A Lost Industry

At one time Mexborough had a very successful pottery. The Rock Pottery was first quite a small affair, and the first articles made were brown and yellow ware, and common red garden pots. It was commenced by a man named Beevers, who, however, took a partner of the name of Ford, and they carried on for some years under the title of Beevers and Ford.

The rooms were built quite close to the upright surface of rock which indeed formed the back wall of the manufactory, hence the name of the pottery. Its exact situation was given by Mr Hancock who states it was situated behind the premises now occupied by Mr Frank Harrison. At first only native clays we use. After time the works were purchased by Messrs Reid and Taylor, who had a pottery at Ferrybridge. They were now enlarged very considerably, and the manufacture of finer kinds of earthenware was commenced.

In 1839 Mr James Reed acquired the sole ownership of the pottery, leaving his parner, and for the next 10 years he carried on the business alone. The manufactory then passed to is son Mr John Reed. During both Mr John and Mr James Reed’s management considerable alterations and additions were made to the works, new kilns were built, the character of the productions was much improved, and the making of many new varieties of ware was introduced.

On the death of Mr John Reed, the works were continued by his executors, who appointed Mr C Bullock as manager. In the year 1873 the pottery was sold to Messrs Sidney Woolf & Co of the Australian Pottery, Ferrybridge, and they main extensions to the works and introduced many new varieties of shapes and patterns. The goods made included ordinary white earthenware in the most marketable varies of printed painted enamel and guilt dinner, toilet and other services. In Rockingham ware all the usual kind of vessels. In green glazed earthenware, desert services with embossed foliage, many of which were made from the original moulds of the Rockingham works at Swinton, which had been bought by Mr John Reed, and when the Swinton works were closed the models continue to be used at the Rock Pottery. In particular two of the specialities of the Swinton Rockingham Pottery, the famous “lotus” vase and a porcelain representative of the Keep of Conisbrough Castle were manufactured at Mexborough from the original models for many years. It would be interesting to know whether any of the specimens are still existing in any local China display cabinet. The mark use by Mr Reid was simply *REED*in large capitals impress on the ware.

A second Pottery at Mexborough was known as the Mexborough Pottery; this was begun by Messrs Sowter and Bromley, who carried on until 1804 when the pottery was bought by Mr Peter Barker, who was the son of Joseph Barker, who came to the district as manager of the Swinton pottery, from Staffordshire. Peter Barker and his brother Jesse carried on the works for several years and were succeeded by the latter’s son, by name Samuel, who in 1834 purchase the Don pottery, and for 10 years conducted both establishment, but in 1844 the Mexborough Pottery was closed, and Mr Barker confined his energies to the Don Pottery.

One of the most famous products of the Don Pottery is the “Jumper” Joe, specimens of which are probably now very rare. On either side of the jug is shown an uncouth yokel in red coat, pink waistcoat, striped green and white under waistcoat, orange neckerchief, and orange breeches above which his shirt is exposed. He wears top boots with spurs; he is holding his at, which is orange coloured, on which is a card which reads “Milton forever.”

Beneath the spout on a scroll are the lines:

“The figure there is no mistaking,
It is the famous Man for — breaking,
Oh! that instead of Horse & Mare,
He had but broken Crockery Ware,
Each grateful Potter in a Bumper
Might drink the Health of Orange Jumper.”

The effigy represented a well-known local character employed as a horse breaker at Wentworth, and known as Orange Jumper. In the great Yorkshire parliamentary election in 1807, perhaps the most strenuous contested and the costliest on record, the candidates were Lord Milton, Lord of Lascelles and Mr Wilberforce, the main rivalry being between the representative of Fitzwilliam and Harewood families. Orange jumper was employed to carry dispatches between Wentworth and York. The Fitzwilliam colour was orange and blue was that of Lascelles. On one occasion Orange Jumper entered York decked out as represented on the jug, but riding a donkey, gaily sporting bright blue ribbons. In reply to the jeering, which his apparent inconsistency provoked, he smartly replied that he wore the correct colours, and asked for his ass, it was like all other asses, for they were but donkeys who wore the blue colours.

Lord Milton was victorious and these jugs were manufactured in commemoration of the famous victory. They are marked “Don Pottery” pencilled in red on the underside. Specimens may probably still exist in the locality.

Mr Jewitt in his “Ceramic art in Great Britain” tells the story of a piece of china made at this pottery to which is attached a somewhat gruesome story. A party of potters from the Don and Swinton pottery’s had been to Sheffield for a carousal, leaving the town the next morning early to walk back, no doubt still rather befuddled. Passing over the Moor or Common, at Attercliffe they reached the gibbet on which still hung, as it had done for years in chains, the gaunt skeleton of Spence Broughton. One of the revellers said “Let’s ha’ rap at him,” and threw a stone, knocking off the bones of two of the skeleton’s fingers, which were picked up and carried home as souvenirs. Sometime later, when experimenting with clays, the bones were produced, calcined, and mixed with the “body.” Of this a seal with a gibbet was made, and also a jug. The jug was painted by Taylor Booth, and was given to a friend named Speight, from whom it passed to his son and by whom it was passed by an old man to Mr Jewitt, from whom he heard the story.