Staffordshire Pottery Marks

Staffordshire Pottery Identification Using Backstamps

The name of the pottery manufacturer and approximate date of manufacture can be discovered if the piece of pottery has a backstamp.There are way too many to list here as it would take a whole new website to list them all! The best reference book we have found is the Encyclopaedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks by Geoffrey A Godden and is probably the only book you will ever need. You can get a copy by clicking on the link below or alternatively your local library will probably have a copy in its reference section.

Encyclopaedia of British Pottery and Porcelain Marks by Geoffrey A Godden.

General clues to dates can be given by words that appear on the backstamp.

ENGLAND – Added to marks after 1891, to comply with the American McKinley Tariff Act.

MADE IN ENGLAND – 20th century, usually after 1914.

LIMITED – After the 1860 Companies Act, not usually on pottery until after 1880.

TRADE MARK – After the Trade Mark Act of 1862, not normally on pottery until 1875.

REGISTERED NUMBER – Registered After 1884 – see numbers guide.

ROYAL ARMS – 19th century or later. Arms after 1837 have a simple quartered shield, pre 1837 have an inescutcheon or extra shield in the center.

NAME OF PATTERN – After 1810

NAME ‘ROYAL’ – After 1850

BONE CHINA – 20th century.

Registered Numbers

Registered numbers are a consecutive numbering system that started in 1884 for designs that were registered by companies. The Registered Number, usually written as Rd on the piece of pottery, gives the date when that design was registered to prevent copying, but it could have been made at any time later than that date.

Details of the registrations are held at the Public Record Office, Ruskin Avenue, Kew, Surrey. Telephone (0181) 8763444.

1884 1                                                   1885 19756

1886  40480                                          1887 64520

1888 90483                                           1889 116648

1890 141273                                        1891 163767

1892 185713                                        1893 205240

1894 224720                                         1895 246975

1896 268392                                         1897 291241

1898 311658                                         1899 331707

1900 351202                                         1901 368154

1902 385180                                         1903 403200

1904 424400                                         1905 447800

1906 471860                                         1907 493900

1908 518640                                         1909 535170

1910 552000                                         1911 574817

1912 594195                                         1913 612431

1914 630190                                         1915 644935

1916 653521                                         1917 658988

1918 662872                                         1919 666128

1920 673750                                         1921 680147

1922 687144                                         1923 694999

1924 702671                                         1925 710165

1926 718057                                         1927 726330

1928 734370                                         1929 742725

1930 751160                                         1931 760583

1932 769670                                         1933 779292

1934 789019                                         1935 799097

1936 808794                                         1937 817293

1938 825231                                         1939 832610

1940 837520                                         1941 838590

1942 839230                                         1943 839980

1944 841040                                         1945 842670

1946 845550                                         1947 849730

1948 853260                                         1949 856999

1950 860854                                         1951 863970

1952 866280                                         1953 869300

1954 872531                                         1955 876067

1956 879282                                         1957 882949

1958 887079                                         1959 891665

1960 895000                                         1961 899914

1962 904638                                         1963 909364

1964 914536                                         1965 919607

Happy Hunting!