Ceramics and the RJ Lloyd Collection
There appears to have been a thriving pottery industry in Bideford since medieval times. By the seventeenth century, pottery was being exported to Ireland, South Wales Newfoundland and Virginia. In 1792 the historian John Watkins wrote:-
"The Potteries here, for making coarse brown earthenware are pretty considerable, and the demand for the articles of their manufacture in various parts of the Kingdom, is considerably great.
The earthenware made here is generally supposed to be superior to any other kind, and this is accounted for, from the peculiar excellence of the gravel which this river affords in binding clay. That this is the true reason, seems clear from the fact that though the Potteries of Barnstaple make use of the same sort of clay, yet their earthenware is not held in such esteem at Bristol as that of Bideford. The profits to the manufacturers of this article are very great, which is evidenced by several persons having risen within a few years, from a state of the greatest obscurity and poverty, to wealth and consequence of no small extent. This will easily be credited when it is known, that the materials of which the ware is composed, cost little or nothing, the labourers' wages never exceed six shillings a week, the other expenses of the process very trifling, and the expedition of making every article remarkably quick."
Harvest Jugs
When the back-breaking work had been completed, and everyone could at last relax, the farmer would treat his workers to a harvest supper. In this jolly atmosphere, the harvest jugs would be filled with beer or cider and passed around, amidst singing and much merriment. The jugs were often inscribed with fitting verses:-
"When I was in my native place I was a lump of clay.
And was digged out of the earth and brought from thence away.
But now I am a jugg become through potters art and skill,
And now your servant am become and carry ale I will.
Jovial fellows drink about.We'll have more when this is out."
The Fishley Family of Potters
The Fishley family from the village of Fremington between Barnstaple and Bideford, have always been recognised as an inventive and prolific dynasty of potters.
From the early 19th century until the First World War, members of the family worked in the same small rural pottery producing a wide variety of domestic and ornamental wares, made from the clay found near their village. Their rich traditional country wares include small and cheap jugs, to the large cloam oven which was made to be built into the chimneys of farmhouse kitchens. The ornamental pieces sometimes follow the traditional North Devon sgraffito decorated harvest ware jugs, or the more inventive, elaborately sprigged, or relief decorated jugs, jars and mantel ornaments made by George and Robert Fishley. At the end of the 19th century, the talented Edwin Beer Fishley made an extraordinary range of 'Art' pottery, and bizarre copies of all sorts of pottery from other lands.
Our knowledge of the workings of this small pottery is greatly enhanced by the book 'Fifty Years A Potter'. The biography of William Fishley Holland, the grandson of Edwin Beer Fishley, which, together with contemporary drawings and watercolours, show how a country pottery was organised in the days before industrialisation. All the necessary materials were readily available to Bideford Potters. Good clay and wood for firing kilns from the locality, Galena glaze imported from South Wales, tidal waterways to transport the clay to the potteries and the finished pots to their destinations.
Sgraffito
The characteristic North Devon SGRAFFITO style is achieved by dipping the red earthenware pot into a watery mixture of white clay, called SLIP. When the mixture has formed a thin skin on the surface of the pot, designs can be scratched through, revealing the earthenware below. The pot is then fired and glazed to create the finished product.
RJ Lloyd Collection
From 10 April 2010 The Burton Art Gallery & Museum, Bideford, opens the doors of its new Ceramics Gallery, unveiling a unique and significant collection of predominantly North Devon slipware, collected by acclaimed artist and Bideford resident RJ Lloyd. The collection includes delightful harvest jugs and puzzle jugs through to everyday domestic wares and commemorative items. It represents one of the finest collections of slipware pottery now held in museum hands.
Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, independent charity The Art Fund, Bideford Bridge Trust, Friends of the Burton, Devon County Council and the Viscountess Boyd Charitable Trust; the launch of this comprehensive collection is a key moment in the Burton’s history and in the heritage of ceramics in the UK. Throughout early 2010 the Burton undertook a refurbishment programme establishing a dedicated display space for the collection on the first floor of the building.
RJ Lloyd started collecting North Devon Slipware in the early 1950s. He appreciated that, with so many potteries working in the area, it was part of North Devon’s industrial history. Many of the ceramics are things of beauty, with their honey-glossed glazes, engraved drawings and poems. From the 1740s harvest jugs bore drawings of tall ships in full sails, mermaids, stars, compasses and coats of arms. It also includes examples of jugs and domestic wares used daily before we had such mod cons as fridges and tap water. Some of the pots have weird and wonderful names, such as widebottoms, gulleymouths and pinchguts. The collection also includes key early works by studio potters Michael Cardew, Clive Bowen, Harry Juniper and the Leach Pottery. Over the decades, the RJ Lloyd collection grew until it was acknowledged as rivalling many national institutions. Now it is open to the public, where it can be enjoyed by all.
