28 



THE WEDGWOODS. 



In 1686, Dr. Plot published his " Staffordshire," and thus 

 spoke of the butter trade, and butter pots then made :* 



" Prom which Limestone Hills, and rich pastures and meddows, 

 the great Dairys are maintained in this part of Staffordshire, that 

 supply Uttoxeter Mercat with such vast quantities of good butter and 

 cheese, that the Cheesemongers of London have thought it worth 

 their while to set up a Factorage here for these commodities, which 

 are brought in from this, and the neighbouring county of Derby, in 

 so great plenty, that the Pactors many Mercat days (in the season) 

 lay out no less than five hundred pounds a day in these two com- 

 modities only. The Butter they buy by the Pot of a long cylindrical 

 form, made at Bu'rslem, in this county, of a certain size, so as not 

 to weigh above six pounds at most, and yet to contain at least 14 

 pounds of Butter, according to an Act of Parliament made about 

 14 or 16 years agoe, for regulateing the abuses of this trade in the 

 make of Pots, and false packing of the Butter ; which before was 

 sometimes layed good for a little depth at the top, and bad at the 

 bottom; and sometimes set in rolls only touching at the top, and 

 standing hollow below at a great distance from the sides of the pot. 

 To prevent these little Moorlandish cheats (than whom no people 

 whatever are esteemed more subtile) the Pactors keep a Surveyor all 

 the Summer here, who if he have ground to suspect any of the Pots, 

 tryes them with an instrument of Iron, made like a Cheese- Taster, 

 only much larger and longer, called an Auger or Butter-loare, with 

 which he makes proof (thrusting it in obliquely] to the bottom of 

 the Pot;- so that they weigh none (which would be an endless 

 business) or very seldom ; nor do they lore it neither, where they 

 know their customer to be a constant fair dealer. But their Cheese, 

 which comes but little, if anything, short of that of Cheshire, they 

 sell by weight as at other places." 



In reference to this, Mr. Kedfern, the historian of Ut- 

 toxeter, says : 



" Butter pots are mentioned in the parochial records of the town 

 forty years before Dr. Plot wrote ; for five pots of butter were sent 

 from Uttoxeter to the garrison of Tutbury Castle, and had been 

 bought at. the sum of 12s. As this was seventeen years before the 

 Act of Parliament for the regulation of the sale of butter in pots, it 

 is difficult from this to judge of the exact price of butter per pound 



* Probably Written about ten years before printed. 



