J Kent (James, Ltd)

James Kent (Ltd)

James Kent (1989) Ltd

Location and period of operation:

J Kent (James, Ltd)

Foley
(Fenton / Longton)

1897

c.2008

Earthenware and porcelain manufacturer at the Old Foley Pottery, Stoke-on-Trent, England

NOTE: The small district of Foley is very close to the municipal boundary between Fenton and Longton and the marks of James Kent use the town names of Fenton and Longton interchangeably.

- see location of the James Kent works -

"This firm of general domestic potters, Old Foley, Longton, was founded by James Aloysius Kent (born 1864 died 1953) with five workmen from the firm of Barker & Kent (including Arnold Bennett's brother Septimus Bennett, modeller) in 1897." from Mankowitz & Haggar
James was joined at the business by his four sons.
James Kent also owned a potters mill at Baker's Mill, Fenton.
In 1910 James Kent was the president of the United Earthenware Manufacturers' Association - an organisation formed for the purpose of regulating selling prices.
By 1911 the works employed around 300 people.
James Kent became a Limited company in 1913.
When James died in 1953 he was succeeded as Chairman by his second son, Philip Francis Kent.
The company continued as a family business until 1981 when it was purchased by Bayer (UK) Ltd. [Bayer is a German multinational chemical and pharmaceutical company].
In 1985/6 the business was taken over by the potter and engineer Morris Rushton. The association with Rushton was short-lived and 1987 the business became part of County Potteries PLC.
In 1989 County Potteries was renamed Carlton & Kent (from the names of Carlton Ware and James Kent which the company owned). During the same year Carlton & Kent went into receivership and the James Kent part was purchased by M. R. Hadida Ltd., owners of Hadida Fine Bone China Ltd.
The company was renamed James Kent (1989) Ltd.
c.1995 Wedgwood sold the buildings of Foley China Works to James Kent who were operating at the adjacent Old Foley Pottery.
The Old Foley Pottery was demolished c.2006 and the company operated from the Foley China Works.
By c. 2008 the company closed and by 2010 the Foley China Works had been demolished.

Announcement of formation of a limited company:

"James Kent, Ltd. — Rd. No. 130,247. — This private company has been registered with a capital of £25,000 in £1 shares, the objects being to take over the business of a china and earthenware manufacturer carried on by J. Kent at the Old Foley Pottery, Longton, and that of a flint and bone miller, grinder and dealer carried on by him at Bakers Mill, Fenton.

The subscribers are J. Kent, Old Foley Pottery, Longton ; A. Cartlidge, Maitland Harpfield, Stoke-on-Trent ; and F. Brown, 301, Uttoxeter road, Longton."

The Pottery Gazette - August 1913

advert for James Kent Ltd, Potters' Millers

The Pottery Gazette, October 1913

Dealer plaque for James Kent Ltd

James Kent classic Greek pattern vase

John Flaxman (1755-1826) was a British sculptor - he created multiple works featuring Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom & war. Early in his career, Flaxman worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood.

c. 1913+

Ye Olde Foley Pottery
J K L
Flaxman's Athena
Period 1770-1780

this mark, overprinted on the J Kent Fenton globe mark, appears on a jug with the same Athena pattern

		J Kent Ye Olde Foley Ware Fenton England
gold & blue decorated vase in a stereotypical 'Oriental' style		the mark is laid out in a pseudo six character Chinese style to give the impression of the Orient to their ware

Royal Foley Ware - urn and flower vase

Royal Foley Ware
J Kent
Semi Porcelain
England

c.1897 - 1920's

James Kent vase in the Cydonia pattern
c.1940's

James Kent dinner set in the Sandringham pattern
c.1950's

James Kent cup and saucer in the Rosalynde pattern

"Du Barry" pattern

cup and plate in the Du Barry pattern

The "Du Barry" pattern by James Kent Ltd. is a notable example of chintz pottery, characterized by its dense, all-over floral designs. Introduced in 1934, this pattern remained in production until 1980.

The "Du Barry" pattern was named after Madame du Barry (a famous 18th-century French courtesan and mistress of King Louis XV). It features delicate floral motifs, pastel colors, and ornate gilding, reflecting the opulence of the Rococo era.

