did get back to Kew, but unfortunately not a great deal wiser in terms of resolving the triangular flower. Two further archival volumes give the following:
1...........(No image - text only)
'No. 29106 - class 4
Burtles Tate and Company - Poland Street - Oldham Road - Manchester.
Flint Glass Manufacturers
Nature of Design: Pattern of Flower Boat
date: 29.6.1885'
2...........(image and text)
'29106 Design for Flower Boat
Redistered by Burtles Tate & Company - Poland Street - Oldham Road - Manchester.
image is of the flower boat' (although not in glass, I feel).
So - one entry says 'Pattern of Flower Boat', and the other, as neil has already commented, says, - 'Design for Flower Boat'. I would hazard a guess, therefore, that No. 29106 is registering the shape, since both entries use the word 'boat'. This doesn't, of course, resolve the issue of how the No. is justifiably used on the triangular bowl, and what for me was frustrating, was the fact the during this most recent visit I was unable to find any indication of a means of cross reference from the boat to the triangular bowl. End of the story for me I think.
