Topic: Royal Brierley segment weight.

[keith]

3.5 inches long, signed PK 1995, anyone know who PK is ? 

[Anne]

Presumably the same PK as your earlier RB shaped weight Keith? https://www.glassmessages.com/index.php?topic=68570.0

[keith]

Yes Anne  and this one 

[paperweights]

Nice to see the contrast between the two versions of Royal Brierley.  Do you think this originated at Royal Brierley Crystal which was purchased by Epsom Activities in 1998 and is now part of Dartington Crystal?  It doesn't look like Royal Brierley Studio which was a product line at the Isle of Wight Studio Glass. 

[keith]

I really don't know, the three weights are dated 1995, I suppose I should ask David Williams-Thomas he might remember 

[paperweights]

Since one of the paperweights has a "Royal Brierley Handmade Since 1776" it is safe to attribute this to Royal Brierley Crystal which started off as Stevens & Williams although the date isn't quite right.  The original Brierley Hill Glass Works was founded about 1740 and absorbed into Stevens & Williams in 1846. 

[keith]

There's a Brierley Hill crystal company still going,  I believe they started in the early 20th century.

[paperweights]

There is a lot of information on Royal Brierley on this board (Glass Messages).  The original company was Brierley Hill Glass Works (founded in 1740).  Stevens & Williams company absorbed them at one point but the glass works may have kept their name after being absorbed.  Then later, in the 20th century, Stevens & Williams took the name Royal Brierley Crystal after being visited by a royal family member (this may be anecdotal).  Sometime more recently, about 1999 or 2000 it was reorganized and Epsom Enterprises took over the operation briefly, failed, started again.  The assets were sold to Dartington in 2005.

[keith]

From my research Dartington ran the business till 2007 when it closed production and moved to Devon, blanks were still sent to old workers to be cut or acid dipped then returned to Devon to be finished, how long this went on I couldn't say. This is about all the information I can find on the final years of Royal Brierley.

[paperweights]

Thanks Keith.  That completes the history.