Nothing is known definitely as to the date of the first establishment of this very important china manufactory situated at Stratford-le-Bow. It must, however, have been in existence some little time prior to 1744, for in that year it was carried on by “Edward Heylyn, in the parish of Bow, in the county of Middlesex, merchant,” who, in conjunction with “Thomas Frye, of the parish of West Ham, in the county of Essex, painter,” took out a patent for “a new method of manufacturing a certain material, whereby a ware might be made of the same nature or kind, and equal to, if not exceeding in goodness and beauty, china or porcelain ware imported from abroad.” The patent, which was for fourteen years, bore date the 6th of December, 1744, and the specification was duly enrolled on the 5th of April, 1745. This specification I have printed in full on page 112, and it will be found of the highest interest and totally different from what is put forth by Chaffers as a copy of it. On the 17th of November, 1748, the same “Thomas Frye, of the parish of West Ham, in the county of Essex, painter,” took out another patent, by which he “lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my new method of making a certain ware, which is not inferior in beauty and fineness, and is rather superior in strength, than the earthenware that is brought from the East Indies, and is commonly known by the name of China, Japan, or Porcelain ware.” The specification was duly enrolled on the 17th of March, 1749, and is highly interesting. This will be found printed entire on page 113. [Illustration: Fig. 405.--Inkstand in possession of Mr. R. W. Binns.] There is nothing, it will be seen, in these patents or specifications to show that the works at Bow were carried on by Heylin and Frye--the one being simply described as of the “parish of Bow, _merchant_” (not potter), and the other “of the parish of West Ham, _painter_;” nor has anything yet been found, to my knowledge, to prove that they were actual proprietors of the manufactory. Indeed, Frye is stated, in more than one work, to have been engaged to _superintend_ the manufactory. He was an artist of considerable skill, who is said to have come to London in 1738, and soon afterwards to have painted a portrait of Frederick, Prince of Wales, for the Saddlers’ Company. He was also a mezzo-tint engraver of considerable note. To his skill as an artist no doubt he was in the main indebted for the position he held at Bow; and here it would appear he remained some fifteen years, to the great injury of his health, and then returned to his previous occupation; he died in 1763. His daughters are stated to have assisted him in the painting of china at Bow.