Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Royal Doulton up the spout

Bad news for the potteries (and Ireland) yesterday as it was announced that Waterford Wedgwood had fallen into administration. Pity the 1,900 UK employees who work at the Barlaston pottery in Stoke-on-Trent with Staffordshire suffering below zero temperatures on the same day.

But what an amazing British dynasty the Wedgwood family is:

The Darwin — Wedgwood family was a prominent English family, descended from Erasmus Darwin and Josiah Wedgwood, the most notable member of which was Charles Darwin. The family contained at least ten Fellows of the Royal Society and several artists and poets. (The most notable artist is the composer Ralph Vaughn Williams.) Francis Galton is part of the third generation along with Darwin. Clarice Cliff is part of the sixth.

The family is linked to William Wedgwood Benn's family of Labour Party politicians (namely himself plus son Tony, grandson Hilary, and great-granddaughter Emily Benn) through Josiah Wedgwood's younger brother Aaron.

More on Wedgwood later...after all Doulton & Co and Wedgwood & Co are part of the Willow Pattern Story...

No comments: