My story begins with a journey from Burslem in Staffordshire to Toxteth in Liverpool in November 1796.
To read the post, press the title A Herculaneum Potter (above).
Our History
Jane Austen Writes About Wedgwood Ware
In her letters Jane writes of visiting the Wedgwood showrooms in London and in one gleeful missive to her sister Cassandra in June 1811, she writes ‘I had the pleasure of receiving, unpacking, and approving our Wedgwood ware’ and anticipates the arrival of a new Wedgwood breakfast set for their mother, ‘I hope it will come by the waggon to-morrow; it is certainly what we want, and I long to know what it is like’.
OatcakeWorld: Staffordshire Oatcakes
Staffordshire oatcakes are a traditional British food from the Potteries. They differ from Scottish or Irish oatcakes, which are more biscuit-like. The Staffordshire oatcakes are like pancakes or crepes. They are made from batter that includes oatmeal, which gives them their unique texture and flavour. Other ingredients include whole wheat or plain flour, salt, sugar, yeast, warm water, and warm milk. These ingredients are mixed to form a batter. The batter is cooked like pancakes in a frying pan on a griddle or a bakestone.
Staffordshire oatcakes were originally a staple food for the working class in the Staffordshire region. They were traditionally eaten by workers in the pottery and mining industries. Oatcakes can be eaten hot or cold. Popular fillings include cheese, bacon, sausage, and eggs. When they want a quick snack, many people spread butter and jam on them.
Another week
Another week is coming to an end. We have been busy preparing a series of posts about Tunstall’s heritage. The posts will tell you about the people who created the town we know today. They will introduce you to the town’s historic buildings. You will learn the history of its churches and chapels. Readers of these posts will discover Tunstall’s unique Victorian civic centre. Other posts will tell you about stagecoaches and coaching inns. They will cover working conditions in factories and mines, as well as local government and the administration of justice.
It’s time to close the office. Enjoy your weekend. We’ll be back on Monday. See you then.
Burslem’s Architectural Heritage: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
Stoke-on-Trent’s Catholic Churches are the hidden architectural jewels in our city’s crown. Let’s hope they will be open to the public from time to time during Centenary Year.
Totmonslow Heritage: A place where disputes were settled and offenders punished
The other really outstanding fact that marks Totmonslow out is connected to its historical role. Around 1200 years ago, it was the place where people from this area gathered. They came together at certain times of the year to settle disputes and carry out justice. These meetings were known as ‘moots’. And then: from about the year 800, England developed a loose system of administration based on areas known as ‘hundreds’.
Walking in the City Centre
Etruria Industrial Museum
This video showcases Etruria Industrial Museum. The museum is housed in a 19th century steam powered potter’s bone and flint mill. Built in 1857, the mill is a Grade II* listed building.
The museum is at Etruria Junction, where the Caldon Canal joins the Trent & Mersey Canal.
There is a statue of James Brindley (1716–1772) at the junction, which was the site of Etruria Wharf. A tramway ran from the wharf to Hanley/City Centre. The site of Stoke-on-Trent’s first public hospital is near the museum. Built in 1803, the hospital was called the Dispensary and House of Recovery.
Conserving the Clough Hall Estate Plan
Conservation volunteer Janet Wheeler, working with Lisa Williams, the Conservator at Staffordshire’s Archives and Heritage Service, conserved a plan of the Clough Hall Estate.
Their aim was to make the plan accessible for public use.
The paper was very soft and friable, particularly along the folds. The edges, showed significant damage from handling and ingress of water as well as previous storage conditions. Cleaning the document before repair was a key stage in the process. It allowed the surface fibres to open and release as much dirt as possible. This was done very carefully with a soft brush and a Smoke sponge.
Sir Smith Child (1808-1896)
A portrait of Sir Smith Child painted by John Nash Peake.
During the 19th century, Sir Smith Child was the most generous philanthropist in North Staffordshire. He used his vast wealth to support hospitals, build schools and churches, fight poverty and help handicapped children.
