W Oulsnam & Sons

Location and period of operation:

 (See sources)

Jewitt's "Ceramic Art of Great Britain 1800-1900" notes that W.E.Oulsnam & Sons were in business as potters in 1890.

OULSNAM, William Emmerson (1826/7-82), tobacco dealer/earthenware manufacturer, 
Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England

William Oulsnam was born in Stanley, Leek, about 1826. He had moved from Penkridge, Staffs (where his son George was born) to Burslem by 1847 where he was in business with Obadiah Williams (possibly his brother-in-law), as a tobacco dealer in Port Vale Street.

In 1860 he was in business as an earthenware manufacturer in High Street, Tunstall, trading as Oulsnam and Holdcroft, and he was also a cratemaker at Greenfield. In 1880 he was in partnership with his son at Furlong, making earthenware.

He was a member of the Tunstall Board of Health and served as chief bailiff in 1869. He was on the Burslem Board of Health 1875-6 and 1877-8 From at least 1861 he lived at 4 Newport Street, Burslem.

By his wife Mary William Emmerson had four sons. He died in Southport on 1 March 1882.

SOURCES: National Index to Wills and Administrations; Burslem Board of Health Annual Reports; Census 1861, 1884; Dir. 1867: Tunstall Board of Health Annual Reports; 'People of the Potteries';

The above information may not be available
for all potters - if you have information to
help complete the records then I would be
happy to include it.
email: Steve Birks