The Pledge Book above is from Handsacre Primitive Methodists and I would first like to thank Gifford Foote for allowing me access to their historical records and for his encouragement in my research on the village. The temperance movement in the UK was a social movement that campaigned against the recreational use and sale of… Continue reading Signing the pledge
Category: Miscellaneous
Duck stone
In 1899 the road through the villages of Armitage or Handsacre was no different to any other English village in construction – it was macadamised. This meant that the lower 8” of road was made up of stones no bigger than 3” and the upper 2” surface layer was made up of stones no bigger… Continue reading Duck stone
Sixteen years on the run
There weren’t many people to watch John Walthew (Waltho) on his wedding day as he limped, (courtesy of a broken left thigh some years earlier), down the aisle at St. John the Baptist church, Armitage on 26th September 1789. John was just short of 31 years old and his bride was 17-year-old Sarah Lamsdale and… Continue reading Sixteen years on the run
World champion
The Regal Cinema Social Club in Lichfield were always looking for ways to get more people interested in joining and, in the autumn of 1970, as a bit of a laugh, they decided to set up a prune eating world record bid. The cinema and club manager, John Terry, announced the idea at the weekly… Continue reading World champion
Armitage Ware colour samples
In 1927 Edward Johns & Co., (later Armitage Ware and then Ideal Standard) produced the very first coloured sanitary ware in the world. Biscuit-fired ware was shipped to their sister company, Richards Tiles Ltd in Tunstall, who applied a mottled colour glaze and fired it again. Only four colours were created – Mottled Armitage Green,… Continue reading Armitage Ware colour samples
A coronation carnival
If you are looking for events with which to celebrate King Charles’ coronation this year then why not take a look at the 1937 version and stage pillow fighting, cutting down a leg of mutton or even ‘climbing the greasy pole’? Like most towns and villages at that time a lot of effort was put… Continue reading A coronation carnival
A shipwreck find
An email from John Bennett last week, giving me a link to a BBC news article on a new display at the Gladstone Pottery Museum, gave me an excuse to look again at one of my favourite characters from the history of Armitage potteries – Robert Hedderwick Penman. The picture above, courtesy of the Gladstone… Continue reading A shipwreck find
What’s in a name?
This advert appeared in the Staffordshire Sentinel and Commercial & General Advertiser on 2nd October 1869 and seemed very strange when I first came across it. The pottery advertised in the Stoke papers whenever they wanted to recruit a pottery specialist but I couldn’t figure out why they would want a table manufacturer. After quite… Continue reading What’s in a name?
Guilty or not guilty?
Three court cases from the 19th C – but are they guilty?
The pottery pay dispute in 1914
In 1914 the pottery industry followed the same procedure for pay discussions that had been developed in the 1890s and it had a very set annual pay round – every company in the industry followed exactly the same routine. Prices that were to be paid to the potters for the following 12 months were set… Continue reading The pottery pay dispute in 1914