Mayer & Sherratt

Location and period of operation:

Mayer & Sherratt

Longton

1906

1941

Manufacturer of china at the Clifton Works in Stafford Street, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, England

It is very likely that Mayer & Sherratt (who used the trade name MELBA) was closed in 1941 under the Wartime Concentration Scheme and reopened as Melba China Co. Ltd.

MELBA CHINA was a trade name used by Mayer & Sherratt

other companies used the name 'MELBA'
- click for more on MELBA -

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

Typical ware produced by Mayer & Sherratt:

Mayer & Sherratt china cup & saucer

Mayer & Sherratt china trio of cup, saucer & side plate

decoration in typical European Imari style

cake & sandwich stand

plates in the Dolly Varden pattern

Dolly Varden was the 'beautiful daughter' of Gabriel (the locksmith)
and Martha Varden in the Charles Dickens story 'Barnaby Rudge'

RdNo 739443
Dolly Varden

the registration number 739443 show that the
pattern was first registered in 1928

'Dolly Varden' was the pattern name

trio in a modern design - said to be produced in 1935
trio in a modern design - c. mid 1930s

souvenir ware commemorating the coronation of King George VI
Coronation souvenir May 12th 1937

Marcus Adams was a British society photographer noted for his portraits of children and member of the Royal family

photos courtesy: Claudia Royson

Marks used on ware for identification:

Windsor China
M&S
Longton
England

this mark is assumed to belong to Mayer & Sherratt
as it was the only pottery company based in the
town of Longton with the initials M&S

However this cannot be guaranteed to be correct
without additional correlation

M & S
L
[the L stands for the town 'Longton'
where the factory was]

mark used c.1906+

MELBA CHINA
ENGLAND

marks used c.1921+

MELBA BONE CHINA
GUARANTEED
MADE IN
ENGLAND

MELBA BONE CHINA
GUARANTEED
MADE IN ENGLAND
FINE GRADE

mark with and without 'FINE GRADE'

mark used c.1925-41

NOTE: the mark on the right is often wrongly attributed to Melba China Co. Ltd as it is listed (mark 2643) in Geoffrey Godden's 'Encyclopaedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks'.

However it actually belongs to Mayer & Sherratt as demonstrated by the King George VI Coronation souvenir ware shown above. The coronation was in May 1937 and Melba China were not operational until 1946.

other companies used the name 'MELBA'

- click for more on MELBA -

1898 map of Stafford Street, Longton

Blue circle = Mayer & Sherratt

Purple circle = J H Cope

Green circle = John Tams & Son

questions/comments/contributions? email: Steve Birks