32 
YORKSHIRE POTTERIES, ETC. 
The firm was styled “ William Tomlinson and Co.” until about 
the year 1796, when the proprietors took into partnership Ralph 
Wedgwood, of Burslem, when the style was changed to that of 
“ Tomlinson, Foster, Wedgwood, and Co.‘ Ralph Wedgwood 
was a nephew of the great Josiah. He was a man of considerable 
inventive genius, but too eccentric and visionary for the affairs of 
every-day life, and in consequence of the great expense involved 
in following out his experiments, the partnership was dissolved in 
1800 or 1801, and the style “ Tomlinson and Co.” was resumed, 
and so continued until 1834, when it was changed to “Tomlinson, 
Plowes, and Co.,” Mr. Plowes of the Castleford Pottery having 
joined the proprietary. 
In 1804 the name of the manufactory, which up to that period 
had been called the Knottmgley Pottery, was changed to that of 
the Ferrybridge Pottery. This change was made for the con¬ 
venience of foreign correspondence, a large foreign trade being 
carried on, Ferrybridge being at that time a post town of some 
note, and the works being situated nearer to it than Knottingley. 
Mr. Tomlinson was succeeded by his son Edward Tomlinson, 
who continued the works under the firm of “ Edward Tomlinson 
and Co.” until the year 1826, when he finally retired. A part 
of the premises was then worked for a short time by Messrs. 
W igglesworth and Ingham, when the whole place was taken by 
Messrs. Reed, Taylor, and Kelsall, who continued the manufactory 
until the retirement of Mr. Kelsall, after which the works were 
continued by the surviving partners, Messrs. James Reed and 
Benjamin Taylor. Mr. Reed, who was father of John Reed, of 
the Mexborough Pottery, was a man of great practical skill, and 
in his time many improvements in the ware were made and the 
manufacture of China introduced, but only for a short period. He, 
in conjunction with his partners, took the Mexborough Pottery, 
and for some time carried on the two establishments conjointly. 
Ultimately Mr. Reed gave up the Ferrybridge works, and confined 
himself to those of Mexborough, whilst Mr. Taylor carried on the 
Ferrybridge works alone. 
After Mr. Taylor gave up the works, Mr. Lewis Woolf entered 
upon them as tenant for a few years, and in 1856 became the 
purchaser and commenced manufacturing in his own name. In 
the following year, 1857, a large additional pottery was built 
closely adjoining and connected with the Ferrybridge Pottery, 
by the sons of Mr. Lewis Woolf. This new manufactory was 
