The intricate molds required to fashion early Staffordshire figures were costly and were not protected by patent law. Because plagiarism was commonplace in the Potteries in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, we sometimes see remarkably similar figures forms emanating from multiple pot banks.
Of course, molds often changed hands legitimately. Certainly, when a potter died his molds would usually be sold to another. Thus, when Ralph Wood died in 1795, the molds for his gardener figures (first pair below) were among those that passed into the hands of Richard Dudson, who set up shop in 1800 and fashioned figures of the same form (second pair below.)
Courtesy Barbara Gair at Castle Antiques.
Courtesy Sheila Wilson
Molds also changed hands for reasons other than death. For example, the family group below marked TITTENSOR was made by Charles Tittensor, active from around 1803 into the 1820s. This group is the only one of its kind that we can attribute to Titensor, so perhaps he didn't have much success with it. I speculate that he threw in the towel and sold the figure molds to another potter.
Courtesy Bonhams.
The figure molds Tittensor used became the property of the Patriotic Group pot bank, which made many examples of the figures in multiple settings.
Courtesy John Howard
It is common to see the same figures placed before different bocages or even in in entirely different settings. The potters tried every trick in the book to get the most bang for their buck (or pound) out of their molds. For example, the lady and gentleman beneath do duty in several formats, all courtesy of the "Sherratt" pot bank.
 |  Courtesy the National Trust. |
The cut-off date for so-called "early" Staffordshire figures is 1840. After that, styles and tastes changed, and economic necessity mandated the manufacture of much simpler figures. So what happened to all those costly molds?
Of course, change did not happen overnight, but pondering the transition is interesting. For example, look at the figures below, which are smaller-scale look-alikes of the "Sherratt" family above. Did "Sherratt" make them? Because these figures do not exhibit a single "Sherratt" attribute, I would say not....but "Sherratt' continued into the 1840s, so it is possible that this pot bank copied or adapted existing molds to meet economic imperatives and consumer tastes.
Of course, change did not happen overnight, but pondering the transition is interesting. For example, look at the figures below, which are smaller-scale look-alikes of the "Sherratt" family above. Did "Sherratt" make them? Because these figures do not exhibit a single "Sherratt" attribute, I would say not....but "Sherratt' continued into the 1840s, so it is possible that this pot bank copied or adapted existing molds to meet economic imperatives and consumer tastes.
 Courtesy John Howard  Courtesy John Howard | I have seen several other instances of "Sherratt" adaptations where recognizable "Sherratt" attributes remain, such as in the Grecian Daughter groups alongside. So, while I would not bet money on the little family groups also being "Sherratt," I just can't rule out that possibility. |
Another manufactory that prospered well beyond our 1840 cut-off is that established by Enoch Wood. Most of us are familiar with the rare figure of George and the dragon that this manufactory produced circa 1815.
Recently, I came across the figure below, made from the same molds in around 1845. You have to wonder why the molds were pushed aside for some thirty years. And is the later figure an atypical product from the Wood manufactory, or did some other potter buy or copy the molds needed to make it?
Courtesy Tennants
The very rare figure of the highwayman Dick Turpin seen below left is somewhat transitional in style and dates from the late 1830s. To its right is the same figure decorated in a typical Victorian fashion and made just a few years later. What better example of the transition could we have?
Courtesy Andrew Dando
