Thomas Bond is generally credited with founding Armitage’s first pottery, but his story began long before pottery became his livelihood. Maltster, brickmaker, canal carrier and entrepreneur, he pursued a succession of ambitious ventures while navigating debt, failed partnerships and imprisonment. Drawing on newly available documentary evidence, this article explores the remarkable life of the man whose enterprise marked the beginning of Armitage’s pottery industry.
The History of Armitage-with-Handsacre Parish
People, Places and Stories from a Staffordshire Parish