Myrna Schkolne: Early Staffordshire Figures

The maker’s mark HALL is one of the rarer of the already rare Staffordshire figure marks. I believe it belongs to Samuel Hall, who was born in 1784. He is first listed in Pigot’s 1818 directory as a potter at New Hall St, Shelton.  By 1822, Hall apparently was proprietor of his own earthenware toy manufactory (“toy" being the contemporary word for "figures”).  Directories for 1830 and 1834 confirm that Samuel Hall focused on figure manufacture, but by 1834 his output included “china” figures—probably Parian— in addition to earthenware one. By 1846, Hall had relocated to Marsh St, Shelton, where he manufactured china wares only. In 1854, a final directory  entry records Hall as a Parian manufacturer.  He seems to have retired shortly thereafter—he does not appear in successive directories—and died on Dec 29 1863, aged 79. Quite a ripe old age for that time.

Despite Samuel Hall’s longevity and his proclivity for marking his figures, very few marked HALL figures survive. I have recorded 16 various models. When they sport  bocages, the bocages are in one of three ‘styles.’ Clearly, Hall must have produced lots of figures to justify three bocage forms. Unfortunately, the bocage form that occurs most frequently is the commonest of all bocage forms and the figures are rather unremarkable. Anyone could have made them. Possibly a host of unmarked figures with Hall-type bocage were also made by Hall, but we may never know.

So which of these BIRD NEST boys was made by Hall? Click on the image to enlarge it.

The figure on the left is marked HALL. The one on the right is marked SALT. Both marks are impressed into the clay.

The HALL mark is found impressed directly into the body--as in this case-- or on a clay tablet applied to the body. The letters are upper case, with serifs. The name is usually painted over.

Samuel Hall should not be confused with John and Ralph Hall, who potted from circa 1800 and are best known for transfer printed dinner wares made for the export market. The Halls operated at both Swan Bank, Tunstall, and at the Sitch Pottery, Burslem.  In January 1822, they dissolved their partnership. John Hall, along with his sons, continued at Burslem but was bankrupt by 1832 and  died in 1838. Ralph Hall continued at Tunstall beyond this date. There is no indication that Ralph and John Hall potted figures.