William Duesbury
Encyclopedia
William Duesbury was an important enameller
and British entrepreneur
, founder of the Royal Crown Derby
and owner of porcelain
factories at Bow
, Chelsea
, Derby
and Longton Hall.
in Staffordshire.
Around 1742 he was working as an enameller in London, where he remained until 1753. Subsequently, between 1754-5, he lived and worked in Longton Hall, where his father dwelled and where there was a small china works.
On 1 January 1756 he moved with his father to Derby having acquired a share in the Derby potworks on Cockpit Hill with his new partners John Heath and Andrew Planche (1728–1805) a talented French Huguenot potter. Planche did not remain long in the partnership and left Derby. Duesbury with Heath's financial backing opened a new factory on the Nottingham Road. This new venture proved to be a success. A London agent was engaged in April 1757.
In 1770 Duesbury was able to purchase the failing Chelsea pottery factory and for the next few years he probably used it to decorate pottery produced in Derby destined for the London market. He continued the tradition at Chelsea of holding an annual auction.
The first was on 17 April 1771 and the three following days, the next in 1773. In June 1774 he opened a warehouse in London at No. 1 Bedford Street, Covent Garden
, and held periodical auctions of his wares at that address and stopped the Chelsea auctions. The ware was announced sometimes as Derby and Chelsea, and sometimes as Chelsea alone; and specimens of the various wares were on permanent view at the warehouse in Bedford Street, Covent Garden.
In March of 1775 Duesbury and John Heath were given a Royal Warrant
by George III appointing them "China Manufacturers in Ordinary to His Majesty". This allowed them to include a crown on their porcelain mark. The Duesbury "D" was now capped with a crown to record that they were "Derby China Manufacturers to His Majesty". Also in 1775 Duesbury acquired the manufactory of Bow and in 1777 those of Giles's manufactory, Kentish Town
, and others.
In 1779 Duesbury faced a sever financial crisis because his business partner Heath went bankrupt. Duesbury managed to survive the crisis and in August 1780 was able to purchase Heath's share of the business from his creditors. He was now the sole proprietor of "the leading porcelain manufacturer in England". In 1783 his business was helped when George, Prince of Wales chose to use Duesbury's wares furnish Carlton House. The next year, 1784, Duesbury centralised all his manufacturing processes in Derby.
Duesbury died of a heart attack on 30 October 1786 at the china factory in Nottingham Road Derby and was buried on 2 November at St Alkmund's Church, Derby
. His business passed to his eldest son and partner William Duesbury.
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
and British entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, founder of the Royal Crown Derby
Royal Crown Derby
The Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company is a porcelain manufacturer, based in Derby, England. The company, particularly known for its high-quality bone china, has produced tableware and ornamental items since approximately 1750...
and owner of porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
factories at Bow
Bow porcelain factory
The Bow porcelain factory was an emulative rival of the Chelsea porcelain factory in the manufacture of early soft-paste porcelain in Great Britain...
, Chelsea
Chelsea porcelain factory
The Chelsea porcelain manufactory is the first important porcelain manufactory in England; its earliest soft-paste porcelain, aimed at the aristocratic market—cream jugs in the form of two seated goats—are dated 1745...
, Derby
Derby Porcelain
The production of Derby porcelain dates from the first half of the 18th century, although the authorship and the exact start of the production remains today as a matter of conjecture. The oldest remaining pieces in the late 19th century bore only the words «Darby» and «Darbishire» and the years...
and Longton Hall.
Biography
Duesbury was born on 7 September 1725. to William Duesbury, currier, of CannockCannock
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
in Staffordshire.
Around 1742 he was working as an enameller in London, where he remained until 1753. Subsequently, between 1754-5, he lived and worked in Longton Hall, where his father dwelled and where there was a small china works.
On 1 January 1756 he moved with his father to Derby having acquired a share in the Derby potworks on Cockpit Hill with his new partners John Heath and Andrew Planche (1728–1805) a talented French Huguenot potter. Planche did not remain long in the partnership and left Derby. Duesbury with Heath's financial backing opened a new factory on the Nottingham Road. This new venture proved to be a success. A London agent was engaged in April 1757.
In 1770 Duesbury was able to purchase the failing Chelsea pottery factory and for the next few years he probably used it to decorate pottery produced in Derby destined for the London market. He continued the tradition at Chelsea of holding an annual auction.
The first was on 17 April 1771 and the three following days, the next in 1773. In June 1774 he opened a warehouse in London at No. 1 Bedford Street, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, and held periodical auctions of his wares at that address and stopped the Chelsea auctions. The ware was announced sometimes as Derby and Chelsea, and sometimes as Chelsea alone; and specimens of the various wares were on permanent view at the warehouse in Bedford Street, Covent Garden.
In March of 1775 Duesbury and John Heath were given a Royal Warrant
Royal Warrant
Royal warrants of appointment have been issued for centuries to those who supply goods or services to a royal court or certain royal personages. The warrant enables the supplier to advertise the fact that they supply to the royal family, so lending prestige to the supplier...
by George III appointing them "China Manufacturers in Ordinary to His Majesty". This allowed them to include a crown on their porcelain mark. The Duesbury "D" was now capped with a crown to record that they were "Derby China Manufacturers to His Majesty". Also in 1775 Duesbury acquired the manufactory of Bow and in 1777 those of Giles's manufactory, Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
, and others.
In 1779 Duesbury faced a sever financial crisis because his business partner Heath went bankrupt. Duesbury managed to survive the crisis and in August 1780 was able to purchase Heath's share of the business from his creditors. He was now the sole proprietor of "the leading porcelain manufacturer in England". In 1783 his business was helped when George, Prince of Wales chose to use Duesbury's wares furnish Carlton House. The next year, 1784, Duesbury centralised all his manufacturing processes in Derby.
Duesbury died of a heart attack on 30 October 1786 at the china factory in Nottingham Road Derby and was buried on 2 November at St Alkmund's Church, Derby
St Alkmund's Church, Derby
Saint Alkmund's Church was a Victorian Church, which stood in a Georgian square between Bridgegate and Queen Street in Derby; this was the only Georgian square in the city.-History:...
. His business passed to his eldest son and partner William Duesbury.