Although many historians think that his family name was Smith Child, it wasn’t. Smith was his Christian name and Smith was his surname. Smith Child was born at Newfield Hall, Tunstall, on 5 March 1808. His grandfather was Admiral Smith Child, who was a partner in Child & Clive. The firm owned Newfield Pottery and Clanway Colliery, where it mined coal and ironstone.
Smith’s parents were John George and Elizabeth Child, née Parsons. When his father died in 1811, he became heir to the Newfield estate and other estates owned by his grandfather.
Smith was educated at St. John’s College, Cambridge.
On 28 January 1835, he married Sarah Hill, an heiress, at Fulford Church. The couple had three children – two boys and a girl. The family lived at Newfield Hall until 1841, when they moved to Rownall Hall, Wetley. Sarah’s father, Richard Clarke Hill, who owned Stallington Hall, died in 1853, and the Childs decided to live there.
Smith took a keen interest in politics. He was a Conservative. In 1851, he became the Member of Parliament for North Staffordshire and held the seat until 1859.
In 1868, Smith was made a baronet.
He stood for Parliament again. He won the election and was returned to Westminster as the Member for West Staffordshire. A seat he held until 1874, when he retired from politics.
Smith was a philanthropist who took a keen interest in the welfare of disadvantaged individuals. He used his wealth to support local charities that were helping those in need.
He provided financial assistance to the North Staffordshire Infirmary at Etruria and made an annual donation to its general fund. Smith was a member of the hospital’s management committee and served as its president on three occasions. As well as making an annual donation, he contributed to the infirmary’s special funds. The management committee decided to close the infirmary at Etruria and build a new one at Hartshill. It launched a public appeal to raise money to finance the project. A building fund was created, and Smith contributed £1,500. When the Victoria Wards were being erected, he gave £250 towards the cost.
After one of his sons died, Smith built and endowed the Smith Hill Child Memorial Hospital. The hospital, erected in the grounds of the infirmary, was designed to care for patients who were incurable. The infirmary did not have the resources to care for incurable patients, and the project was abandoned. The building was used as a nurses’ home until 1877, when it was converted into a children’s hospital.
In 1875, Smith founded a charity that sent patients who were convalescing to convalescent homes. He endowed the charity with £6,500. The money was invested in securities. The income from these securities was used to send hundreds of men, women and children to seaside convalescent homes.
Smith realised that the pottery industry’s future depended on vocational training.
He was one of the founders of the Wedgwood Institute and organised competitions that awarded prizes to industrial designers. To encourage sales representatives to study foreign languages, he gave prizes to those learning to speak French, German or Spanish.
Although he left Newfield Hall in 1841, Smith retained an interest in Tunstall and its citizens’ welfare. He always referred to people living there as his friends and neighbours.
His first gift to Tunstall was £100, which was given to help finance the construction of Christ Church. He gave £50 when the church appealed for money to build a National School. The appeal was successful, and the school was built in King Street (Madison Street). When St. Mary’s Church launched an appeal to raise money to build a school, he gave £100.
Smith built the church schools in Goldenhill and created a charity to support all church schools in Tunstall and Goldenhill. He helped finance the construction of St. John’s Church in Goldenhill and endowed it with £1,000.
During the 1880s, he made donations to help regenerate Christ Church and St. Mary’s Church. In 1884, he established a workingman’s temperance club at Calver House in Well Street (Roundwell Street).
Six years later, in 1890, he founded the Tunstall Nursing Association. The association was a charity. It employed trained community nurses, who provided free medical care to patients being treated at home.
Tunstall publicly recognised Smith’s generosity in 1893. The clock tower in Market Square (Tower Square) was erected to make sure that he would never be forgotten.
Smith was to ill to attend the tower’s unveiling ceremony. His health continued to decline. He died three years later and was buried in Fulford churchyard
If you and your family worshipped at St. Mary’s or you were at pupil at the school, please use Comments to share your memories with us.
Sir Smith Child (1808-1896) was written by Betty Martin before she died in 2023. More articles she wrote posted periodically.
North Staffordshire Heritage 