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Glass Discussion & Research. NO IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS here please. => British & Irish Glass => Topic started by: neilh on January 19, 2009, 04:42:46 PM

Title: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: neilh on January 19, 2009, 04:42:46 PM
Hi there,

I've finally completed my website on the Ancoats glass firm Molineaux & Webb.  The site is an extension of a family history presentation I gave to my folks last year and is a mix of the history of the business and the people behind it.  Hope you find something of interest.


http://sites.google.com/site/molwebbhistory/Home
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: Lustrousstone on January 19, 2009, 08:25:11 PM
Well done, thank you for the link  :clap: :clap:
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: Anne on January 20, 2009, 01:09:34 AM
Fascinating, thank you for posting the link, this will fill a gap in glass knowledge. By the way, I love the castle posy in the gallery. :)
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: pamela on January 30, 2009, 10:23:28 AM
Thank you, Neil - have added it to my favourites  :chky:
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: David E on January 30, 2009, 06:54:25 PM
Always gratifying to see new research threads :clap:
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: Bernard C on January 31, 2009, 05:35:14 AM
Neil — Congratulations.   Fascinating material.

I would be grateful if you would take a look at topic Manchester? c.1875 Anvil Inkstand (http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,21284.0.html).

Have you seen this inkstand in the M&W pattern book?   Are you aware of any parallels in the Manchester glass industry to the sophisticated optical illusion inherent in this design?

Bernard C.  8)
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: neilh on January 31, 2009, 09:01:49 AM
Hi Bernard,

Firstly thanks to everyone who has posted encouraging comments about the website. Bernard, I haven't seen the Molineaux & Webb pattern book, except for the pages printed out in the Manchester Art Gallery Ancoats exhibition. I live some distance from Manchester these days and haven't had time to view it. Someone is sending me a later pattern book containing Molineaux & Webb pieces shortly, but I haven't heard any indication of such a piece. By the way I certainly don't claim to be an expert in identifying glass... I am keeping an eye out for Molineaux & Webb pieces as they pop up on eBay to build a list of what the factory produced.

Since I launched the website, Dave Peterson (Vaseline Glass) has sent me details of a speciality glass piece. It looks like a bit like a hip flask, in cut uranium glass, with a metal screw top. It has "Thomas George Webb" printed on the front, and it could be a one-off piece for the man who ran Molineaux & Webb from the 1860s to 1887, maybe a retirement gift. Or perhaps it's just a coincidence that it bears the name Thomas George Webb - we're not sure of the history of the item at the moment.

For those interested in the history of Manchester glass, I noticed the other day on the Rootsweb board that somebody is researching both the Derbyshires and the Walton family, who had various glass interests in the locality. According to this researcher, one of the Waltons was amongst a group of British glassmakers who "went at the request of the Japanese government to help Japan establish its first Western-style glassworks" in the 1870s - the researcher is looking to put together a book about it.

Neil
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: David E on January 31, 2009, 10:16:13 AM
Neil,

I know someone who is researching the Walton family (Sally Haden) - Thomas Walton was involved in setting up the Japanese sheet glass factory in Shinagawa and Sally's gt.Grandfather was James Speed, who was another instrumental in assisting the Japanese.

See Research into Japanese pressed glass industry, c.1870-1900 (http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,24200.0.html)

My own interest is due to a possible link with Chance Brothers - I feel its expertise would have been drawn on at some time - but I know Sally would be interested if you can help her. She is on the cusp of starting a degree at Hull University, with links to this subject matter.

Please email me if you want her address and I'll put you in touch. Just click the envelope icon in the left panel.
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: neilh on January 31, 2009, 11:17:53 AM
Hi David,

Yes - Sally was the person I was referring to. I saw she made a series of posts on the Manchester Rootsweb board last year. From what I could see, she was looking at the Waltons, ran into the Derbyshires, followed their Hulme factory back to William Robinson who gets a couple of mentions on my website. I have tried emailing Sally on her google address but no reply yet - I'll email you separately in case you've got a different address for her.
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: pamela on January 31, 2009, 09:20:58 PM
so di I,  Anne -loved to know who was a certain kevin?
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: mhgcgolfclub on February 01, 2009, 10:13:38 AM
Hi  Neil

Well done on your site

I have been collecting clear pressed glass for a number of years on my travels, I have up to about a 100 pieces by various makers including a few pieces by Molineaux, Webb & Co, all of mine is kept in my garden shed or loft , I still use a lot of mine around Christmas and then put back into storage.

I will post a few pictures of the items I have found to see if they are of any use for you excellent site, I also have quite a few items by Percival, Vickers and Co of Manchester

Roy
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: mhgcgolfclub on February 01, 2009, 10:55:28 AM
Neil hopes these may be of interest

Molineaux1


A large heavy bowl with a faint date lozenge which looks like 13th Jan 1868, weight 2280 gm with a diameter of 12.25"

Molineaux2

A large heavy bowl with a date lozenge again not easy to read but looks like 2nd Jan 1882 , although the parcel number is a 2 but in book should be 1, weight a heavy 2230 gm with a diameter of 12"

Molineaux3

A medium size bowl with RD No 143153 28th Jan 1890, weight 1098 gm with a diameter of 9.75"

Molineaux4

Comport with a date lozenge on base but very faint could be for 1st May 1865, weight 750 gm and 6" in height, I did wonder if it could be a John Derbyshire but thought more likely Molineaux

Roy
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: neilh on February 01, 2009, 11:16:54 AM
Hi Roy,

Thanks for those. I'll add a couple of your images to my site if that is ok. You are spot on with all the registration dates. The second one belongs to the "Duchess" set I believe. The last one is Molineaux and Webb - I have an image from a pattern book which shows that same pattern dated to 1st May 1865.

