CHAPTER VII. 



MARRIAGE OF JOSIAH WEDGWOOD. THE WEDGWOODS OF SMALL- * 

 WOOD. PEDIGREE SHOWING RELATIONSHIP OF JOSIAH AND 

 SARAH WEDGWOOD. ACCESSION OF FORTUNE. THOMAS 

 AND JOHN WEDGWOOD, OF THE " BIG HOUSE." MOVEMENT 

 FOR BUILDING BURSLEM SCHOOL. STATE OF THE ROADS IN 

 STAFFORDSHIRE : WEDGWOOD'S PROJECT FOR THEIR IM- 

 PROVEMENT OPPOSITION OF THE POTTERS OF NEWCASTLE. 

 WEDGWOOD'S VISITS TO LIVERPOOL ILLNESS THERE. 



INTRODUCTION TO THOMAS BENTLEY. ERROR REGARDING 



BENTLEY. MEDALLION OF THOMAS BENTLEY. 



IN 1764, Josiah Wedgwood, then in his thirty-fourth year, 

 the sole proprietor of an extensive, lucrative, and rapidly 

 increasing manufactory, and enjoying the proud distinction 

 of being " Potter to her Majesty," and of having earned for 

 himself a name and fame which were the envy of all his 

 neighbours, married and brought home his young bride to 

 the Ivy House, at Burslem. The lady who became his wife 

 was his distant in fact, the magical number of " seven 

 times removed" cousin, Sarah Wedgwood, the daughter, 

 and eventually sole heiress, of Eichard Wedgwood, Esq., of 

 Smallwood, in Cheshire. The marriage was solemnised just 

 a hundred years ago, on the 25th of January, in the year 

 1764, as will be seen from the following copy of the register 

 of the parish of Astbury, which has been kindly furnished to 

 me by the rector of that place : 



"Astbury Church, Cheshire. 

 "No. 453. 



[All the first part of the register not filled in.] 



"Married in this church, by License, this twenty-fifth day of 



