Josiah Spode (1755-1827)
Josiah Spode II, china merchant and, perhaps, the most successful bone china manufacturer of the early 19th century.
1755 Born, son of Josiah Spode
He carried on and expanded his father's business, Spode.
1775 He married Elizabeth Barker, daughter of the potter Thomas Barker. They had five children: William (1776–1834), Josiah (1777–1829), Elizabeth (b. 1778, d. after 1835), Saba (1780–1811), and Mary (b. 1781, d. after 1834). Both William and Josiah were to become involved in their father's business.
1778 Spode opened a London outlet as the most profitable means of retailing to the fashionable and lucrative metropolitan market. In that year Josiah Spode II became a Freeman of the City and a member of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers.
While living in London, Spode maintained his links with Stoke.
1790 he took a lead role in the formation of the Fenton Park colliery which was the first joint potters' coal company.
1797 On the death of his father, he returned to Stoke and lived in Fenton Hall.
By 1803 he had acquired a 17 acre site in Penkhull on which to build his own mansion, The Mount, half a mile from the Stoke potworks. He also built many houses for his workers in the vicinity of the large factory works.
1805 The London business was put in the charge of a partnership between Spode's son William and William Copeland.
1806 Following a visit by the Prince of Wales, Spode was allowed to title himself "Potter and English Porcelain Manufacturer to H.R.H. Prince of Wales".
1827 Josiah Spode died on 16 July 1827 in Stoke-on-Trent.
See Also
Sources of Information
- Biography of Josiah Spode II, ODNB [1]