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HOWCANS or POT HOWCANS POTTERY. 
Near Ovenden, Halifax, a pottery was started here somewhere 
about the middle of the 17th century, and slip ware and black 
glazed articles of various kinds were made by a fa mil) 7 of the name 
of Halliday. Mr. Nicholas Taylor, late of the Denholme Pottery, 
to whom I am indebted for much information about these South 
Yorkshire Potteries, says that the Hallidays first started aspotteis 
at Puel Nick, about i-| miles from Halifax, and there is still the 
name of Potters Yard at Puel. From here they established them¬ 
selves at Bateain, about 2\ miles from Halifax, and half-a-mile 
beyond Howcans. Bateain farm was in the tenancy of Hallidays 
from about 1655 to I 87 2 > Tom Halliday giving up the farm in 
1872, but the pottery at Puel was closed many years before this. 
The estate belonged to the family of Deardings. The business 
was removed to Howcans and was carried on there for over a 
hundred years, the works being finally closed in 1889, still under 
the Hallidays. 
Mr. Taylor worked at the Howcans Pottery for some time, and 
he has in his possession a most interesting indenture, dated 1789, 
which he obtained from one of the Hallidays. The indenture was 
in regard to this man's grandfather being apprenticed to pot 
making. 
Potting at Howcans and at Bateain must have been carried on 
very largely, for in scarcely any part of the estate can excavations 
be made without potsherds in plenty being turned up. 
As at all these South Yorkshire Potteries, black ware and red 
ware, ornamented with a bright dark brown glaze and a yellow 
slip were made, the ornamentation in slip being done by inlaying, 
relief, or quill stringing. Many prints in relief were done at 
Howcans. Tea caddies, knife boxes, cradles, teapots, tobacco- 
boxes, ornamental flower pots, puzzle jugs, salt kits, moneyboxes, 
etc., were made here. A fine series is contained in the Bankfield 
Museum, Halifax, collected by Mr. Ling Roth. We have several 
specimens, also some fragments of a very beautiful marbled and 
combed ware, made here. 
