xxii Character of Wedgwood 295 



rude description. Hanley, now of considerable im- 

 portance, had then seven small potters. The village 

 had only one horse and one mule. There was neither 

 cart nor carriage of any description in the place. The 

 coals were carried on men's or women's backs. There 

 were only two houses at Stoke Ward's and Poulson's 

 but no potteries. 



When Wedgwood had fairly established himself, 

 and obtained a large increase of trade, he was of course 

 imitated by other manufacturers, and this . led to a 

 still larger increase. The total annual amount of the 

 whole manufacture of earthenware in the Staffordshire 

 Potteries in 1725 was under 15,000 in value ; whereas 

 in 1777, about fifty years later, it had increased more 

 than fivefold. In 1785 there were 200 master manu- 

 facturers, and from 15,000 to 20,000 persons employed 

 in earning bread by their daily work. Of course, at 

 the same time there was a large proportionate increase 

 in the population of the Potteries generally. 1 



Wedgwood was a large and public spirited man. 

 Besides attending to the building up of his own special 

 trade, he did all that he could to open up the district 

 to the trade of the world. He exerted himself to make 

 turnpikes and highways through Staffordshire ; and 

 when the Grand Trunk Canal was projected, he devoted 

 himself, heart and soul, to its success. He also 



1 According to the census of 1871, Hanley contained 40,000 

 inhabitants. The population of the Staffordshire potteries then 

 numbered 166,625. 



