1 6 Josiah Wedgwood CHAP. 



their fine wares in secret; the secret must be dis- 

 covered. Two Burslem potters, Astbury and Twyford, 

 set their wits to work. Astbury pretended to be an 

 idiot. He applied at the pottery for work; obtained 

 it, and was set to turn the wheel. To maintain his 

 character of idiot, he made numerous mistakes; he 

 quietly submitted to the kicks and cuffs which the 

 other workmen bestowed upon him. 



But all the while Astbury's eyes were very wide 

 open. In turning the wheel he carefully witnessed 

 every process, and examined particularly every utensil 

 which was employed. " The ass," as he was supposed 

 to be, was allowed to go through every department of 

 the work, and on returning home at night he made 

 models of the various implements employed. He also 

 preserved careful memoranda of the various processes 

 he had seen. He remained in the works for two years, 

 and at the end of that time he was master of the 

 " secrets " of the Elers' manufactory. 



About the same time, Twyford, another Burslem 

 potter, discovered the same secrets, but it is unnecessary 

 to describe his pretences of idiocy. On their discharge, 

 both began business on their own account at Shelton. 

 They made red ware, crouch ware, and white stoneware 

 from the native clays, using salt glaze for some of the 

 vessels and lead ore for others. Astbury seems to have 

 been the more successful of the two. He made journeys 

 to London, where he sold his ware, and obtained further 

 orders. 



