Topic: Samuel Cole Falcon Glassworks Stoke and Jonathon Richardson of Richardson glass

[flying free]

oh my ... wow,just wow

Neil, that's fantastic.
Thanks so much.

And Samuel Cole was the sole executor. Perhaps that was because Mary was the oldest daughter?

And another question - 'Samuel Cole, Glass dealer' (??)
However, this was in 1857 and by 1861 Samuel Cole (who would have been 35 yrs old by then and was 12 years after he married Mary nee Richardson) was listed as :

'1861 Census
Broad Street, Shelton, Stoke-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire
Married (wife's name given as Mary Ann)   Male   35   1826   Glass Manufacturer Employing 19 Men 11 Woman 22 Boys'



I think the Black Country History site might have the Jonathon Richardson information wrong as well then:
http://blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/GB145_D7/

'HENRY G. RICHARDSON & SONS LTD.

Ref No: D7
Date: 1725-1986
Description: The collection includes administrative records, such as the Memorandum of Association of Henry G. Richardson & Sons Ltd.; a large amount of business, family and official correspondence; financial records; genealogical records of the Richardson family; contemporary photographs of 19th century glassware; a number of illustrations which were used as source material by designers and decorators of the Richardson factory; and, most notably, hundreds of original patterns and designs, mainly hand-drawn and painted, in the form of Pattern Books and loose Pattern Sheets.
Admin History: In 1828, Benjamin Richardson joined the Wordsley Flint Glass Works, run by George and Charles Wainwright. He started the firm of 'Webb and Richardson' in 1829, with his brother William Haden Richardson, and Thomas Webb, another local glass manufacturer.

Benjamin Richardson is reputed to have invented the method of etching on flint and table glass using acid. The first machine for threading glass was used at the Richardson Works in Stourbridge. Benjamin was an 'experimentalist' in the art of glassmaking and introduced chrysolite, topaz and other new colours to the Stourbridge glass industry. His innovative and artistic style later earned him the title of 'the father of the glass industry'.

In 1836, Thomas Webb left the company to found 'Thomas Webb & Sons'. The third Richardson brother, Jonathan, then joined the firm. In 1841, William Haden Richardson bought the White House Glassworks. By 1842, the company became known as 'W. H., B. & J. Richardson'. By 1852 this name was discontinued when the firm became insolvent. However, in 1853 the company reopened, carrying only the name of 'Benjamin Richardson'. In 1863, a partnership was formed between Benjamin and Jonathan Richardson, and their nephews Philip Pargeter and William James Hodgetts , and the firm became 'Hodgetts, Richardson & Pargeter'. Philip Pargeter left the firm in 1871, and Henry Gething Richardson, son of Benjamin, joined the firm which then became 'Hodgetts, Richardson & Son'. '


It might be a good idea to amend the title of this thread now:
Perhaps to read ' Samuel Cole Falcon Glassworks Stoke and Jonathon Richardson of Richardson glass 19thC'  in view of future searches?

[David E]

The only two snippets I can find on The British Newspaper Archive are attached. Seems as though the works were sold off around 20th Dec. 1902 then an advert appears for 5th Sep. 1903 where their items are being sold off. Plenty of mentions for Apsley Pellat's Falcon Glassworks in London though.

[flying free]

well the description certainly seems to describe a 'glass works'.

And obviously of much interest to me, is the 'POMPEII GLASS' reproductions - what is that?


So far I think we can safely say there was a glass manufacturer in Stoke on Trent called Falcon Glass Works.

Thank you Anne, Neil and David for all your incalculable input.


but the story's not finished by any stretch  
- where did Samuel train? 
- who trained him?
- what happened to his Father-in-law Jonathon Richardson?
- and most importantly, if Jonathon Richardson, Mary Ann's father, was the brother of Benjamin Richardson and the Jonathon of  'W. H., B. & J. Richardson' fame, why do the Dudley Archives not know he died in 1857.

- second most importantly, did the Falcon Glass works make those glass items in the link I gave earlier?  That paperweight, if it was made by them, would be an amazing find.

[agincourt17]

There could also be fairly close early geographical links between Samuel Cole, Jonathan Richardson, and Jonathan's wife, Sarah.

Sarah Richardson was born in Dudley (my home town), Worcs., and Samuel Cole was born in Darby Hand (Netherton), Worcs. Netherton is an area of Dudley, to the south of Dudley town itself (actually the area where I was brought up), and ' Darby Hand' is itself a small south-easterly part of Netherton (though actually called Darby End nowadays). So I suppose that Samuel Cole could have been a neighbour of his future mother-in-law's family, or even related to her or her extended family in some way, and this is perhaps how Samuel met his future wife, Mary.

Johnathan Richardson lived and carried on his business in Wordsley, Kingswinford. I have been visiting relatives in Netherton today and driven through Kingswinford on the way home. They are only about 5-6 miles apart (and Kingswinford in now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley), so not a great distance for Samuel Cole to travel to visit the Richardson's Glassworks in his role as a glass dealer.
 
Fred.

[Anne]

Thank you Neil, David and Fred for adding more to the jigsaw, this is getting very exciting now for sure.

M, I will tackle the relationships that link the Richardsons with the Hodgetts  and the Pargeters next.