Neil
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: mhgcgolfclub on February 01, 2009, 11:34:28 AM
Hi Neil

Please feel free to use any pictures , if you need further pictures please let me know, I will also check to see if I have any other items   

Roy
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: krsilber on February 02, 2009, 08:43:27 AM
Great site, very well done.  You've compiled an amazing amount of information.  Thanks for posting a link to it.

I'm curious about the comport with the red fringe.  Is that glass that's been added to a pressed piece?

Some of the engraving looks outstanding!
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: neilh on February 02, 2009, 09:16:42 AM
Hi Kristi,

In Roger Dodsworth's article in the Glass Circle he describes it as "frosted comport with a ruby rim and an engraved band of ornament". The one in the photograph is currently available for viewing at the Manchester Art Gallery Ancoats glass exhibition. It was bought by the Gallery in 1977 at auction from Pamela Webb, which made me think it was a one off piece, as it had been in the family for 112 years. However it also exists in the pattern book so maybe there are other examples. Did glass firms log one off pieces to their pattern books? I don't know...

Neil
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: mhgcgolfclub on February 02, 2009, 09:29:19 AM
I have over the last few years seen a few comports with ruby rims, most  likely to have been Molineaux, although I did not stud them that closely as the price asked seems to be a lot more than just the normal comport

Roy
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: Bernard C on February 12, 2009, 08:43:35 AM
...   Did glass firms log one off pieces to their pattern books?   ...

Neil — Yes, sometimes they did.   And sometimes they didn't.   And they put anything else in them that would be useful if available on the factory floor.   There were no rules, despite modern historians' attempts to create them in retrospect.   The Walsh pattern books, reprinted in Reynolds, contain patterns that were never made, sizes that were never made, a pressed glass flower holder made by Davidson, and boxes for sets of six made by Walsh's box supplier.   Nor were they exhaustively comprehensive.   So, for example, a blank would be made to one pattern in the book, then cut to a different pattern.

The same applies to trade catalogues.   Barbara Yates (GA Journal #2) discovered that the Manchester factories topped up gaps in their trade catalogues with offerings from their neighbours.   Keeping the business in Manchester benefited them all in the long term.   So it is quite possible that the paperweight you are looking at in your M&W catalogue could have been made by Derbyshire, and the decanter by Percival Vickers.

Bernard C.  8)
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: Bernard C on February 20, 2009, 07:05:36 PM
Neil — See here (http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,25176.0.html) for an unusual example of Georgian repro by M&W.

Let me know if you want ex-camera.

Bernard C.  8)
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: pamela on February 20, 2009, 08:20:43 PM
Molineaux castles and much more
Please whatever Kevin it was whom I did outbid in this case, would you please mail me
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: neilh on February 20, 2009, 08:55:17 PM
Hi Bernard,

Very interested to see that image - I'm trying to gather images for each registration pattern and that is the first I've seen of their 20th century stuff. I'd like to expand the gallery on my site to a more general registrations with images section so if you are happy for me to use any MolWebb images let me know on here or just email them directly to the website contact address.

Pamela - I was alerted by Siegmar of Pressglas-Korrespondenz that one of these castle & rampart sets was up for auction on eBay Germany the other week. There were 10 pieces in the set I think, and they went for 360 Euros.

We had some exciting finds on the family history side this week with regard to our Manchester glass manufacturer links which I think will be of general interest. I will be cropping some photos in the next day or so and post a link when I've uploaded everything.
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: mhgcgolfclub on March 28, 2009, 09:18:49 PM
Neil

A couple of excellent quality pickle jars, the first one has a date lozenge on the lid and inside the base for the 7th June 1871 Percival and Vickers, while the 2nd one has a date lozenge for the 6th June 1876 Whittingham and Percival.

I have other pickle / lidded jars by Davidson and Sowerby and the quality of these 2 seems to be much better almost like cut glass. I will take some further pictures so you can have a choice for your web site, I will add a picture of the Molineaux salad bowl later

Roy

 
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: mhgcgolfclub on March 29, 2009, 02:28:36 PM
Neil

A picture of the large Molineaux salad bowl, it weighs 1.88 kg and measures 9.5" or 24 cm in diameter  I will also email you some more larger pictures.
The opalescent castle set looks great, a few years ago I bought  set of about 10 pieces but they have all since been sold, they also made pieces in complete circle and also heart shape

Roy

Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: davina on October 16, 2011, 08:32:23 PM
Im trying to contact someone on the Molineaux & webb website, the link isn't working. Does anyone have an email address ? thanks in advance.
Title: Re: New website on Molineaux & Webb
Post by: neilh on October 17, 2011, 05:24:08 AM
Yep, you got through to me on the email last night - I'll answer your question there but it definitely sounds like you are a descendant of Thomas Molineaux...