Whittaker partnerships




 

Location and period of operation:

Whittaker, Edge & Co

Hanley

1882

Aug 1886

Whittaker & Co

Hanley

Aug 1886

Aug 1891

Whittaker, Heath & Co

Hanley

Aug 1891

1898

 

A succession of short partnerships of earthenware manufacturers, operating the Hall Fields Pottery (built in 1882) in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England. 

  • The original senior partners were Lewis Whittaker and James Edge, with Samuel Heath, John Henry Weatherby and Robert Rowley making up the '& Co'. Robert Rowley left in March 1884 - the business continued as Whittaker, Edge & Co. 

  • In August 1886 James Edge left the business which continued as Whittaker & Co.

  • In August 1891 John H Weatherby left the business and Samuel Heath became a senior partner - the business continued as Whittaker, Heath & Co until 1898. 

 

 

London Gazette
March 11, 1884 


notice that Robert Rowley had left the business 

 

 

London Gazette
August 6, 1886 


notice that James Edge had left the business
and name change to Whittaker & Co
 

 

London Gazette
August 11, 1891 


notice that John Henry Weatherby had left the business
and name change to Whittaker, Heath & Co

 

 

Hallfield Pottery (built in 1882)
Hall Fields Pottery (built in 1882)

- click for more details of the pottery works - 

 

 

 

Marks and initials used on ware for identification:

The marks of Whittaker, Edge & Co and Whittaker & Co (W. E. & Co / W. & Co) are sometimes incorrectly identified as those of Emberton partnerships. 

  • Emberton did not register any of their designs and so any mark with a registration diamond or registration number is not that of Emberton.

  • Emberton's factory was based in the town of Tunstall and so any marks with 'Hanley' are those of Whittaker and not Emberton.

 

 

 


W E & Co

Whittaker, Edge & Co

RdNo 15514 was registered on 
21st October 1884
W & Co

Whittaker & Co

RdNo 53735 was registered on 
9th August 1886
W H & Co

Whittaker, Heath & Co

RdNo 186083 was registered on 
11th January 1892


this style of mark continued throughout the three partnerships - the pattern name is included in the central panel 

HANLEY is the name of the town where the pottery works were located

Often the pattern registration number is included

ENGLAND is included in the Whittaker, Heath & Co marks as required by
the McKinely Tariff Act for imports into the US 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Whittaker, Edge & Co.

W E & Co

operated 1882 to August 1886

Whittaker, Edge & Co. are recorded as producing two aesthetic transferware patterns: 

source: aesthetic transferware history

 

 


milk/cream jug in the Alaska pattern
Alaska
W. E. & Co

c. 1882 to 1886

sometimes this mark is incorrectly identified as those of Emberton partnerships but this ALASKA pattern was produced by Whittaker, Edge & Co 

 

 



light blue transferware plate in the Atlantic pattern

this pattern is in the aesthetic style

 


Whittaker, Edge & Co. brown transferware platter in the Atlantic pattern 


W E & Co

"ATLANTIC" is the pattern name - it is in the aesthetic style
the registration diamond shows that the
pattern was registered on 4th October 1883 

 



Whittaker, Edge & Co. lidded turren in the Berber pattern

photo courtesy: Roger Wheal


W E & Co
Hanley

"BERBER" is the pattern name
the registration number 15574 shows that the pattern was registered on the 21st October 1884 to Whittaker, Edge & Co

 

 

 

Whittaker & Co.

W & Co

operated August 1886 to August 1891

 

Whittaker & Co. are recorded as producing 15 aesthetic transferware patterns: 

  • Alaska

  • Alton

  • Bombay

  • Brighton

  • Ceylon

  • Etruria

  • Kent

  • Nursery Rhymes

  • Palm

  • Paris

  • Seaweed

  • Spring Flowers

  • Surrey

  • Swan

  • Warwick

 

source: aesthetic transferware history

 

 


W. & Co
Alaska
Hanley

the ALASKA pattern was first introduced by Whittaker, Edge & Co
- it was continued and refined by Whittaker & Co


 

 

one of the The Nursery Rhymes series
one of the The Nursery Rhymes series
made by Whittaker & Co

Whittaker & Co printed mark
ENGLAND
W & Co
Hanley

"NURSERY RHYMES" is a series of patterns
the registration number 103739 shows that the pattern was registered on the 13th July 1888 to Whittaker & Co

 

 

The Whittaker and Co "Etruria" pattern
The Whittaker and Co "Etruria" pattern


W & Co
Hanley

"ETRURIA" is the pattern name
the Rd No. shows the pattern was registered on the 9th August 1886 

 

 

 

Whittaker, Heath & Co.

W H & Co

operated August 1892 to 1898

 

Whittaker, Heath & Co. are recorded as producing six aesthetic transferware patterns: 

source: aesthetic transferware history

 

A Whittaker and Heath wash set jug and basin in the "Florian" pattern
A Whittaker and Heath wash set jug and basin in the  "Florian" pattern


Semi Porcelain
W H 
& Co
Hanley
England

FLORIAN is the pattern name 


 

 

 


A Whittaker and Heath serving dish in the  "Albany" pattern


Semi Porcelain
W H 
& Co
Hanley
England

ALBANY is the pattern name 

 

 

 

Hallfield Pottery (built in 1882)
Hall Fields Pottery (built in 1882)

- click for more details of the pottery works - 

 

Questions, comments, contributions? email: Steve Birks