Topic: Stevens & Williams - the Royal Brierley Crystal brand name

[flying free]

See this thread for information on the company of Stevens & Williams
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,58263.msg330146.html#msg330146
where it is established that:
'- whether or not a product was made under a product range that Stevens & Williams had denoted as the range 'Royal Brierley Crystal' is irrelevant for the purposes of correctly identifying their wares from 1846 until 28th May 1985
as
- all products produced by Stevens and Williams from 1846 up until 28th May 1985 can legitimately be referred to as:

      'A Stevens & Williams (insert range name or just insert item name if range name not known)' .'


There is an outstanding question on that thread  -
'- at what date they decided to call their products 'Royal Brierley Crystal' is still to be determined'

According to this information from source - English Heritage:
http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-488295-royal-brierley-crystal-works-

it states within that information  that
 'The patent for "Royal Brierley Crystal" was taken out in 1926 and subsequently became the company's brand name.'
So we have a date that they took out the patent for the brand name. 
However it doesn't give information as to what date that brand name started being used.

'HISTORY: During the late 19th century, Stevens and Williams became renowned for the quality of their engraving, in particular intaglio work, on crystal ware. In 1919 the company were awarded a Royal Warrant by King George V, and the works were visited by the Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, in June 1925. The patent for "Royal Brierley Crystal" was taken out in 1926 and subsequently became the company's brand name.'

This is irrelevant in many ways because it is about a brand name not a maker, and so doesn't affect the legitimate naming of a product produced by Stevens & Williams during the period from 1846 up until 28th May 1985 being called 'Stevens & Williams'.
However it is interesting (to me at least) because there has been so much speculation about what to call certain 'ranges'.
m

[Lustrousstone]

According to the Intellectual Property Office, ROYAL BRIERLEY CRYSTAL was trademarked in 1967 and was owned by Royal Brierley Crystal Limited

(Royal Brierley CRYSTAL was trademarked in 1988 by Dartington Crystal (Torrington) Limited who also trademarked ROYAL BRiERLEY in 2006)

[flying free]

Thank you Christine
So that trademark registration is much later than English Heritage say Stevens & Williams Ltd  patented the name (1926 - no source given) and much later than the advert link below which shows them using the name for a brand (December 1949 Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review) 

 see this link here (you need to scroll down to find their advertisement)
http://www.glass-study.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102:pggtr-1949-december-part-1-adverts&catid=26&Itemid=25
 from the Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review December 1949

it shows an advert for Stevens & Williams Ltd products and has a bold heading over a photograph of some cut crystal pieces headed
'Royal Brierley Crystal'

(the bottom line of the advertisement says
'Stevens & Williams Ltd, Brierley Hill Glassworks, Staffs')

So what we have so far as the earliest date in use, is an advertisement showing Stevens & Williams Ltd using the brand name Royal Brierley Crystal  for a transparent non-coloured cut glass product in a design called 'Gloria Rose' and a possible patent of that brand name in 1926 (need to check the source for that)?
But with the trademark name Royal Brierley Crystal not registered until 1967.

Re the company name (rather than the brand name)
- interesting  that Royal Brierley Crystal Ltd was already established as a company name in 1967. Stevens & Williams Ltd did not become Royal Brierley Crystal Ltd until 1985 some 18 years later.

m

[Lustrousstone]

I think the patent you are referring to is a Royal letters patent granting the right to use the word Royal, so nothing like a trademark really

[flying free]

Right, but how does that tie in with Anne saying that a Royal Warrant was not a right to use the word Royal.
But if you are right about the patent,  then we can discount the source I gave of English Heritage, as being a patent for the brand name Royal Brierley Crystal.

So to try again, on earliest dates the brand Royal Brierley Crystal was in use:

1) what we have so far as the earliest date in use on this thread, is an advertisement showing Stevens & Williams Ltd using the brand name Royal Brierley Crystal  for a transparent non-coloured cut glass product in a design called 'Gloria Rose'.
but
2) I have now also found a piece that dates to 1937 that is apparently marked on the base Royal Brierley Crystal (can't link it at the moment, and haven't seen with my own eyes that it really is signed Royal Brierley Crystal)
This is good that I've found this because all the Keith Murray signed pieces I've found from the 1930s (wasn't sure what else to try and search for that would be 'branded' from that period on) so far are signed Keith Murray and then S& W and then BRIERLEY.


However if the trademark name Royal Brierley Crystal was not registered until 1967, then, on current evidence on this thread, does that mean they were using a 'brand' that hadn't been registered in effect?  Dangerous ground I'd have thought. 

m

[Lustrousstone]

Most brands are unregistered...

and isn't a Royal Warrant the right to say By appointment to...

