Crown Lynn Ware from New Zealand - Antique Bone China Visitor Knowledge Contribution

by Donna Bird
(New Zealand)

Crown Lynn Ware from New Zealand - Antique Bone China Visitor Knowledge Contribution:-

Dear Peter, Thank you so much for replying to me with such informative information. I will add some pictures to this letter please excuse my spelling I am also dyslexic so occasionally things don’t make sense however I still try to make it readable.

Here is little story about my grandparents who were potters originally from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. I was a small child when they died. Doris died first and then Harry married his second wife Mazie bird. She inherited all Harry’s things including pottery decorated by Doris.

Mazie I have just moved her into the rest home and this how I have come by theses things. Anyway I will copy a couple of pages from the Crown Lynn icon book of which there are some mistakes in as history only gets written by those who live to tell it.

I prefer accurate information. Anyway, Crown Lynn was sir Tom Clark's business. Back in 1948 from what I was told Crown Lynn went and purloined 13 potters from Stoke-on-Trent Harry was one of them and also Doris, who was previously Doris Hamson. Harry had worked his whole life in Stoke-on-Trent for the same employer.

Doris its not clear where she or who she worked for. This is why I was wondering if there is a story behind all the gold. Like could they have been gifts to her when leaving or did she work at all these places at different times. I cant imagine her buying these things.

After talking with Masie and trying to extract information about the china she told me one was a wedding present to her the rest was Harry. When I was writing up the list of each piece Masies wants me sell, I felt the pieces 'talking to me', trying to tell me something.

Now that I know for sure they were not Mazies to begin with, I would like to tell Doris's story Sir Tom told some ladies at the Historical Society that they could not have done what they did with out Doris with regard to the application of gold.

What I remember about Harry when I a was child he developed some vitrified china for a psychiatric unit. At the time he also made a dinner set for my dads boat the 'Iona'. He brought a cup down to the boat and threw it in order to prove how strong and unbreakable it was. The whole set was purloined one piece at a time by other people taking a souvenirs form the boat.

Crown Lynn started manufacture this super vitrified wares and then were told to stop doing it because it put them out of business. Anyway that’s a small piece of history.

Crown Lynn got up to all sorts of mischief in order to sell there were as kiwis shunned local manufactures for imported goods they developed misleading labels to fool the consumer like back stamps and pottery marks completely omitting any wording with 'Crown Lynn' but using the word 'British' .. hehe... thus implying it came from England.

Aside from the many hundreds of back stamps they had they succeeded in producing the toughest hard wearing plates and cups . I sometimes experiment myself and have come up with a mix that does not require firing and can be thrown with great force at concrete and wont break. Anyway this is not about me so I will add some pics here, and say good by for now.

Donna Bird

Reply from Peter (admin) below - just scroll down

HOW I MADE MONEY FROM BITS & BOBS OF OLD CHINA .....more

Reply by Peter (admin)

This is wonderful information Donna, thank you for sharing it here.

For more on Donna's fascinating story, see

Swinnertons Royal Wessex china ware

and

Antique Bone China query

Best regards,

Peter (admin)

p.s. The following page is a 'must see' if you are researching fine china - for value and identification:-

Researching the identity and value of antique and vintage fine china.