English Bone China,
Period c1894-present day,
Manufactured in T.C. Wild & Sons Limited, Crown China Works, High Street, (later St Marys Works) Longton, Staffordshire, England.Royal Albert was the trading name of the firm founded by Thomas Clark Wild, founded about 1894. The firm has always been known for its fine quality bone china, the first backstamp used their initials and was phased out around 1905.
The second backstamp incorporates for the first time the Royal Albert name, the third backstamp was introduced in 1907.
The firm became " & Sons" in 1917, possibly explaining the change to the Post WW1 mark first used around 1917, this had officially dropped the TCW connection, but these initials can still supposedly be found on ware made up to 1925.
Patterns such as "Old English Roses" started about this time.
The brain-teaser about the Post WW1 mark shown is, the Registration number which dates this pattern to 1931 !.
The mark was again revamped in 1927. It is interesting to note the connection with Lawleys, a firm still in existence today, and operating in much the same manner offering exclusive patterns.
Royal Albert also produced a range of floral backstamps, examples of these are Old English Roses and American Beauty
The firm became incorporated as a Limited Company in 1933.
Although we can chart the general progression of backstamps there are quite often subtle variations to be noted. There was change once again with the 1935 backstamp, here all reference to the Crown China works had ceased, and instead the Bone China theme was taken up.
This may have also coincided with a change of premises to the St Mary's Works.The registration mark dates this pattern to 1945, this suggesting it took some time for the firm to attend to such matters.
The Post WW2 mark saw a change in the backstamp, once again with variations to the theme.
Backstamps can provide one indicator to age, pattern and registered numbers can also provide another.
For instance pattern number 4534 was used in 1925 and 4788, was in use by around 1930. And a registered number can be traced to a year of registration in either of Geoffrey Goddens excellent reference books "Encyclopedia of British Porcelain Manufacturers" or "Encyclopedia of British Pottery & Porcelain Marks" under Registered Designs.
In 1970, all connection to the founders T.C. Wild & Sons was dropped with the renaming the company as Royal Albert Limited.
Patterns such as "Old English Roses" ceased shortly after this, we are informed about 1977, but have seen nothing definite on this date. "Serena" is another pattern that enjoyed enormous success that ceased about this time. We also believe "American Beauty" has ceased production.
Today, Royal Albert, is part of the Royal Doulton group who briefly dabbled with this "Trade Name" on their "Bunnykins" figures during the late 1980's, but quickly saw sense, and changed back.
The Royal Albert name has always been associated with tablewares of the highest quality and today this continues with patterns like "Old Country Roses" and "Midnight Rose".
Royal Albert has produced a myriad of patterns over its century of production, and will provide anyone collecting them a very appealing selection of quite fetching patterns to choose from, at, for the moment, a quite modest outlay.
We think Royal Albert is an area of collecting many people have overlooked, due mostly to a lack of any good reference book on Royal Albert itself.
Notes:
British Traditional Songs,
we have been asked several times about the titles of the songs in this series, so here they are ;-
(in no particular order>
- John Peel
- Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond
- Men of Harlech
- Land of Hope and Glory
- Londonderry Air
- Road To The Isles.
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