[flying free]

ok thank you

m

[flying free]

Source for the following: 20th Century British Glass - Charles Hajdamach
Most of what I've been reading is from page 136 to 160.  Most of the glass covered seems to be from the 1920s on. Apart from the odd exception the company is referred to as Stevens and Williams all the way through that section and the pattern books are referred to as Stevens and Williams pattern books

The exceptions I've found so far -
 
Page 151 Plate 305 caption -  three 'Vases by Stevens and Williams engraved by E.E. Rowley. Blue cased engraved .... Green glass vase with horizontal internal ring moulding reminiscent of contemporary Orrefors vases, engraved with seagulls over the sea, unsigned but marked 'ROYAL BRIERLEY CRYSTAL' ...'
I think from reading page 150, that E.E. Rowley was there from 1940.

Page 151 - further on in that caption from above,
'The brand name 'Royal Brierley Crystal' was adopted by Stevens and Williams in the 1920s who saw their glass as a royal product.'

Page 65 a cover from the POttery Gazette and Glass Trade Review dated April 1942 showing Navel souvenirs with the name ROYAL BRIERLEY CRYSTAL on the top right of the advert (cover page) and Stevens & Williams Ltd along the bottom

This bit is not Royal Brierley Crystal but interesting branding nonetheless
page 153
'In 1964 the firm decided to re-brand their lighting products as 'Brierley Lighting' and appointed George Elliot, who had graduated from the Royal College...'

page 154
Advert from Pottery Gazette April 1947 showing a cut see through clear vase with the words Royal Brierley Crystal in script above the bottom of the advert and Stevens and Williams Ltd along the bottom - plate 311 captioned ' Flights of Fantasy vase was designed by Deanne Meanley for Stevens and Williams, 1947. ...'

so far the April 1942 Pottery Gazette showing the Navel Souvenirs is now the earliest dated use of the brand name Royal Brierley Crystal by Stevens & Williams.   But I need to check out that piece I've found that is apparently signed Royal Brierley Crystal and dates I think to 1937.

I'll add more if I find more later.
m

[flying free]

following on from above, a couple of comments to add to this point

'Page 151 - further on in that caption from above,
'The brand name 'Royal Brierley Crystal' was adopted by Stevens and Williams in the 1920s who saw their glass as a royal product.'

1) There is a vase in CH British Glass page 109 Plate 214 that is an Abbey Glass crackle vase.  Abbey Glass was introduced in March 1928 and followed quickly in April 1928 with the crackled version.  The piece in plate 214 is marked with ...
'a fleur-de-lys and S&W/Abbey/H.Nicholl'

So either they  were not actually using the brand name at that late point in the 1920s or they did not use it for this particular range.

2) In the book The Crystal Years by R.S.Williams-Thomas dated 1983 he says on page 9
'Stevens & Williams was used as the product name until the 1930s.   S. & W. astride a fleur-de lys was used as the trade-mark.  When brand names became a simple method for customer recognition, Stevens & Williams adopted the word Brierley - it's own location name to be used with "Royal" to significy it's possession of the appointment as the Royal British Glassmakers.'

The earliest piece I've found that is apparently (not seen the marking myself but think it's probably rightly stated) marked Royal Brierley Crystal, is a commemorative piece for the coronation of George VI to the throne (1937).

This part now is supposition - it seems to me from all my reading that this is probably one of the earliest dates the 'brand name' Royal Brierley Crystal was used for Stevens & Williams made products.  This seems a likely supposition to me supported by the advert found re the Naval commemorative products that dates to 1942.  This also appears to be supported by the fact that the Keith Murray pieces were produced in the 1930s (I have a date that goes up to 1939 - page 149 CH British Glass caption for plate 303) and as far as I can see did not carry the words Royal Brierley Crystal (open to correction).  I have come across one that is signed Keith Murray, then has  S& W then BRIERLEY on the base.  I will try and find it and attach a link.

I have attached a link here to the commemorative piece that is signed Royal Brierley Crystal according to the seller.

http://www.belowstairs.co.uk/acatalog/Antique%20Commemorative%20Three%20Dates%20Decanter%20CC75.jpg

I have attached a photograph of the S&W astride a fleur-de-lys that R.S. Williams-Thomas references as the trade-mark for Stevens & William.
If anyone finds an advert or piece dated earlier than 1937 and carrying the Royal Brierley Crystal strapline or mark please do add
If anyone finds a piece marked Royal Brierley Crystal and can attach a photo of the mark and the piece, that would be great.

All open to correction in due course if further information comes to light.

m

[flying free]

'Royal Brierley Crystal' used as a mark on a vase dated c.1927

source:  Charles Hajdamach, 20th Century British Glass, page 117 plate 227

'Left: Opalescent glass overlaid in caramel, transfer printed in resist with a leaf pattern, painted all over with a silver stain and fired, then transfer printed in black and fired again, c.1927, etch mark 'Royal Brierley Crystal' within and oval cartouche with fleur-de-lys above. Height 7 1/8in. (20cm).'

This is now the earliest date I've come across of using the mark 'Royal Brierley Crystal'.

m