In 1989, the company was acquired by M.R. Hadida Ltd., leading to a resurgence of interest in classic patterns. During the 1990s, James Kent Ltd. reintroduced several popular designs from their archives, including "Du Barry," "Hydrangea," and "Rosalynde," using original moulds from the 1950s.

JAMES KENT Ltd
Longton
Made in England
Du Barry

the Du Barry pattern is thought to have been introduced in 1934

JAMES KENT Ltd
Made in Gt. Britain
Du Barry
Fenton

JAMES KENT Ltd
Made in Great Britain
Fenton
Du Barry

marks bearing 'Made in Great Britain' appear to have been introduced in 1936 and were still in use in the mid to late 1940s

Old Foley
JAMES KENT Ltd
Staffordshire
England
DuBarry
Made in England

100 Year Anniversary
JAMES KENT
Staffordshire
Made in England
DuBarry
Limited edition

c. 1997

Marks used on ware for identification:

NOTE: The small district of Foley is very close to the municipal boundary between the towns of
Fenton and Longton and the marks of James Kent use the town names of Fenton and Longton at various periods.

JAMES KENT

ROYAL SEMI CHINA

JAMES KENT LTD
[note: "Ltd" sometimes added to the name from 1913]

OLD FOLEY

ROYAL FOLEY WARE

Royal Semi China
James Kent
England

Godden's Encyclopedia lists this printed mark as used 1897 to 1915

click for the use of the Royal Arms

Shield mark with crown above and initials J K L

c.1901+

"Chrysanthemum" is the pattern name
The registration numbers date from 1899

FOLEY ROYAL
J K L
ENGLAND

The initials J K L stand for James Kent Limited

the registration number 529477 dates from 1908
'L' or "LTD" was added to the name c.1913

J. KENT
Semi Porcelain
ENGLAND

c.1910

J. KENT
FENTON
ENGLAND
YE OLDE FOLEY WARE

c.1910

this mark also appears with 'OLD FOLEY' instead of 'OLDE'
and sometimes with the town name 'LONGTON' in place of 'FENTON'

"LTD" was added to the name c.1913

J Kent    Ye Olde
Foley   Ware
Fenton   England

James Kent Ltd
Fenton
Made in Gt. Britain
"Cydonia"

Cydonia is the pattern name

James Kent Ltd
Fenton
Made in Great Britain
"Du Barry"

Du Barry is the pattern name

marks bearing 'Made in Great Britain'
appear to have been introduced in 1936
and were still in use in the mid to late 1940's

James Kent Ltd
Fenton
Made in England

c.1945+

James Kent Ltd
LONGTON
Made in ENGLAND
"Pompadour"
Reg No 846345

the registration number shows that this pattern
was first registered in 1946

James Kent
Old Foley

c. 1950+

Some marks include the 'LTD' as in James Kent Ltd
Some marks have the place name 'LONGTON' instead
of the pottery factory name 'OLD FOLEY'

NOTE: the crown from this period is filled in
whereas those from the 1990's are open.

ESTB 1686
Old Foley
James Kent Ltd
Staffordshire
England

c.1955+

Marks bearing the County name "Staffordshire" were introduced in the mid 1950'S

NOTE: it is not known what the 'Established 1686' refers to, the business of
James Kent was started in 1897 (see the backstamp further down the page).
There may have been a previous, unrelated pottery works on the same site.

Old Foley
James Kent Ltd
Staffordshire
England
"Du Barry"
Made in England

c.1955+

The globe mark with the initials
J K in the centre were first introduced c.1910

100 Year Anniversary
JAMES KENT
Staffordshire
Made in England
DuBarry
Limited edition

c. 1997

Du Barry is the pattern name

c.1955+

c.1970's

James Kent (1989) Ltd.

Dealer plaque for James Kent
Collectors' Chintz

source: Replacements Ltd

In 1989 the James Kent business was purchased by M. R. Hadida Ltd., (owners of Hadida Fine Bone China Ltd.) and the company was renamed James Kent (1989) Ltd.

The 1990's saw the introduction of ware made from original moulds stored from the 1950's. Popular reintroduced patterns were DuBarry, Hydrangea and Rosalynde.

The backstamps are very similar to the earlier ones and so can be confusing. Any marks with "Collectors Chintz", "100 Year Anniversary", "Limited Edition" belong to this later period of operation.

