Henry Doulton
Encyclopedia
Sir Henry Doulton was an English
businessman, inventor and manufacturer of pottery
, instrumental in developing the firm of Royal Doulton
.
Born in Vauxhall
, Henry was the second of the eight children of John Doulton
(1793–1873), a pottery manufacturer, and his wife, Jane Duneau, a widow from Bridgnorth
in Shropshire
. His brother, Frederick Doulton
, became Member of Parliament
for Lambeth
from 1862 until 1868. His father had become a partner
in a pottery business in 1815 but Henry was the most academic of his children. Henry spent two years at the University College School
where he developed a love of literature
. His father had thought Henry the least likely to join the family business, perhaps being destined for a profession
, but in 1835, he joined the firm, as did all his brothers other than Frederick.
One of the first results of his many experiments was the production of good enamel
glaze
s. In 1846 he initiated in Lambeth the pipe works, in which he superintended the manufacture of the drainage
and sanitary appliances
which have helped to make the firm of Doulton
famous.
In 1870 the manufacture of "Art pottery" was begun at Lambeth, using the skills of students from the Lambeth School of Art
(later the City and Guilds of London Art School
). The company exhibited at the Centennial Exposition
of 1876 in Philadelphia. In 1877 works were opened at Burslem
, where almost every variety of porcelain
and earthenware
has been produced. Works have since been opened at Rowley Regis
, Smethwick
, St Helens
, Paisley
and Paris
. After the Paris exhibition of 1878
, Henry Doulton was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
.
In 1872 the Art department was instituted in the Doulton works, giving employment to both male and female artists, among whom such workers as George Tinworth
and Misses Hannah and Florence Barlow obtained a reputation outside their immediate sphere. In 1887 Henry Doulton received the honor of a knighthood, and a few years later was awarded the Albert Medal
by the Royal Society of Arts
. In 1849 he married Sarah, the daughter of Elizabeth and James Lewis Kennaby. They had three children, Sarah Lillian (1852-), Henry Lewis (1853–1930), and Katherine Duneau (1856–1932). His wife Sarah died in 1888. Sir Henry Doulton took an active interest, as almoner
, in St Thomas' Hospital
.
Appropriately after his death in London
, he was placed in a mausoleum at West Norwood Cemetery
constructed from red pottery tiles and bricks from the Doulton Works, which is now a Grade II Listed building.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
businessman, inventor and manufacturer of pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, instrumental in developing the firm of Royal Doulton
Royal Doulton
The Royal Doulton Company is an English company producing tableware and collectables, dating to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in The Potteries, where it was a latecomer compared to Spode, Wedgwood and Minton...
.
Born in Vauxhall
Vauxhall
-Demography:Many Vauxhall residents live in social housing. There are several gentrified areas, and areas of terraced townhouses on streets such as Fentiman Road and Heyford Avenue have higher property values in the private market, however by far the most common type of housing stock within...
, Henry was the second of the eight children of John Doulton
John Doulton
John Doulton was an English businessman and manufacturer of pottery, a founder of the firm that later became known as Royal Doulton. John Doulton married Jane Duneau, a widow from Bridgnorth in Shropshire, who died April 9, 1841...
(1793–1873), a pottery manufacturer, and his wife, Jane Duneau, a widow from Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
. His brother, Frederick Doulton
Frederick Doulton
Frederick Doulton was a British Liberal Party politician. He was Member of Parliament for Lambeth from 5 May 1862 until 1868.- Biography :...
, became Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Lambeth
Lambeth (UK Parliament constituency)
Lambeth was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Lambeth district of South London. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the bloc vote system.-History:...
from 1862 until 1868. His father had become a partner
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
in a pottery business in 1815 but Henry was the most academic of his children. Henry spent two years at the University College School
University College School
University College School, generally known as UCS, is an Independent school charity situated in Hampstead, north west London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views...
where he developed a love of literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
. His father had thought Henry the least likely to join the family business, perhaps being destined for a profession
Profession
A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain....
, but in 1835, he joined the firm, as did all his brothers other than Frederick.
One of the first results of his many experiments was the production of good enamel
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...
glaze
Ceramic glaze
Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...
s. In 1846 he initiated in Lambeth the pipe works, in which he superintended the manufacture of the drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
and sanitary appliances
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
which have helped to make the firm of Doulton
Royal Doulton
The Royal Doulton Company is an English company producing tableware and collectables, dating to 1815. Operating originally in London, its reputation grew in The Potteries, where it was a latecomer compared to Spode, Wedgwood and Minton...
famous.
In 1870 the manufacture of "Art pottery" was begun at Lambeth, using the skills of students from the Lambeth School of Art
Lambeth School of Art
Lambeth School of Art was founded in 1854 by William Gregory as a night school associated with the St. Mary the Less Church in London.-History:...
(later the City and Guilds of London Art School
City and Guilds of London Art School
The City and Guilds of London Art School is an art college in London, England, United Kingdom. It is one of the country's longest established art colleges, and offers courses ranging from Foundation, through B.A. degree, Postgraduate Diploma and M.A...
). The company exhibited at the Centennial Exposition
Centennial Exposition
The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...
of 1876 in Philadelphia. In 1877 works were opened at Burslem
Burslem
The town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...
, where almost every variety 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...
and earthenware
Earthenware
Earthenware is a common ceramic material, which is used extensively for pottery tableware and decorative objects.-Types of earthenware:Although body formulations vary between countries and even between individual makers, a generic composition is 25% ball clay, 28% kaolin, 32% quartz, and 15%...
has been produced. Works have since been opened at Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis
Rowley Regis is a town in the Sandwell metropolitan borough of the West Midlands county and a part of the Black Country in the United Kingdom. Being part of the Black Country, locals speak with the traditional dialect, though in a form regarded by many as the quickest and the hardest to...
, Smethwick
Smethwick
Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....
, St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
, Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. After the Paris exhibition of 1878
Exposition Universelle (1878)
The third Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle in French, was held from 1 May through to 10 November 1878. It celebrated the recovery of France after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.-Construction:...
, Henry Doulton was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
In 1872 the Art department was instituted in the Doulton works, giving employment to both male and female artists, among whom such workers as George Tinworth
George Tinworth
George Tinworth was an English ceramic artist who worked for the Doulton factory at Lambeth from 1867 until his death.-Life:...
and Misses Hannah and Florence Barlow obtained a reputation outside their immediate sphere. In 1887 Henry Doulton received the honor of a knighthood, and a few years later was awarded the Albert Medal
Albert Medal (RSA)
The Albert Medal of the Royal Society of Arts was instituted in 1864 as a memorial to Prince Albert, who had been President of the Society for 18 years. It was first awarded in 1864 for "distinguished merit in promoting Arts, Manufactures and Commerce"...
by the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...
. In 1849 he married Sarah, the daughter of Elizabeth and James Lewis Kennaby. They had three children, Sarah Lillian (1852-), Henry Lewis (1853–1930), and Katherine Duneau (1856–1932). His wife Sarah died in 1888. Sir Henry Doulton took an active interest, as almoner
Almoner
An almoner is a chaplain or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing cash to the deserving poor.Historically, almoners were Christian religious functionaries whose duty was to distribute alms to the poor. Monasteries were required to spend one tenth of their income in charity to...
, in St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...
.
Appropriately after his death in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he was placed in a mausoleum at West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...
constructed from red pottery tiles and bricks from the Doulton Works, which is now a Grade II Listed building.