36 replies to this topic

[potter]

Hello Everyone,
Only just joined the site, but would like as much information as you can give on adding to research at present undertaken on the history of the potteries and their families in Prescot, St.Helens and surrounding areas.The families were very close knit and inter-linked.But their social history remains very much untold.The reputation of the potteries was worldwide and within the Country stretched from Dorset and London in the South, to Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland.Involving such men as Stevenson,Watt,Doulton and Wedgwood.If I can give any help on family history links involving potter's I will try my best to find them.Prescot had a flourishing pottery trade for many years not only on a small individual scale but also a large industrial scale which saw export trade to Countries like America, Australia and Africa with large influxes of emigrants from this Country requesting pottery of all types. Posted by Nutgrover.

[stephen nulty]

Nutgrover

Welcome to the forum.

Would Pottery Fields in Prescot be associated with the trade? (SOunds obvious, doesn't it?).

I know that the Windmill was just at the top of Pottery Fields, as noted in previous threads, but I'm not aware of any actual potteries around there.

[potter]

Hello Stephen,
The answer to your question is yes, there was a pottery by pottery fields. In fact in that immediate area there was at least three over a period of time.Unfortunately, nothing now remains to show they where ever there, apart from the name and if you look on the tithe map for 1848 the pottery is still standing.Several potteries existed under the name Acres Pottery, which included Acres row and Acres View aswell with the new Acres pottery company.All these worked under different potter families.An area which was called Bond's acre also contained a number of potters working kilns on the same site.Nutgrover.

[potter]

Hello LLANYBE,
You asked about the name Halewood and him being a claypotter.I will see if I can find more info on him and his family in Prescot and the trade he was in and whereabouts he worked. Nutgrover.

Hi Steve,
You mention about the Windmill close to pottery fields.The Acres Mill pottery is named after the mill site.I think the windmill was used as a flour mill originally and if I remember was run by the Lamb family.But don't quote me on that I may be wrong.As for the number of potteries in Prescot, the search is ongoing but upwards of twenty at the last count.The numbers of potters are far too many to list here for they run into the hundreds.But fair to say if you have a Prescot/st helens local name then it's a good bet at least one of the name has been a potter at some point. Cheers Nutgrover.

[RATTY]

I have a picture of another windmill on the site of what was later Prescot boys grammar school and am sure there was another down where Park Avenue is behind the police station,we got our info from a leaflet from the museum when my son was in junior school, he did a project on his neighbourhood, he included pictures of then and now, I also have one of the old BICC factory when first opened.
Heres a pic of some Prescot pottery.









You must have seen these photos, but for others benefit.....

http://history.knows...ch_prescot.html

[potter]

Thanks for the photo and info Ratty, yes there where a few dotted around Prescot as you say.One was at Mill hill and another was probably behind where the Hope and anchor is now.Although most of the windmills where situated at the top of the brow of Prescot, the kiln sites in all directions being situated further out of the town and consequently most of them downhill.Regards Nutgrover.

[RATTY]

Correcting my previous post there was a windmill on the site of girls grammar and another on Warrington Road
in addition to Acres Mill called Gartho Mill. Sorry for any confusion.

[potter]

No problem Ratty, I'd forgotten about the one on Park avenue.But any other details on windmill sites would be most welcome if they are in the Prescot area.Although not all used in pottery. the windmills where used to grind down the flint to add to mixtures for glazing the pottery.Nutgrover.

[dickie mint]

If you google Wickedpedia " list of windmills in lancashire" there is a picture of a windmill sited in prescot which burnt down in 1903

[potter]

Cheers for that Dickie mint, I have had a look at the list. Nutgrover.

[Gareth]

There were five windmills in Prescot -

1. The windmill belonging to the Manor of Prescot which existed from about 1400 to about 1800. It stood on the site where the carpark between Mill Street and Stone Street is in front of the Victoria. When it wasn't windy, there was another mill alongside worked by a horse.

2. Acres Mill between Pottery Fields and Houghton Street, just south of the Royal Oak. It was built in the 1770s, and was run at the end of its life by John Garth (hence also being called Garth's Mill). Burnt down August 9th 1908 - though the sails had been taken off a few years before when it was converted to be run by a steam engine. Garth also had a milling business, not a windmill but all steam-powered, in the High Street next to where the Hope and Anchor is.

3. A little windmill in Mill Pottery, about 100 yards south east of Acres Mill. It was described in a sale notice of 1814 as a "wind lead mill" - ie it was used to grind lead for making pottery glazes. Still in existence in 1848 but gone not long after.

4. Parkside Mill (actually over the town boundary in Knowsley), on Park Road roughly opposite The Spinney. Built about the same time as Acres Mill but gone by about 1830.

5. A windmill at the bottom of Sewell Street near where The Engine pub was later built. It powered pumps draining a coal mine and was replaced by a steam engine (hence the name of the pub) in the 1740s.

There was also a watermill (which is only recorded a couple of times about ten years apart around 1600), described as being "on the Rindlebrook" - this would be somewhere near the bottom of Rindlebrook Lane off South Avenue.

If Prescot Historic Society is still going, they have in their library at the Museum a copy of the research I did on Prescot mills about 1990. They also have a photo titled "An old mill building, Prescot", also sometimes appearing in publications as a picture of a brewery in Prescot, which is actually of the town walls in Great Yarmouth - don't be misled!

Gareth

PS - regarding the original subject of this thread - my Great great grandfather was Richard Davies of Richard Davies and Sons Pottery at Sutton Heath which was in business until the late 1960s - his father Thomas was a potter at the Mill Pottery in Prescot

[potter]

Since being originally registered as Nutgrover and being off-line for awhile, now registered under potter,I know it has been a time since writing Gareth, but if you are still on the connect site,please post again to me, regisyered as potter as I think we are quite likely to be related, you quoted the same Grandfather line as my self just a generation later.Regards potter.

[Dave]

Potter - I merged Nutgrover into your new account.

[Phyll]

Potter/Nutgrover, You're confusing me with your name change!
Anyway, thanks for bringing back this topic. I hadn't seen these before while browsing.
It's very interesting and also the other one about Windmills that Gareth did. I loved the photos, especially the mill that stood on College Street.
I am particularly interested in that area, do you or anyone have any
more information about it.
Just a thought. I noticed Gareth hasn't been on for a while, so maybe you should PM him.

Ratty, Thanks for the other site too, it was great!

Edited by Phyll, 09 August 2010 - 05:28 AM.

[potter]

Cheers Dave thanks fo merging the two together identities for me.
Phyll I'll have a look for you to see what I have on the area,is it the history of that area or the people and family connections you are more interested in?.Narrows the search down if I know what your looking for, best regards POTTER.