The porcelain manufacture was introduced into the Staffordshire potteries in 1777 on the purchase of Champion’s patent, obtained by him from Cookworthy, of Plymouth. The New Hall Works, Shelton, built by Whitehead, produced hard porcelain, much like that of Bristol. The blue tea-ware was in hard paste, with the “willow pattern,” and having Champion’s mark under the glaze, was made in this factory by Turner. Some seventeen or twenty celebrated manufacturers were connected with the Shelton China Works at the “New Hall.” One of these was the celebrated Josiah Spode, who in 1784 took the factory from Banks and Turner, and was in his turn succeeded by his son, J. Spode, junior. This latter introduced soft felspar and bones into the Staffordshire porcelain. Turner junior was followed by Copeland, and Garrett, Thomas Minton and his son, Herbert. Hard paste was introduced into the Staffordshire china by the latter. The second Josiah Spode was the most successful porcelain manufacturer of his time, and the new parish church at Stoke was mainly built and decorated by him. He contributed to it the best porcelain, jasper ware, patent stone pottery, and blue-painted ditto to beautify it. Mr. William Copeland was his partner, and the exquisite Parian biscuit china or Parian Carrara was carried to the utmost perfection by him. The firm of Josiah Spode and William Copeland, and then Copeland and Garrett, is now known as “Copeland and Sons.” The Spode china bore the maker’s name, painted or impressed, and surmounted by a crown and inscribed between the branches. Later on it bore “Copeland and Garrett,” or two C’s interlaced; also “Saxon Blue” and “New Blanche.” The _pâte sur pâte_, or “slip painting,” was brought to great perfection by M. Solon, the principal artist employed by Messrs. Minton, as well as Mr. Toft. Josiah Wedgwood’s nephew, Thomas Brierly, introduced the soft paste porcelain at Etruria in 1808; but it was not of long existence. The examples to be seen are decorated with landscapes, birds, and flowers, and are, for the most part, distinguished with the name “Wedgwood” coloured red. The early marks on Minton’s porcelain are the following (the special mark of Solon Miles being the most ornate)-- [Illustration] Specimens of the earths, clay, stone, sand, etc., were placed in Josiah Wedgwood’s hands by a Mr. Bradley Blake, a resident at Canton, such as employed at Nankin for porcelain. And Wedgwood produced very excellent examples, but he never manufactured this china ware for commerce, although his nephew, Thomas Brierly, did, in 1808, at Etruria. For himself he was a potter, and it was for beautiful varieties of this ware that the famous Flaxman worked designs for him.