a date for the registration of the pattern as 5th April 1864


Sutherland Japan is the pattern name 

G J & Co
Stoke-upon-Trent

these printed marks also have the impressed crescent mark with '& Sons' this would indicate that
the ware was produced around 1873 when it was changing from '& Co' to '& Sons'

 


 

 


Royal Patent Ironstone
George Jones & Sons
England

c.1873 - 1907

an early George Jones & Sons mark (post 1873)


G J 
& Sons 

without 'ENGLAND' -
c. 1881-1891 


G J 
& Sons 
England

with 'ENGLAND' -
post 1891


G J 
& Sons 

Note the use of "ENGLAND" which generally indicates a date post 1891 BRIAR is the pattern name. 

Note the introduction of the crescent shape but without the word "CRESCENT"

Printed mark on base and diamond registration mark for 16th September 1881 therefore this mark was after that date.

diamond registration mark for 1883 therefore this mark was after that date

 

 


  
George Jones & Sons
Abbey
1790
England Make 

c.1901-1921

The ABBEY pattern was manufactured by GEORGE JONES AND SONS beginning in 1901. This pattern was originally known as ABBEY WREATH and had been produced by WILLIAM ADAMS in the 1840s. GEORGE JONES bought many of the ADAMS patterns in 1861.

 




Semi-porcelaine
1st Quality
G J & Sons
England 

the impressed "3 09" is the month/year of manufacturer
- in this instance March 1909

COBURG is the pattern name 

 


 


Crescent England 

c. 1891 - 1921

Mark found on an eight sided plate - plate was made for & sold by Marshall Field & Co. Chicago.

Likely to have been produced by George Jones & Sons 


Cresent Ivory
George Jones & Sons
England

c. 1891 - 1921


G J 
& Sons

c.1874-1924

Example of impressed mark 
"& Sons" added from 1873



England
Crescent China
George Jones & Sons 

c. 1891 - 1921

 



Tiffany & Co
New York
G J & Sons
Made in England 

post 1920 mark

With the use of "MADE IN ENGLAND" 

 



Crescent
G J & Sons
George Jones & Sons
Made in England
Great Britian

 

post 1920 mark

this mark 'JG' on a raised blue pad can be confused as 'GJ' - but it has no connection wth George Jones, it was used by Jean Gille of Paris, France from c.1840's to 1868

 


 

click the picture for more on the Crescent Works

 


questions/comments/contributions? email: Steve Birks