Glass Message Board

Hi everyone
I recently acquired a set of dishes, with a glass floral design.  I originally thought they might be Humppila or Iittala, but I haven't been able to confirm the design.  Any thoughts or opinions to help identify these would be great. Cheers and thanks

Thanks for your reply John, I have since had time to look at the whitefriars catalogues at whitefriars.org (thanks to them).
The correct pattern number for my vase is 9284 and seems to have been produced in that size from 1949 to 1964.
Should do my homework before posting.
Thanks again,
Tim

Just 4 inches across with raised pontil mark, very pleased finding this today ! 

There is a pair like your tallest (in an amber I think) in a local antiques centre, can't remember if they are quite as tall as 16" though. I did handle them and thought they were Whitefriars, couldn't say now if soda or not.

John

Thanks, neilh.  I'm intrigued by your mention of James Stevens burial in Handsworth Churchyard . . . would that be St Mary or St James, Handsworth, and what dates are given?

I'm well aware that all the books mention James Stevens as the father of the brothers William and James who went up to Gateshead,  and that he was a die sinker of Camden Street.

William and James, and their wives, appear in Gateshead in the 1861 census, living in different houses and described as glass mould makers.  In 1871 they are back in Birmingham with their families and described as wine and spirit merchants.  Wives and their details all tally and there is no doubt.  In particular William Junior auctioned the contents of his house before leaving, but clearly didn't sell it as by 1882 was being used to sell wines and spirits.

The problem is that I can't find any other William and James Stevens in Gateshead at the appropriate time, regardless of their trade.

Nor can I find a James Stevens of Camden Street who was a die sinker. 

All the references are of William Stevens, die sinker of Camden Street.  There are references to him as a die sinker beginning in 1826 and to Camden Street in his insolvency in 1830.  He and William junior had a business in Great Tindal Street by 1851 manufacturing glass presses, glass moulds, glasshouse tools and glass-cutter's mills.

Curiously he and his wife went up to Gateshead with his sons and they were in the same house as William junior for the 1861 census.  I don't know exactly when he returned, though his name features in 1862 in the Corporation directory, resident in Booth Street, Handsworth.

He was buried in St Mary Handsworth churchyard in 1873, in the grave of his daughter Harriet and her husband William Sheldon.  Wm Sheldon was leaseholder of the Board Hotel on the corner of New Street and the Bull Ring and he died in 1868.  In the 1871 census William junior and brother James were back from Gateshead and clearly had taken over the lease.  I think it was only after William junior died in 1906 and the lease having passed to someone else that 'The Board' Public House and premises became known as 'Stevens Bar'.

I did speak to Raymond Slack in 2014 and explained my research.    He was quite happy with this and simply said that mistakes were often made with names!  This does make sense because all the references to James Stevens seem to come from one original source, though I'm not sure which this is.   Raymond Slack said that he'd disposed of his library and reference books, so couldn't look anything up.

The research goes on!