THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 1 39 



the mysterious "Pate Herrison," prepared by Mrs. Durrant, an " odd pye " 

 made of the homely and succulent hedgehog i^Erinaceus)^ which was partaken of 

 by some of the party. 



Luncheon over, the company proceeded to tlie lane near the \^icarage to 

 inspect the Castle Hedingham pottery, where Mr Bingham and his son, working 

 alone and unassisted by any other hands, have for many 3'ears turned out vases, 

 puzzle-jugs, copies of antiques, plaques, models of the old Norman keep, etc., 

 articles of beautiful and quaint design and of peculiar colouring that have attracted 

 the sympathetic attention of collectors and connoisseurs, and other works of more 

 general use. In one of the rooms of Mr. Bingham's house, "Volume xxxv." 

 (Mr. A. C. Freeman) read a paper, which was at once witty and informational, 

 upon art pottery, and Mr. Bingham himself gave a modest little sketch of the rise 

 and progress of his business. 



So much interest was manifested by the members present in the inspection of 

 this little old-world-like factory that probably those who were absent will welcome 

 the reproduction of the following narrative, worthy of permanent record, of a 

 visit to the Pottery, copies of which, reprinted from the "Chelmsford Chronicle" 

 of October 29th, 1886, were handed to the visitors : — 



" Castle Hedingham Pottery. 



" Many visitors doubtless come to Hedingham and go away again ignorant of 

 the existence of one feature of interest which, though it cannot boast a place 

 among the antiquities, is yet not unconnected with things antique. The Heding- 

 ham Pottery Works will amply repay a visit. 



" Having determined to give the worthy proprietor a call, and to inspect the 

 work carried on in this old-world little pottery, we enter the little gate in the lane 

 near the A^icarage, and are immediately confronted by a small glass-fronted show 

 case, in which are a few specimens of the articles produced in the works. We 

 make our way along a path beneath well-laden fruit trees, and, stopping before 

 the dwelling-house of the proprietor, ring a bell which we find outside. While 

 waiting for the appearance of some member of the household we glance around, 

 and on our left note an outhouse in which are specimens of the coarser kinds of 

 ware ; on our right, through an open door, we catch glimpses of pieces of ware of 

 a superior order. A large garden surrounds the buildings, and on an eminence at 

 the farther end we notice a collection of primitive looking buildings, which we 

 surmise to be the sheds in which the work of the potters is carried on. But the 

 bell has brought to our service a female member of the potter's family, who, in 

 answer to our inquiry for Mr. Bingham, the proprietor, politely requests us to 

 'follow the path to the right' (words, we afterwards think, which seem to be the 

 keynote of all that is attempted in the private and professional life of this family 

 of potters). The path to the right leads to a long, low building, the door of 

 which we open, and are almost rude enough to stand and gaze at the quaint pic- 

 ture that meets our eye before we return the courteous greeting of the proprietor, 

 who is engaged in adding some chastely-moulded ornament to a vase standing 

 before him. The walls of the shed and the beams seem every inch of them to be 

 covered with texts of Scripture having reference to potters and pottery, and 

 roughly written in chalk or on slips of paper ; with sketches embracing specimens 

 of pottery of all times and kinds ; with copies of old and curious inscriptions. 

 Several ancient engravings, dated 1610, of ancient Roman ware, catch the eye 

 over a doorway leading towards the kiln. At a wheel near the entrance sits Mr. 



