v Wedgwood begins Business for Himself 5 1 



Though Wedgwood's time was almost fully occupied 

 with his own concerns, he yet found leisure to attend 

 to the improvement of the roads leading to and from 

 Burslem, which were then in a villainous condition. 

 It was before the days of Macadam, and the hollow 

 lanes were narrow, tortuous, miry, and in all ways 

 abominable. Stones were thrown in by passers-by at 

 the deepest places ; but there was no such thing as 

 local superintendence. The trade of the district, it is 

 true, was not very great ; but, under the influence of 

 Wedgwood, it was rapidly increasing. The population 

 of the pottery districts was only about 7000 in 1760, 

 the year when Wedgwood began business on his own 

 account ; but the growing and expanding trade could 

 only be encouraged by improving the condition of the 

 roads and byways. 



The principal materials used iu the manufacture 

 of the best kinds of pottery were brought from con- 

 siderable distances ; flint stones from the south-eastern 

 parts of England, and the best kinds of porcelain 

 clay from Devonshire and Cornwall. The flints were 

 brought by sea to Hull, and the finer clay to Liver- 

 pool. Considerable quantities of clay were also con- 

 veyed in boats up the Severn to Bridgnorth and 

 Bewdley, whence the materials were conveyed, chiefly 

 on pack-horses, to the villages in the potteries, where 

 they were worked up into earthenware. 



The manufactured articles were returned for con- 

 sumption and export in the same rude manner. Crates 