Collector Mr RJ Lloyd says: “I've had curators from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington and Plymouth, Massachusetts, who came to study the collection in my home. I even had people turning up at my door from America who were trying to trace their family tree, after finding their name stamped on a bit of pottery from Devon". Mr Lloyd's favourite piece was made in Bideford. "It's a tiny little jug - only about 3ins (8cm) high - depicting a shipwreck," he said. "It shows the lifeboat rowing out and an anchor being thrown through the air. The detail is such, I'm convinced it was drawn on the spot." Mr Lloyd eventually sold the collection six years ago and it was the wish of the subsequent owner to sell the collection to the Burton so that it could remain in Bideford. Without the intervention of this benefactor the collection may well have been sold overseas.
Councilor David Lausen of Torridge District Council says: “We are tremendously proud to be opening this important collection of ceramics. We owe our thanks to the tenacity of so many individuals who have worked to keep this unique collection in Bideford. Mr RJ Lloyd was quick to recognise the importance of North Devon Slipware and we value his foresight and vision. This is Bideford’s history; and it is also a world-class treasure. Torridge has demonstrated how much it values its heritage.”
A new fully illustrated book on the ceramic collection of RJ Lloyd is published by the Burton Art Gallery and Museum to accompany the new permanent display. The book includes a contextual essay on the place of ceramic collections in museums by the internationally renowned potter Alison Britton and an introductory essay by Professor Simon Olding. At the heart of the book is a conversation between RJ Lloyd and the Burton’s Exhibitions and Collections Officer Warren Collum. This dialogue traces RJ Lloyd's growing fascination for the slipware pottery of England, and especially North Devon, from rare early pieces through to work made by renowned craft potters such as Michael Cardew and Clive Bowen. The once thriving pottery trade of North Devon is captured in this extensive collection, which celebrates the ordinary and the extraordinary through work of honest conviction, lively drawing and commemorative inscriptions. The book is published in association with the Crafts Study Centre and can be ordered from the Burton for £8.99 (including P&P).
"The Potteries here, for making coarse brown earthenware are pretty considerable, and the demand for the articles of their manufacture in various parts of the Kingdom, is considerably great.
The earthenware made here is generally supposed to be superior to any other kind, and this is accounted for, from the peculiar excellence of the gravel which this river affords in binding clay. That this is the true reason, seems clear from the fact that though the Potteries of Barnstaple make use of the same sort of clay, yet their earthenware is not held in such esteem at Bristol as that of Bideford. The profits to the manufacturers of this article are very great, which is evidenced by several persons having risen within a few years, from a state of the greatest obscurity and poverty, to wealth and consequence of no small extent. This will easily be credited when it is known, that the materials of which the ware is composed, cost little or nothing, the labourers' wages never exceed six shillings a week, the other expenses of the process very trifling, and the expedition of making every article remarkably quick."
Harvest Jugs
When the back-breaking work had been completed, and everyone could at last relax, the farmer would treat his workers to a harvest supper. In this jolly atmosphere, the harvest jugs would be filled with beer or cider and passed around, amidst singing and much merriment. The jugs were often inscribed with fitting verses:-
"When I was in my native place I was a lump of clay.
And was digged out of the earth and brought from thence away.
But now I am a jugg become through potters art and skill,
And now your servant am become and carry ale I will.
Jovial fellows drink about.We'll have more when this is out."
The Fishley Family of Potters
The Fishley family from the village of Fremington between Barnstaple and Bideford, have always been recognised as an inventive and prolific dynasty of potters.
From the early 19th century until the First World War, members of the family worked in the same small rural pottery producing a wide variety of domestic and ornamental wares, made from the clay found near their village. Their rich traditional country wares include small and cheap jugs, to the large cloam oven which was made to be built into the chimneys of farmhouse kitchens. The ornamental pieces sometimes follow the traditional North Devon sgraffito decorated harvest ware jugs, or the more inventive, elaborately sprigged, or relief decorated jugs, jars and mantel ornaments made by George and Robert Fishley. At the end of the 19th century, the talented Edwin Beer Fishley made an extraordinary range of 'Art' pottery, and bizarre copies of all sorts of pottery from other lands.
