THE ROMANTIC LIFE OF JOSIAH WEDGWOOD

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 35, 11 February 1939, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE ROMANTIC LIFE OF JOSIAH WEDGWOOD

JT would be somewhat difficult to select a more interesting biographical sketch tlian that of Josiah Wedgwood. The part which he was destined to play in the lives of people all over the world is, perhaps, more appreciated than known. To-day the ahope, and many of our homea, have an abundance of the results of the

potter's art, varying from ordinary, everyday crockery to beautiful and expensive porcelain, but behind this a background of history, and the man to whom we owe a great deal k Josiah Wedgwood.

At the beginning of the reign of George 111., the articles of the dinner table were generally of metal among the higher ranks, and of wood among the lower or poorer class. The porcelain which had been produced at

Dresden since the beginning of the century was then but little known in England.

It was reserved for Josiah Wedgwood first to apply effectually the principles of science and taste to this department of our national manufactures.

Josiah Wedgwood was born in July, 1730. He had received a limited education and early in life became a cog in the wheels of his father's pottery industry.

Only the coarsest kinds of earthenware were then being produced. The art of fabricating Teasels from clay, which was known to the Egyptians and other nations of antiquity, and also to the Chinese who produced 'china' ware, had been dabbled with in Staffordshire as early as the fifth century, but with but poor results. In this part of England was found an abundance of clay, and as it was practically useless for agriculture, Staffordshire seemed to fit in with the requirements necessary for the industry with which we are now concerned.

At thia period the ware turned out *m very clumsy and the colours both coarse and unskilfully applied, the glazing consisting entirely of lead ore, * aubstance attendant with dangers to human life. About 1690

some improvements were introduced

By | p Clem Eggleton jj

by two brothers from Holland named Ellers, who settled at Burslem. Misfortune, however, dogged their steps and because of the dense smoke from their furnace annoying the neighbours the Ellers had to give up the manufacturing business and returned to Holland. J

Later on a Mr. Aatbury decided to add powdered flint to the clay* and was surprised and delighted with the resulta. Attention was paid to a-ording a greater precision to the movements of the potter's wheel by an ingenious mechanic Aleager. Staffordshire ware, however, continued to possess but little merit at the beginning of the reign of George 111.

Josiah Wedgwood, meantime, had entered business on his own account

in partnership with a Mr. Bentley. A prominent chemist was consulted and his services retained, and from this commencement we begin to find improvement in composition, form ana colour of common wares. Is 1793 he attracted public notice by. producing a species of ware greatly superior in beauty to any ever before manufactured in England. This waa really the beginning of the now famous Wedgwood ware, go much valued to-day. Clay was obtained from Devonshire and Dorsetshire, mixed with ground flint and specially coated with a vitreous glaze. He called it "Queen's ware" in honour of the youthful consort of George 111., and to whom he presented a service of it. By his own taste a classical elegance was given to everything Mr. Wedgwood produced. Staffordshire was now put on the map. A manufacturing trade had sprung into being that was to become well known the wide world over.

New avenues for expression of this great talent were opened up and articles of all sorts began to come on to the market, beautiful vases, urns, jugs and platters, and into every article went skill and patience. More than this, to Joaiah Wedgwood the world owes a great debt for the discovery and invention of the pyrometer, an instrument for measuring great degrees of heat. The original "pyrometer" has, of course, now been superseded by other instruments of delicate accuracy, but will always be remembered for its one-time originality and usefulness. A few words concerning this invention will be of interest to our young readers. Wedgwood had observed that alumina, one of the chief substances employed in his manufacture, became diminished in weight and bulk in proportion to the degree of heat to which it was exposed. He wanted to be able to measure those degrees of heat which exceeded the range of the mercurial thermometer, and constructed an instrument consisting of pieces of clay of known sizes, and a graduated apparatus for measuring their bulk with accuracy. One of the pieces was exposed to heat, and the temperature was . then judged by its construction.

' An account of this instrument and its tents was presented by Josiah Wedgwood to the Royal Society in ,1782. Jie, a natural result of hia great work and enterprise, Wedgwood became very wealthy. He built a mansion in the vicinity of his large manufacturing plant, and «ve liberally to many deserving object*. He had the satisfaction of seeing a great increase in the population of Staffordshire, due chiefly to the spread of the pottery manufacture all over the district.

In the year 1795 .Toeiah Wedgwood died, but he left two eons, who carried on the great work their father had commenced.

Practically every home to-day, even those of the more humble of us, ia the proud possessor of ft few pieces of this elegant and beautiful pottery, but the history of tha founder, and the romance attached to his life and work, may have been known to few.