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
Remember! These are the dates on which the designs were registered so if you find these marks it only gives you the earliest date of the piece.
Happy Hunting!