THE EARLY POTTERIES OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 63 



to every trifling improvement as an infringement of his 

 patent, and threatening his neighbours with suits in equity 

 to protect his sole rights; till at length self-defence urged 

 them to bear the expenses of a suit he had commenced 

 against J. Mitchell, to try the validity of the patent, at 

 Stafford, in 1736 ; and very aged persons, whose parents 

 were present, give the general facts of the trial : All the 

 manufacturers being interested in the decision, those most 

 respectable were in the court. Witnesses proved Astbury's 

 invention and prior usage of the practice, and a special 

 jury of great intelligence and wealth gave a verdict against 

 Mr. Shaw. The learned judge, after nullifying the patent, 

 thus addressed the audience ' Go home, potters, and make 

 whatever kinds of pots you please.' The hall re-echoed 

 with acclamations, and the strongest ebullitions of satis- 

 faction from the potters, to the indescribable mortification 

 of Mr. Shaw and his family, who afterwards went to France, 

 where he carried forward his manufactory, whence some of 

 his family returned to Burslem about 1750." This event 

 is thus characteristically spoken of in native tongue, in the 

 " Burslem Dialect," by Mr. Ward : 



TerricJc. Dust moind, Eafe, owt o' th' treyal at Staffurt o' Johnny 

 Mutchil for makkin Rafy Shay's patten ware ? 



Leigh. Oi just remember, bu oi wur ony a big lad at th' teyme. 

 It had bin mitch tawkt abaht, an when it wur oer, they aw toud'n 

 wot th' judge sed to th' mesters " Gooa whoom, potters, an mak 

 wot soourts o' pots yoa loiken." And when they coomn to Boslem, 

 aw th' bells i' Hoositon, an Stooke, an th' tahn, wurn ringin loike 

 hey-go-mad, aw th' dey. 



The kind of ware just described was sometimes known 

 as "bit-stone ware," from "bits" of stone being used to 

 separate the pieces in the oven. This was, of course, prior 

 to the use of " stilts," " triangles," or " cockspurs."* 



* The marks produced by these ingenious little contrivances for keep- 

 ing the pieces of ware from sticking to each other while under the action 

 of fire, may frequently be noticed on pottery. It has been absurdly said 

 that three spots on the bottoms of old pieces of china denoted it to be 