Fine Earthenware
JAMES KENT
Old Foley
Est 1897
Staffordshire
England

1989+

100 Year Anniversary
JAMES KENT
Staffordshire
Made in England

c. 1997

100 Year Anniversary
JAMES KENT
Staffordshire
Made in England
DuBarry
Limited edition

c. 1997

OLD FOLEY
James Kent
Made in England

c. 1999

In 1989 the James Kent business was purchased by M. R. Hadida Ltd
the crown from the 1990's are open - prior to this it was filled in

Backstamps with this kind of elaborate monogram date from 1999 onward,
when the factory began to identify their decorators with special marks

Location of the James Kent works

The marks and address of James Kent use the town names of Fenton and Longton interchangeably.

Kent manufactured at the Old Foley Pottery, he was one of six potters who used 'Foley' in the name of their works.

The small district of Foley is very close to the municipal boundary between Fenton and Longton - however James Kent and the other Foley potters were located on the Fenton side of the town boundary.

The Old Foley Pottery of Mr. Myatt and later James Kent Ltd
- demolished in 2006 -

- click photo for more information on the Foley Potteries -

photo: 1976
the Gladstone Pottery Museum Photographic Collection

section from the Fenton area list of pottery companies - from a 1907 directory

There were six companies listed in this 1907 directory under Fenton town who used 'Foley' in the name of their works:

Barkers and Kent, Ltd., Foley Pottery, King-street. Earthenware and China
Brain, Elijah and Co., Foley China Works, King-street. China
Foley (The) China Co. (Wileman and Co.), King-street. China
Goodwin, Stoddart and Co., Foley Works, King-street. China
Kent, Jas., Old Foley Pottery, King-street. Earthenware
Mackee and Sons, Foley Works, King-street. China and Earthenware

Some of the pottery works of the Foley district of Fenton
James Kent works shown in green - the works are on the Fenton side of the town boundary

the red line is the boundary between the towns of Fenton (to the left) and Longton (to the right)
all of the 'Foley' works are on the Fenton side

Google Maps

Trade announcements and agent details
in the Pottery Gazette

South America - Reliable agent wanted for this market by firm making earthenware and semi-porcelain specially suitable for this country - Apply, James Kent, Old Foley Pottery, Longton, Staffs.

The Pottery Gazette - June 1909

Mr. George Johnson, representing Taylor & Kent Florence Works, Longton and Mr. James Kent, the Old Foley Pottery, Fenton, has removed from 5, Tavies Inn, to new and more commodious show-rooms at 16, Hatton Garden, near Holborn-circus.

The Pottery Gazette - May 1910

New York - Agent wanted for Dinner ware, &c - address, James Kent, Old Foley Pottery, Stoke-on-Trent.

The Pottery Gazette - April 1912

trade announcements, agent details in 1909 to 1912 showing the interchangeability
of Longton and Fenton in the address of Old Foley Pottery

1917 list of pottery manufacturers in Fenton

James Kent Ltd, Old Foley Pottery

James Kent Ltd, Old Foley Pottery, Fenton, Staffs

1917 listing showing both 'Fenton' and 'Longton' in James Kent marks

NOTE: M. L. & Co is Moore Leason & Co who operated at the Old Foley Pottery until 1896 when the works were taken by James Kent.

The Pottery Gazette 1917

James Kent
Longton
(cast-in mark)

J Kent
Fenton
England
Ye Olde Foley Ware
(printed mark)

marks on a transferware shaving mug showing both towns of Longton & Fenton on the same item

variations on the globe & crown mark
with Fenton, Longton, Old Foley used interchangeably

J K L Fenton England Made in England	J Kent Ltd Longton England Ye Old Foley Ware	James Kent Old Foley Made in England	Old Foley James Kent Made in England	James Kent Staffordshire Made in England	Fine Earthenware James Kent Old Foley Est 1897 Staffordshire England
marks with 'L' or 'LTD" are 1913+		c. 1950+	In 1989 the James Kent business was purchased by M. R. Hadida Ltd the crown from the 1990's are open - prior to this it was filled in

NOTE: 'LTD' was sometimes added to marks after 1913, but not consistently

Question, comments, contributions? email: Steve Birks