China and Earthenware manufacturer at the Washington Works, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England

• Throughout the history of the Washington Works the main output of  was industrial ware and architectural fittings. In the directories Macintyre are variously listed as manufacturers of "china, porcelain, mortice-lock and bell lever furniture, finger-plates, shutter, draw, and hall-door knobs, mortars & pestles, metal covered jugs, letters for signs, garden labels, artists' palettes, slabs, colour tiles, &c". 

• Also produced were "Electrical Porcelains for lighting, power, telegraph and telephone work, heating and cooking apparatus" 

• c.1894 MacIntyre produced a series of art ware designs by Wildig under the name "Washington Faience" 

  This was followed by the "Gesso Faience" line developed by Harry Barnard who had come to Macintyre from Doulton's and left them in 1897 for Wedgwood. 

  William Moorcroft's earliest pieces at Macintyre were the Aurelian Ware transfer pieces that eventually evolved into the 1902 Florian Ware designs. 

   

• James Macintyre was previously in business with his brother-in-law William Sadler Kennedy at the Washington Works, in March 1854 the partnership was dissolved when Kennedy left the business and Macintyre continued the works on his own. 

• Around 1865 Macintyre took his Commercial Manager, Mr. Thomas Hulme, and his son-in-law, Mr. William Woodall into partnership with him.

• James Macintyre died in December 1868 leaving Thomas Hulme and William Woodall as the remaining partners.

• The partnership was dissolved on the 31st December 1878 when Hulme left the business. William Woodall continued - the name James Macintyre and Company was retained for the business.  

• Around 1894 the business was incorporated as a Limited Company.

• c.1894 MacIntyre produced a series of designs by Wildig under the name "Washington Faience" This was followed by the "Gesso Faience" line developed by Harry Barnard who had come to Macintyre from Doulton's and left them in 1897 for Wedgwood. 

• In 1897 Macintyre & Co. Ltd employed the 26 year old William Moorcroft as a designer, and within a year he was put in full charge of the company's art pottery studio as Chief Designer. 

• In 1913 William Moorcroft left Macintyre & Co. and set up his own manufacturing company in Sandbach Road, Cobridge, Burslem. 

• From 1928 only industrial porcelain, primarily for electrical insulation, was produced. 

• In 1966 Macintyre was merged with T. Arrowsmith and Sons - Macintyre "producers of high and low-tension electrical porcelain" continued to trade under their own name. At that time Macintyre were recorded as having 350 workers.

"James Macintyre & Co., Ltd., Washington China Works, Burslem, are extensive manufacturers of a number of specialities in pottery, one of their many departments being devoted exclusively to the production of electrical accessories.

This is a very interesting branch of pottery, but one with which glass and china dealers are not directly associated.

To our readers Messrs. Macintyre & Co., are better known as manufacturers of specially designed high class ceramics, and even in this capacity many persons are better acquainted with their purely ornamental then their useful productions.

Those who go down to the Potteries will do well to call at the works in the Waterloo-road. I called their recently, and had an instructive interview with their Mr. William Moorcroft, who is responsible for the marvellous development of the artistic features of the company's productions. He is a potter with a strong artistic individuality, and he most unmistakably impresses that individuality on every piece of ware produced by his company. Mr. Moorcroft is director of the Art section of Messrs. Macintyre's works, and, as I have before explained in the Pottery Gazette, not only are the graceful and beautiful forms produced from his own designs, but the added ornamentations are in accordance with his original conceptions. What I mean is that the finished piece we see - whether a vase or a teapot - is just what the artist-potter in the beginning intended it to be. The end has been steadily kept in view from the commencement, and this explains the perfect harmony between form and decoration, which is observable in every piece.

Each design is the work of Mr. Moorcroft's own hands. The ornamental detail is carried out in accordance with his instructions by artists who work under his supervision, and he passes each piece before it is fired. 

On a former visit I described in detail the graceful and beautiful "Florian Ware," which is now known and admired wherever art pottery is appreciated. On this occasion I had an opportunity of inspecting the company's table ware sundries in the now popular "Dura" ware and "Aurelian" ware in the company of their originator, Mr. Moorcroft. There are teapots and stands, cream-jugs, sugar-basins, teacups and saucers, marmalade and biscuit jars, jugs, coffee-pots, and chocolate-jugs in both these wares and in a number of registered designs. Each decoration was designed expressly to suit the shape to which is is applied. In the "Dura" ware the decoration is executed entirely under the glaze, so that the rich and luminous finished effect remains uninfluenced by atmospheric conditions.

In the "Aurelian" ware the decoration is also executed under the glaze, and is richly embellished in burnished gold.

In common with all true artists, Mr. Moorcroft thinks artistic beauty should be combined with utility. The presence of beautiful ware on a breakfast table cannot fail to have a refining influence on those who use it. There is no reason why artistic beauty should not be found in even cheap goods. People who cannot say off-hand what art is recognise it when they see it. It has that indescribable something that makes for harmony and elicits admiration. 

In the purely ornamental branch of the works Mr. Moorcroft showed me several new creations of his restless genius. The chief characteristic of his decorative schemes is simplicity. This simplicity in outline and in added ornament is exactly antithetic to what is called the "New Art." In the most recent of his productions the artist has not depended upon his pencil of his graver for his added ornament."

The Pottery Gazette - March 1906

"The Absent-Minded Beggar" is a poem written by Rudyard Kipling in September 1899. It was set to music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and often accompanied by an illustration of a wounded but defiant British soldier. The song was written as part of an appeal by the Daily Mail newspaper to raise money for soldiers fighting in the Second Boer War and their families.

James Macintyre & Co., Ltd., Washington China Works, Burslem, are making an important change in their business. The company are world-famous as manufacturers of porcelain specialities for all trades, and particularly of pottery for electrical purposes. 

They have also acquired a reputation for high-class ceramics, including dainty table accessories. 

The electrical branch of their business is increasing to such an extent that they have decided to direct their efforts most exclusively to its development. With this object in view they have made an arrangement with their art potter, Mr. William Moorcroft, under which he will take over the whole of their artistic business. Mr. Moorcroft has for many years had the sole control of that branch, and has been responsible for many unique artistic productions, for which Macintyre & Co., Ltd., are now so well known. "Moorcroft Faience" is highly appreciated in the trade, and by commission and under the new arrangement it will be produced even more extensively. 

Mr. Moorcroft is having new works built with the most improved modern arrangements, and he hopes in a few months to have them in perfect working order. There will be no cessation in the production of the art ware, as Macintyre & Co. will continue it until Mr. Moorcroft opens his new factory, which will be in Burslem. 

We heartily wish Mr. Moorcroft every success in a venture for which he is so especially qualified, and we congratulate Macintyre & Co., Ltd., upon the development of their electrical and general trade specialities, which has rendered the contemplated change necessary.

The Pottery Gazette - March 1913

The registration number 224474 shows the pattern was first registered on 
23 December 1893 

FLORIAN WARE
Jas Macintyre & Co Ld
Burslem, England

the registration number 326471 shows that the pattern was registered on the 
30 September 1898

- more on registration numbers - 

FLORIAN WARE
Jas Macintyre & Co Ld
Burslem, England

with William Moorcroft signed initials