Female Provident Society - Document from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
This 'benefit club' claimed to offer women a fighting chance of avoiding hopeless poverty - many years before any worker paid a National Insurance contribution.
If a woman fell ill, she could expect ...
First day of polling in Newcastle-under-Lyme - 1831 election notice from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
After a day of voting in Newcastle-under Lyme's 1831 elections, the standing was as follows:
E. Peel - 309 votes;
W.H. Miller - 204 votes;
J. Wedgwood - 151 votes.
This notice was collected ...
Floor Plan of a Potbank - Document from the Enoch Wood Scrapbook
This floor plan for a pottery complex may have been drawn up by local manufacturer Enoch Wood - who certainly added notes outlining his intentions.
He noted down plans for a nine-foot perimiter wall, ...
Forgery - notice from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
As concern spreads across the Potteries, this notice guides traders and townspeople in how to recognise a forged £1 note.
In the early 1800s not all bank notes were issued by the Bank of England; these ...
Freedom and Liberty - Broadside ballad verse from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
An additional verse for a politically motivated song.
The song appears to be a call to support John Fenton Boughey in a parliamentary election.
We're told "we were nursed in Trentham's sweet Lap,
And ...
Freedom of Election - Notice from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Two hundred years ago, elections were far from democratic.
In 1812, a number of Newcastle-under-Lyme's voters were put out of work after voicing their support for Independent candidate Sir John Fenton ...
General Meeting of the North Staffordshire Coal Masters - A notice from the Enoch Wood Scrapbook
In this notice, 32 North Staffordshire mine owners outline their unity with regard to two pressing issues.
Wages
At this time, miners were attempting to secure an increase in their wages by forming ...
Grand Musical Tory Concert - Election caricatures from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
This notice sends up an imaginary concert staged by an 'aristocratic' political party of 1812, caricatured here as the 'Tory Humbug.'
At this time, Members of Parliament had to own property worth at ...
Grand Theatrical Olio - Political satire from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Wit and satire were a common feature of 19th century local politics, and of course, politicians made easy targets.
Lord John Russellass - Transformist?
This notice imagines a fictional 'Grand Theatrical ...
Great Beauty and Great Riches - A pamphlet concerning the proposed Grand Commercial Canal, from the Enoch Wood Scrapbook
A frustrating meeting has taken place at the Star and White Hart Inn, Uttoxeter.
Supporters of a scheme to build a new canal in Staffordshire have grown weary of attempts to discredit their project ...
HMS Shannon captures the USS Chesapeake - News of a "glorious victory" from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Although this notice proclaims a "glorious victory" for Captain Broke of the HMS Shannon, some battles were far from over.
The War of 1812
During 1812-3, Britain and the United States began official ...
House of Industry and Court of Requests - A document from the Enoch Wood Scrapbook
A meeting is to be held at Hanley Market Hall on Wednesday 5 February 1794, at 11am.
A new House of Industry?
Gentlemen in the local parishes of Stoke-upon-Trent, Burslem and Wolstanton have agreed ...
How to behave on a Sunday - a notice from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
In the 1800s, faith and church played a much more forceful part in everyday life than they do in the 21st century, shaping the way people thought about everyday life - and death.
For pottery manufacturer ...
Hunger on the Home Front - A satyrical document from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Wartime
In times of war, the fortunes of both tradespeople and townspeople could nose-dive - and in 1812 the Potteries were feeling the intense strain of Britain's long war with Napoleon's France.
Soup ...
In arrears - Document from the Enoch Wood Scrapbook
This note from Charles Bagnall and Thomas Byerly requests payment in arrears of 3 guineas towards a subscription scheme. This sum has been owed by the recipient since 1790.
About this Document
This ...
Josiah Wedgwood addresses the Burgesses of Newcastle-under-Lyme - from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
Josiah Wedgwood tries to explain his absence when he should have been campaigning for votes to become MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1831:
"As I have lived among you for more than half a century, my ...
Josiah Wedgwood II addresses workers at his Etruria factory - 1831 election poster from the Enoch Wood scrapbook
When Josiah Wedgwood II contested an election in Newcastle, he could count on the support of many of his own employees - even if they could not vote for him in practice.
In order to vote, men had to ...
Keeling's Patent Substitute for Red and White Lead - Document from the Enoch Wood Scrapbook
Improved Glazes
Printed notice by industrialist and inventor James Keeling. Here he makes various claims about an improved formula for ceramic glazes, which he has patented.
The glaze is 30% cheaper ...