Dudley Westropp — The Pottery Manufacture in Ireland. 15 



Delamain is to be continued in the most extensive manner as formerly for the 

 advantage of their children. 



Henry Delamain's brother, William Delamain, and Samuel "Wilkinson were 

 the persons who carried on the business, and, on November 6th, 1761, pre- 

 sented the following petition to Parliament : — " Petition of Samuel Wilkinson 

 and William Delamain, executors of Mary Delamain, late of the city of Dublin, 

 earthenware manufacturer. That the late Henry Delamain erected a manu- 

 factory for earthenware, in which he discovered the art of burning with coal 

 instead of wood, and brought it to such perfection as not only to excel any- 

 thing of the kind ever attempted in this kingdom before, but to equal the 

 best foreign ware imported, in which he expended his entire fortune of £6,000 

 and upwards. In 1753 Parliament granted him £1,000, and in 1755 the 

 Dublin Society gave a further sum of £1,1 00. That on the decease of Henry 

 Delamain his late widow Mary Delamain, carried on the business with great 

 success, and declined troubling Parliament in 1757, assured that the manu- 

 facture would support itself ; but, finding that the export of the ware to 

 foreign markets was prevented by the war, Mary Delamain petitioned Parlia- 

 ment in 1759 ; but no further money was granted in that year to private 

 petitioners. That the petitioners since the decease of Mary Delamain have 

 carried on the manufacture for the advantage of the orphans of Henry and 

 Mary Delamain in particular and of the nation in general with so much 

 success as to prevent the import of foreign ware which annually carried out 

 of the country above £10,000 to France, and have supplied dealers in every 

 principal seaport of this kingdom. That petitioners, by commencing on a 

 small stock, are prevented from purchasing coals and other materials in the 

 proper season, and lowering the price of the ware, or employing between two 

 and three hundred of the poor natives, and, on a peace, of exporting to foreign 

 markets above £20,000 worth every year, over and above the home 

 consumption." 



This petition was referred to a committee for consideration ; and the 

 following witnesses were examined : — " William Delamain, being sworn, said 

 that the late Henry Delamain expended £8,000 and upwards in building 

 houses, mills, kilns, and completing an apparatus for an earthenware manu- 

 factory sufficient to employ about three hundred people, in making experi- 

 ments to discover the art of burning with coal instead of wood (which the 

 many who attempted it in this kingdom and elsewhere have failed in), bringing 

 artists from abroad at immense expense, in which he was opposed by the 

 proprietors of different manufactures, and improving the earthenware manu- 

 facture. That the manufacture is brought to such perfection as to exclude 

 the importation of Eouen and Burgundy ware these last five years, which 



