JOSIAH WEDGWOOD'S MARRIAGE. 157 



January, in the year One Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty-four, 

 by me, 



" JOHN HARDING, Curate. 

 11 This marriage was solemnised between us, 



" Jos. WEDGWOOD, 

 " SARAH WEDGWOOD. 

 " In the presence of 

 " ED. WEDGWOOD, 

 . CLARK." 



The Richard Wedgwood, one of the witnesses to the 

 marriage, was, of course, Richard Wedgwood of Smallwood, 

 the father of the bride. . 



The Wedgwoods of Smallwood were descended from Aaron, 

 the sixth son of Gilbert, from whom also the " Big House" 

 and "Red Lion" families were derived, while Josiah was 

 descended, as I have already shown, from Thomas, the third 

 son of Gilbert, and, therefore, elder brother to Aaron. The 

 simple table on the next page, which I have drawn up, leaving 

 out the collateral branches and descents, will show the rela- 

 tionship that existed between the great Josiah and his bride, 

 and also both his and her descent, through several genera- 

 tions, from the Wedgwoods of Harracles and Leek. 



By his marriage Josiah Wedgwood received an accession 

 to his fortune, in the dowry of his wife, who eventually, as 

 sole heiress to her father, and to her brother John, who died 

 without issue in 1774, brought to him the whole of the 

 property of the Smallwood branch of the family. This 

 fortune, I have heard it stated, amounted in the end to no 

 less than 20,000 a magnificent sum in those days, and 

 of incalculable use to a rising, energetic, and judicious 

 manufacturer. 



About this period the brothers, Thomas and John Wedg- 

 wood, of the " Big House," retired from business, and Josiah 

 made proposals for the purchase of their works and those of 

 the Ivy House, which he then rented under them. This 

 offer, unfortunately for the town, but fortunately for Wedg- 

 wood himself, was not accepted. Had the property passed 



