Topic: Edward Webb - Whitehouse Glassworks

[Bernard C]

Brian — the Glass Association journals are invaluable.   As a member, you can obtain photocopies of any which are out of print.

For example, Vol. 2 contains Barbara Yates' article The Glasswares of Percival Vickers & Co. Ltd., Jersey Street, Manchester, 1844–1914, which contains material relevant to you explaining that Thomas Percival was the nephew of Thomas Webb Snr., becoming works manager for Molineaux & Webb before setting up in business in his own right.

All three glassworks (the above plus Burtles Tate) in Manchester had family connections, and cooperated to a certain extent, so Yates found at least one example of one glasswork's products filling gaps in another's product range, a practice which I suspect happened a lot more than we know about today.   Of course, with cut glass, it is more complicated, as uncut blanks could have moved from one glassworks to another.

Bernard C.  

[BSevern]

I found the information I was looking for - Thank you.

Brian

[agincourt17]

Some details about Edward Webb and The White house Glassworks, abstracted from a reply I have just posted on the GMB at
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,60884.msg343323.html#msg343323

Abstracted from Jason Ellis’s “Glassmakers of Stourbridge & Dudley 1612-2002):

On 29 September 1844, Edward Webb of Wordsley and his cousin Joseph Webb of Amblecote formed a partnership and took over Hollway End Glassworks, Wordsley, to manufacture flint glass. Edward and Joseph were cousins of Thomas Webb who operated Platts Glassworks. Edward had previously been a farmer, and Joseph had previously worked as a packer for Webb and Richardson at the Wordsley Flint Glassworks and then as a clerk  for his cousin Thomas at Platts Glassworks. They  agreed that Joseph would make the metal and Edward would handle the commercial activities of the business. 

In October 1850 Joseph and Edward dissolved their partnership. Edward’s interest in milling was causing some disagreement between him and his cousin Joseph. Joseph Webb left to take on Coalbournhill Glassworks [and there has been extensive discussion on the output of Joseph Webb and his executors on the GMB], leaving Edward Webb in sole control of Holloway End Glasshouse.

In 1851 Edward Webb lived with his wife and family at Wordsley and employed a hundred hands. In 1853 he left Holloway End and moved to join his brother William at the White House Glassworks [interestingly, the projected new home for the Broadfield House glass collections]. The two bothers also had a joint business as millers.

William Webb died at Wordsley in 1866, aged 65. Edward Webb brought his sons, William George and Edward junior into the business and the firm traded as Edward Webb and Sons. They exhibited at the Wolverhampton Exhibition of 1869 and received an accolade in the official report that included the following: “… this firm carried out the representation of decorated and table glass in a most effective manner. …the details of the decorations, whether engraved, cut or blown on, give evidence of the most perfect mastery of the material. … some of the specimens of ‘flashed’ glass were most delicate… in no previous exhibition has there been so perfect a display made by any one house. It is needless to remark on the quality of the metal or the purity of its colour, since in this respect it is all that can be desired.”

In 1871 Edward Webb lived at White House, Buckpool, Wordsley, ‘ a glassmaster, miller, hop seed and corn dealer’. He died at Wordsley in November 1872. The glassmaking business was carried on by his younger son Edward.  His older son, William George, followed at military career and rose to become a colonel and Member of Parliament for the Kingswinford Divison from 1900 until his death in 1905. he was also chairman of North Worcestershire Breweries.

In 1876 the business was described as ‘Edward Webb, flint and coloured glass manufacturer and sole patentee of the improved process of printing on glass.’

In 1897, Edward Webb chose to cease glassmaking on his own behalf and leased out the glassworks, His tenants were his distant cousin, Thomas Ernest Webb and George Haryy Corbett. They founded the firm of Thomas Webb and Corbett Ltd. The trademark Webb-Corbett was registered the same year and the new firm officially commenced trading in 1st January 1898.

There are some photographs of hand blown and decorated Edward Webb glass at http://theantiquarian.us/Hist.%20William%20Webb,%20Jr.%20&%20Edward%20Webb.htm
although no date is given (but I think that the piece shown probably dates from around the late 1880s). Note the hand-painted ‘spiderweb-E’ trademark, introduced, apparently, in 1883 (but no registered design number).

Fred.

[Lustrousstone]

I have this
http://lustrousstone.co.uk/cpg/displayimage.php?pid=1567
http://lustrousstone.co.uk/cpg/displayimage.php?pid=1568
http://lustrousstone.co.uk/cpg/displayimage.php?pid=1569