56 THE WEDGWOODS. 



possession. Others, for comparison, may be seen in the 

 Museum at Hanley, and the Museum of Practical Geology. 

 In 1710 Mr. Thomas Heath, of Lane Delph, manufactured 

 this kind of ware, and was very successful. His productions 

 were of a good blue-greyish white, and were decorated in the 

 usual Delft fashion, with landscapes and other blue patterns 

 rudely drawn by hand. 



Delft ware was originally, as its name imports, made at 

 Delft, in Holland, where it is stated the manufacture of 

 earthenware was carried on as early as 1310. In the middle 

 of the seventeenth century there were, it is stated by 

 Chaffers, " nearly fifty potteries in operation at Delft, 

 employing more than a fourth part of the entire population, 

 viz., about 7,000 persons, and this was the most flourishing 

 period of its existence. In the middle of the eighteenth 

 century they were reduced to twenty-four, yet making a 

 considerable quantity of pottery. At the present day, of all 

 this number of potteries only one remains, and its produc- 

 tions are of a very inferior character, being of a yellowish 

 pipe-clay, devoid of any attempt at ornamentation." Of this 

 great change Von Bleswych says that the Delft pottery 

 " was so famous, not only in these provinces, but also in 

 Brabant, Flanders, France, Spain, and in the West and 

 East Indies, that in a few years twenty-eight potteries were 

 established in Delft alone ; the number was afterwards 

 increased to thirty. But these, like all similar establish- 

 ments, had their turn of prosperity ; for in 170& the number 

 had decreased to twenty. In another twentj^-six years more 

 were given up. In 1808 six only were in existence, and in 

 1849 we are informed that only two remained. The hard 

 paste wares of Wedgwood were found to be as superior to 

 those of Delft as those of Delft had been to the soft wares of 

 the preceding epoch. This naturally caused the decline of 

 this celebrated production, which now gave place to the 

 English wares." 



For a long period the bulk of the pots used in England 

 were imported from Holland, but Dutch workmen coming 



