A recent acquisition of these Dick Whittington’s pitchers, having the registration mark of Jan 25,1869, is the occasion to investigate the maker, Worthington and Son (not Worthington and Harrop, as sometimes suggested). The firm Worthington and Son is the only one that registered a design on that day. See Cushion, British Ceramic Marks, including Index to registered designs, 1842-1883, p. 457.

Worthington and Green will regularly sell their products by auction, the 1859 sale does offer more details on the production: Parian marble figures, Porcelain, toilet services after Flaxman designs, jugs with or without metal covers, stone teapots with metal cover, … (The Free Press and Midland Express, Nov 25, 1859)

THOMAS WORTHINGTON CAREER

Thomas Worthington died on the first day of June 1879, at the age of about 60 years in his residence, Mollart House, on Mollart-Street, Hanley. He first worked as a China Flowerer for Alcock, Burslem, a fact hitherto unknown, and later went into earthenware manufacture with Green until the dissolution in 1866 (Staffordshire Sentinel of Sept 9, 1876).

Thomas Worthington continued the business with his son Thomas Turner Worthington, until his death. For a short while, c. 1866-1867 he was also in partnership with Ralph Unwin, and Charles Holmes, as manufacturer of earthenware in High Street, Hanley. This partnership’s dissolution was reported in September 1867. (Daily Bristol Times and Mirror, Sep 19, 1867). That he was involved with several Pottery manufacturing concerns is reported in the Staffordshire Sentinel and Commercial and General Advertiser, Feb 17, 1866, on the occasion of his eldest son John majority party. It appears that Worthington and Green, Worthington and Harrop, Worthington and Son as well as Unwin, Holmes and Worthington all coexisted at that time. It had been previously assumed that Worthington and Son came into existence only after Worthington and Green’s dissolution.

Staffordshire Sentinel and Commercial and General Advertiser, Feb 17, 1866

From the Staffordshire Sentinel of Sept 9, 1876, we learn that Thomas Worthington had two large and extensive works in Hanley, the Columbia Works in Clarence Street and the Brook-Street Works, ‘’ but the two are virtually connected as only Brook Street separates them’’. About 300 hands are employed, Mr. A. Fenton is the manager of the Brook-Street Works (three glost and two biscuit kilns) while Mr. C. Heath is the manager of the Clarence-street Works (two biscuit and two glost oven kilns). The Columbia Works were for sale in 1870, while in the occupation of Tomkinson Brothers and Co. (See The Staffordshire Sentinel and Commercial and General Advertiser, Nov 26, 1870).  The 1876 clip provides a lengthy testimony to the quality of the current production of both Works, notably the dinner and toilet sets as well as the tea and breakfast services. Worthington was very active in exporting to Australia but opened the American market only in 1876.

Staffordshire Sentinel of Sept 9, 1876

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Worthington and Son obtained over a dozen patents, the first one to be registered was the Dick Whittington pitcher, on Jan 25, 1869. This pitcher exists in two sizes, as illustrated above. 

Other patents were obtained in Mar 1, 1869; May 21 1869; Mar 26, 1870; Feb 13, 1871; Jan 15, 1873; May 22, 1873; May 29, 1873; Nov 12, 1873; Feb 14, 1874; Mar 27, 1874; Jan 29, 1875 (see Cushion, British Ceramic Marks, including Index to registered designs, 1842-1883)

ALFRED FENTON AND SONS

Following the death of Thomas Worthington on June 1, 1879, his will took effect under the executors William Henry Bishop, Alfred Fenton and John Smith (Staffordshire Sentinel and Commercial and General Advertiser,Jul 5, 1879). These executors continued to operate and advertise the firm Worthington and Son for almost a decade, until finally its sale in July 1887 to Messrs. Alfred Fenton and Sons (See below, Evening Sentinel, Aug 5, 1887).

We discovered that the Fenton Brothers, Alfred and Herbert had an extensive earthenware business in Australia from 1874 to 1882, at which point Herbert dropped out and the name of the firm changed from Fenton Brothers to Alfred Fenton and Sons. The business in 1882 was that of merchants in Hanley and salesmen in Melbourne (See The Evening Sentinel of Feb 16, 1899)

Evening Sentinel, Aug 5, 1887

This sale was done as Alfred Fenton was about to leave for Australia with his family, as his daughter, who was very sick, necessitated a long sea voyage. On his departure, he did get a souvenir gold watch from the employees of Worthington and Son (Evening Sentinel, Jul 29, 1887).

You may recall that he had been the manager of the firm before the sale…but he was also one of the executors of Worthington's will. Alfred and J. T. Fenton negotiated the sale of Worthington and Son, finally buying the manufactures for £ 6000. (See The Evening Sentinel of Feb 16, 1899, for details of the transaction, of the commencement of the firm under the name Fentons Brothers and the use of Pearson Pottery Company starting in 1892).

It seems that the Fenton continued to use the name Worthington and Son, as ads for 1888 so indicate.

Evening Sentinel, Apr 3, 1888

The Pottery Gazette of July 1891 is advertising the firm of Alfred Fenton and Sons, noting the Brook and Clarence Streets Works, in Hanley, its connection to Worthington and Son, its acquisition of the Blocks and moulds of Turner and Wood, and its role as the largest Shippers of China and Earthenware to Australia.

The partnership of Alfred Fenton and Sons (Alfred Fenton, James Tunstall Fenton, Arthur Fenton and John Fenton) was dissolved, in regard to John Fenton only, on May 11, 1893, according to The Age, Mar 10, 1894, p. 12.

The firm was in severe financial difficulty in 1899, facing a bankruptcy. Fenton and Sons tried to sell the Brook-street and Clarence-street Works in Hanley.

Evening Sentinel, Feb 8, 1899

It appears that Fenton and Sons left their operation sometimes before May 1899: the ad for the sale by auction of the Hanley Works refers to the Brook-street Works as ‘’recently in the occupation of Alfred Fenton and Son”.

Evening Sentinel, May 29, 1899

CONCLUSION

Worthington and Son, earthenware manufacturers in Hanley, did produce the Dick Whittington pitchers and registered the design on January 25, 1869. They had been in operation for a while before buying the Worthington and Green Brook-street Works in 1866. Worthington and Son also bought the Columbia, Clarence Street Works around 1870, a manufacture previously in the occupation of  Tomkinson Brothers and Co. Some description of these two Works has been provided here. Thomas Worthington died on June 1, 1879, after a rich contribution to the China and Earthenware trade of Great Britain.

Alfred Fenton has been a long-time manager of the Brook Street Works. He became one of the executors of Thomas Worthington’s Will, conducting the manufactures of Worthington and Son until 1887 when he finally bought the Works for £ 6000, under the style of Alfred Fenton and Sons. Some information has been provided about their beginnings and their connection with the Pearson Pottery Co.  The Fentons where in operation until the end of the century when bad financial conditions led to a bankruptcy.