I. Dale (active ca. 1818-1835)

John Dale was, unfortunately, a common name around 1800. At least six John Dales were baptized at Stoke and Norton-on-the-Moors between 1776 and 1798. Any one of these might have grown up to be John Dale, our Burslem potter.  But the most likely candidate comes from an established family of earthenware manufacturers.[1]
  • His grandfather was probably John Dale (d. 1803), a Cobridge earthenware manufacturer in the partnership of Stevenson, Dale, & Godwin.
  • His father was William Dale, already established as an earthenware manufacturer in Cobridge by 1800.
At his death in 1826, William Dale, then an earthenware manufacturer in Lane End, left assets shy of GBP2,000—and a son named John (baptized in Stoke on 19 August 1786).  We believe this John Dale is our potter because at his death in 1838 he was survived by a daughter, named Catherine Buxton Dale —in all likelihood named for Mary Buxton, her paternal grandmother and wife of William Dale.



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Apparently, John Dale was established as an earthenware manufacturer by 1820. Parson and Bradshaw’s 1818 directory lists John Dale as a “china &c manufacturer” residing at Stoke.  The Staffordshire Advertiser records that
  • in 1819 John Dale withdrew from a china manufacturing partnership with Joseph Paulson.
  • in 1825 John Dale, earthenware manufacturer, married a Miss Walker in Burslem.
  • in January/ Feb 1838 John Dale, earthenware manufacturer residing at Lane End, died.
The will of John Dale, potter, filed in April 1839, records assets valued less than GBP200. These were left “for the use and benefit of my dearly beloved wife Jane Dale and our two children of the names of John Morland Dale and Catherine Buxton Dale. Trustees were “my dearly beloved brother Joseph Dale” and William Hopwood (married to John Dale’s sister, Hannah).

We believe all Dale figures predate 1835. In June 1841, a 2-oven yellow-ware pottery belonging to John Dale, deceased, was advertised for sale.  Perhaps in later years our John Dale manufactured yellow wares in lieu of—or in addition to—earthenware figures. Or perhaps this was yet another John Dale!

[1]The Dale family tree has been compiled from wills of Joshua, William, and John Dale (potter), the Staffordshire Advertiser, and trade directory entries.