Our knowledge of the workings of this small pottery is greatly enhanced by the book 'Fifty Years A Potter'. The biography of William Fishley Holland, the grandson of Edwin Beer Fishley, which, together with contemporary drawings and watercolours, show how a country pottery was organised in the days before industrialisation. All the necessary materials were readily available to Bideford Potters. Good clay and wood for firing kilns from the locality, Galena glaze imported from South Wales, tidal waterways to transport the clay to the potteries and the finished pots to their destinations.
Sgraffito
The characteristic North Devon SGRAFFITO style is achieved by dipping the red earthenware pot into a watery mixture of white clay, called SLIP. When the mixture has formed a thin skin on the surface of the pot, designs can be scratched through, revealing the earthenware below. The pot is then fired and glazed to create the finished product.
RJ Lloyd Collection
From 10 April 2010 The Burton Art Gallery & Museum, Bideford, opens the doors of its new Ceramics Gallery, unveiling a unique and significant collection of predominantly North Devon slipware, collected by acclaimed artist and Bideford resident RJ Lloyd. The collection includes delightful harvest jugs and puzzle jugs through to everyday domestic wares and commemorative items. It represents one of the finest collections of slipware pottery now held in museum hands.
Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, independent charity The Art Fund, Bideford Bridge Trust, Friends of the Burton, Devon County Council and the Viscountess Boyd Charitable Trust; the launch of this comprehensive collection is a key moment in the Burton’s history and in the heritage of ceramics in the UK. Throughout early 2010 the Burton undertook a refurbishment programme establishing a dedicated display space for the collection on the first floor of the building.
RJ Lloyd started collecting North Devon Slipware in the early 1950s. He appreciated that, with so many potteries working in the area, it was part of North Devon’s industrial history. Many of the ceramics are things of beauty, with their honey-glossed glazes, engraved drawings and poems. From the 1740s harvest jugs bore drawings of tall ships in full sails, mermaids, stars, compasses and coats of arms. It also includes examples of jugs and domestic wares used daily before we had such mod cons as fridges and tap water. Some of the pots have weird and wonderful names, such as widebottoms, gulleymouths and pinchguts. The collection also includes key early works by studio potters Michael Cardew, Clive Bowen, Harry Juniper and the Leach Pottery. Over the decades, the RJ Lloyd collection grew until it was acknowledged as rivalling many national institutions. Now it is open to the public, where it can be enjoyed by all.
Collector Mr RJ Lloyd says: “I've had curators from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington and Plymouth, Massachusetts, who came to study the collection in my home. I even had people turning up at my door from America who were trying to trace their family tree, after finding their name stamped on a bit of pottery from Devon". Mr Lloyd's favourite piece was made in Bideford. "It's a tiny little jug - only about 3ins (8cm) high - depicting a shipwreck," he said. "It shows the lifeboat rowing out and an anchor being thrown through the air. The detail is such, I'm convinced it was drawn on the spot." Mr Lloyd eventually sold the collection six years ago and it was the wish of the subsequent owner to sell the collection to the Burton so that it could remain in Bideford. Without the intervention of this benefactor the collection may well have been sold overseas.
Councilor David Lausen of Torridge District Council says: “We are tremendously proud to be opening this important collection of ceramics. We owe our thanks to the tenacity of so many individuals who have worked to keep this unique collection in Bideford. Mr RJ Lloyd was quick to recognise the importance of North Devon Slipware and we value his foresight and vision. This is Bideford’s history; and it is also a world-class treasure. Torridge has demonstrated how much it values its heritage.”
A new fully illustrated book on the ceramic collection of RJ Lloyd is published by the Burton Art Gallery and Museum to accompany the new permanent display. The book includes a contextual essay on the place of ceramic collections in museums by the internationally renowned potter Alison Britton and an introductory essay by Professor Simon Olding. At the heart of the book is a conversation between RJ Lloyd and the Burton’s Exhibitions and Collections Officer Warren Collum. This dialogue traces RJ Lloyd's growing fascination for the slipware pottery of England, and especially North Devon, from rare early pieces through to work made by renowned craft potters such as Michael Cardew and Clive Bowen. The once thriving pottery trade of North Devon is captured in this extensive collection, which celebrates the ordinary and the extraordinary through work of honest conviction, lively drawing and commemorative inscriptions. The book is published in association with the Crafts Study Centre and can be ordered from the Burton for £8.99 (including P&P).