The Grace's Guide text for Hodgetts,_Richardson_and_Pargeter seems to be the same as that on The Antiquarian site already referred to, and I have found several errors of fact in the latter already so we cannot regard it (or by association that on Grace's) as a reliable source.

Re Jonathan Richardson still being included in the partnership reference in 1863 (The Antiquarian) if he was a partner from 1854 (as per Grace's Guide) and died in 1857 his death would obviously remove him as a partner, but in the London Gazette 16 November 1877 there are still references to Jonathan Richardson relating back to the 1852 bankruptcy of William Haden Richardson, Benjamin Richardson, and Jonathan Richardson as reported in the LG dated 24 February 1852, so I wonder if this is why there has been an assumption that Jonathan was still alive?  The 1877 hearing would be to update matters from 1852/3 so presumably WIlliam Haden and Benjamin would have updated the QC at the hearing to the fact that their brother was deceased in 1857. I am going through all the LG entries for them currently and will try and timeline what happened and report back.

[flying free]

I'm with you - and I did notice that Grace's guide appeared to have taken some information from the, what we now know is incorrect, Antiquarian info.
That said, I think it's just that some assumptions were being made because nowhere appears to document Jonathon's death.

And in all honesty, he appears, on current evidence,  to look as though he was viewed as some 'inconsequential' member of the team from the available information about the various companies.  But I can't believe that.  He must have been blowing lots of their glass. 
It appears that William did a lot of the selling, and Benjamin seems to me from current evidence to be presented as having appropriated the lead role in the designing/making/making it work in glass terms,  but Jonathon must have been a key part in that?
And that might be borne out by the fact that after they won a Prize Medal at the Great Exhibition they asked for two more to be made so  each brother would have one (pp105 - CH British Glass 1800-1914).  William also addressed his correspondence on design ideas/sales etc to his 'Dear Brothers ...'   So I just think Jonathon is the dark horse in current information, and it would be great to give him more prominence


Some observations up to the death of Jonathon in 1857-


Some Richardson's info re Jonathon gleaned from CH British Glass 1800-1914:

- pp96 says that Jonathon may have joined his brothers as a partner in 1836 as that info appeared in the obit of his son John T. H. Richardson written in 1914.
CH says on pp95 that Jonathon was certainly at the factory by 1842.

- I read a small line, that not much is known about their glass in the 1850s (presume 1851 post Great Ex) and the 1860s (see pp113) '... but the glass that survives from that period suggests it was a time of experimentation and preparation for the future'.

- In 1852 they went bust (all their creditors were paid though) but the book says Benjamin and Jonathon buried and concealed tools and equipment from the glasshouse and then started up again.  When they restarted it was known as B. Richardson but William Haden was kept informed about developments.

- They developed acid etching during the 1850s.  I've included that because one does wonder what damage that did to the makers, and Jonathon was young even by the standard of that era, when he died.
However it  goes onto say that this (acid etching) was evidenced by the blue cased wineglass signed 'B. Richardson 1859'.  Obviously made after Jonathon died.

- In 1864 the company became operational as Hodgetts, Richardson and Pargeter under a new agreement.

As an aside:  Neil reported this 'Jonathan Richardson effects under £300...'
Was that not a lot of money at that time?

Thank you for doing all this Anne and everyone, and making the time to do it.

 

[neilh]

The amounts left in a will can sometimes be down to canny tax planning and not a sign of relative wealth. In Molineaux Webb, Thomas George Webb (1828-1901) left about a grand, but his dad left 25k and his son left 70k. He wrote his will several years before death and no doubt had planned to leave such a comparatively small amount.

Having looked through the available probates the larger ones here are:

Benjamin Richardson (1802-1887) personal estate £5110 7s 7d
The Will of Benjamin Richardson late of Wordley Hall... Stafford Gentleman who died 30 November 1887 was proved at Lichfild by William Haden Richardson of Kyle Street in the City of Glasgow and Henry Gething Richardson of Wordsley in the said Parish Glass Manufactueres the Sons Mary Roose Widow and Martha Haden Richardson Spinster

and his son Henry Gething Richardson 1832-1916 (d Staffordshire)

Henry Gething Richardson of The Hawthorns Wordsley left £7679 6s to Elizabeth Richardson widow, Martha Alice Richardson and Mary Maria Richardson spinsters, William Haden Arthur Richardson glass manufacturer and Henry Edward Richardson, gentleman.

[flying free]

Gosh if you use a calculator on Benjamin's will it equates to £600,000.
I don't know if using a calculator is the correct way though.

Even so, actually £300 when Jonathon died was worth about £30000 or so now.

http://inflation.stephenmorley.org/

[Anne]

Another snippet which ties Mary Ann Cole to Mary Ann Richardson was in the 1861 Census which I overlooked as it was before I'd explored the Richardson line... the Coles had a visitor staying - one Martha J Richardson, age 23, who was Mary Ann Richardson's younger sister of course.

[flying free]

Anne, you are fantastic

Do you have time to look up any more information on Jonathon Richardson? 
I have been searching the Black Country museum website but their documentation is not online - it give you lists of file numbers but they are only for one to note down and then would have to access the archives to see the information. 
It's a bit bemusing that Charles didn't have access to more info on Jonathon - perhaps there is nothing there?
I'm still wondering why he was so young when he died.
Also I am curious to know who possibly who trained Samuel Cole, Jonathon's son-in-law.

I'll keep looking.
and thank you
m