James Stiff was a noted English potter

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...

. He was born in 1808, the son of Robert Stiff, a workhouse
master and farmer in Rougham

Rougham

Rougham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 152 in 69 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....

, Suffolk

Suffolk

Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

. In 1831 he married Sarah Faulkner Philpott, and Lucy Potter in 1878.

Stiff worked his way up from a mould maker in 1830 at Doulton and Watts

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...

' Lambeth Pottery 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...

 to owning his own pottery works in Lambeth

Lambeth

Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...

 in 1843. He brought his sons William and Ebenezer into the family business, taking on on the name James Stiff and Sons. They were part of a vibrant collection of potters in Lambeth at the time, including Doulton and Watts Pottery in Lambeth High Street (later Doulton & Company) and Stephen Green's Imperial Pottery. This group of Lambeth potteries were famous for their varied types of stoneware

Stoneware

Stoneware is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic ware with a fine texture. Stoneware is made from clay that is then fired in a kiln, whether by an artisan to make homeware, or in an industrial kiln for mass-produced or specialty products...

 pottery; Stiff & Sons also produced effervescent

Salt glaze pottery

Salt glaze pottery is stoneware with a glaze of glossy, translucent and slightly orange-peel-like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the firing process. Sodium from the salt reacts with silica in the clay body to form a glassy...

, colourful pottery.

Career

In 1826, Stiff left his job as a plasterer's assistant in Rougham; he went to London, beginning an apprenticeship at the Coade Stone manufactory. Four years later, he began work at Doulton and Watt's Lambeth Pottery as a mould maker. In 1842, he commenced working as a potter at his own premises in Ferry Street, Lambeth (previously the premises of T. Higgins). Directories of the time record him making water filters. The following year, Stiff leased the first portion of his 39 High Street, Lambeth premises; however, he is still listed in trade directories at Ferry Street until 1844. From 1845 on, he is listed at 39 High Street. In 1863 Stiff brought his sons, William and Ebenezer, into partnership with him as James Stiff and Sons.

An 1895 article in The British Clayworker described Stiff as "now retired"; he died in Swanage

Swanage

Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...

 in 1897. Following his death, in 1903 a new partnership of Sydney James Stiff (1867–1948), James Arthur Stiff and William Frederick Stiff (born 1874, another son of Ebenezer) was formed. This partnership was dissolved on 31 December 1912, and the following year the firm was sold to 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...

.