Samuel Alcock | People from Stoke-on-Trent

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Samuel Alcock

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father: Thomas Alcock mother: Katherine
Samuel Alcock wife: Elizabeth
Samuel and Elizabeth had 11 children. 

The Hill Top Works

1799 Youngest of 9 children of Thomas and Katherine Alcock. Samuel Alcock was baptised on 21st July 1799 at Kingsley in Staffordshire. His father was a farmer.
  Samuel spent time with his uncle, a grocer and banker in Market Square, Hanley.
  Samuel Alcocks introduction to the pottery industry began with a partnership with Ralph Stevenson of Cobridge. 
By the 1830's Stevenson was employing 600 people at his works.
1828 Samuel was operating at the Hill Top pottery works. [ Samuel Alcock Pottery ] 
1832 With his nephew Joseph he brought the pottery works from the Robinson family and extensively rebuilt the works. The front was in a classical style - completed around 1839. [ more on the works ].
The potworks was in Westport Road (renamed from Liverpool Road), Burslem.  

The novelist Arnold Bennett called these works "Sytch Pottery" in the Clayhanger book. 
1836 20 June 1836 - Samuel Alcock was appointed an improvement commissioner for Burslem
1838 Samuel Alcock (with three of his Nephews - Joseph, George and John Alcock) ran the Burslem Commercial Bank until 1838 - the partnership ended in this year. 
1842 9 June 1842 - elected chief constable. Alcock took an important part in quelling the Chartist riots which took place in August 1842. 
Alcock was presented with a silver salver by the grateful inhabitants of Burslem. 

"The town of Burslem was fortunately prepared for a proper reception of the Banditti. A small troop of the 2nd Dragoon Guards had arrived there from Newcastle, under the command of Major Trench, and a large body of volunteers, from among the friends of law and social order of all classes of society, had been hastily organized as special constables, by the praiseworthy exertions of Samuel Alcock, Esq., the chief constable of Burslem".
from Ward (1843)
1848 The Hill Pottery was mortgaged for £10,000.
1848 Samuel Alcock died on 10th November 1848. He was buried at Kingsley.
1851 The Alcock family connection with the pottery works ended in 1851.
1859 The company failed.
1968 The Hill Top works was demolished. 

Homes: 
By 1830 Samuel Alcock was living in Cobridge Cottage (later on Grange Street was built nearby)
Later the family were living at Elder House, Rushton Grange, Cobridge.