Wedgwood & Wood Family of Burslem – Family Bible up to Auction

The Staffordshire Sentinel to day reports on the sale by auction (27^th August 2010) of a Family Bible formerly owned by the Wedgwood and Wood Families of Burslem:

HISTORIANS are hoping a Bible linked to two pottery dynasties will be brought back home to Stoke-upon-Trent. A Wedgwood family Bible dating back to 1630 is going up for auction in America this month after being discovered in an attic in Maine. It is believed the Bible has been owned by two important Burslem potters – Dr Thomas Wedgwood and Enoch Wood – before ending up on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The book includes handwritten pages by Mr Wood and inscriptions relating to the Wedgwood family.

The pieces written by Mr Wood describe how he was inspired to become a potter, who he hired at his pottery business and what he paid them and detailed descriptions of some of his most prized work.

There is also a poignant 16-page tribute written by Mr Wood's son – Enoch Wood Junior – after his father's death.

The Bible is being sold by Gould Auctions, based in Smithfield, Maine, on Saturday, August 28.

Miranda Goodby….collections officer in ceramics at The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley, said: "The real interest from a local history point of view is that the Bible was written in by Enoch Wood. Without him, we would know a whole lot less about life in 18th century Burslem.

"He was known as the Father of the Potteries when he died and he was Stoke-on-Trent's first historian. He was proud of Burslem and Stoke-on-Trent. He really wanted people to understand the changes he had seen in his lifetime.

He would have been delighted at the thought of his Bible coming to light and there being so much interest in it."

She said Mr Wood was an avid collector of pottery and his pieces formed what is now the Potteries Museum.

He also loved to chronicle what was happening in the world and would often write notes in books and even bury time capsules to let future generations know about the past.

Ms Goodby said: "It is no surprise to me whatsoever that he had written in a Bible. He wanted to record what he had seen. He saved books and rebound them because they had belonged to people he was interested in, which is exactly what he did with this Bible."

Mr Wood bought the Bible at an auction in 1820 and had it rebound. It is thought the book was taken to America by one of Mr Wood's descendants after his death in 1840.

It is signed by Dr Thomas Wedgwood, who owned a pottery firm in Burslem and was a distant relative of Josiah Wedgwood, who went on to found the world's greatest ceramics company.

Ms Goodby said: "Enoch Wood's father apprenticed for Dr Thomas Wedgwood in the 1730s and was a very successful potter. There are about five branches of the Wedgwood family and if you go back to the 1620s, they are all from one family. "I don't think Dr Thomas Wedgwood was actually a doctor but there were so many Thomas Wedgwoods in Burslem, a lot of them had nicknames."

Burslem historian Fred Hughes said: "It is a very important piece of memorabilia. It certainly has connections with the family of Josiah Wedgwood. And without Enoch Wood, we might not have a Burslem. He was a leading law-maker as well as a great model maker.

It would be a great addition to the Enoch Wood collection, which is a valuable collection held at the Potteries Museum and at the city archive."

Mr Hughes said: "The Bible was a family treasure but there is nothing special about the book itself – it is the inscriptions which are more valuable. The inscriptions are absolutely crucial to the history of the early development of the pottery industry."

Mr Hughes said he would like to see the Bible end up in the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley so it could be studied and put on public display. He said: "The city council already has a massive collection of Enoch Wood papers – that Bible would be a welcome addition to the collection."

Councillor Hazel Lyth, Stoke-on-Trent City Council's cabinet member for adult social care, sport, leisure and culture, said: "We are aware of the auction taking place and are interested in the artefact because of the historical and cultural significance it has for the city."

Alison Wedgwood whose husband Tom is a direct descendant of Josiah Wedgwood, said the Wedgwood family would love the Bible to return to Stoke-on-Trent. She said: "Its natural home is Stoke-on-Trent. It would be fascinating to see it and we would like to see it brought back to the city. I am very curious to see what it looks like and what notes are in there. It would be a shame if it was bought by a private collector in America."

Auctioneer Timothy Gould, of Gould Auctions, described the inscriptions by Enoch Wood as "remarkable and spectacular". He added: "The Bible and manuscripts have been inspected and authenticated by an internationally-known ephemera expert."

I hope it can be bought for the City, or it would be a great addition to the Wedgwood family archives at the Wedgwood Museum.



LINKS



Find Dr Thomas Wedgwood and Enoch Wood in the genealogical database here:

• Dr Thomas Wedgwood
  
• Enoch Wood
  

Details of the Auction:

• Gould Auction House, Maine.
  

 

Wedgwood Books @ Alibris

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The Wedgwood Circle 1730-1897 Four Generations of a Family and Their Friends
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Richelieu and the French Monarchy By Wedgwood, Cicely V. by Cicely V.
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Wedgwood-Its Competitors & Imitators 1800-1830 by Wedgwood International
Seminar Hardcover Ars Ceramica 1977. (1977) Good. $10.93 Buy now at
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The Selected Letters of Josiah Wedgwood by Josiah Wedgwood Unknown Binding
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The Last of the Radicals: the Life of Josiah Clement Wedgwood, M.P. by
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Reprint ed.. Jonathan Cape. London. (1974) 9780224010979.
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Wedgwood CORY ADAMS & MACKAY, 1965,. (1965) With Dustjacket
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Emma Darwin’s Radio Story

Dr Emma Darwin's short story 'Calling', will be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday 4^th August at 3:30 pm. It will be read by Philip Voss, and is part of the "Lost in the Lanes" series. It'll also be available as a 'Listen Again' on the BBC iPlayer for seven days after that. Read more about the creative process on Emma's blog.

Family hope to save museum's treasures

From The Staffordshire Sentinel: Tuesday 27^th July 2010

MEMBERS of the Wedgwood family have launched a campaign to protect the Wedgwood Museum's collection from being broken up and sold off. Support for the attraction has come from the UK and across the world.



The museum is under threat after being saddled with a £134 million pension fund deficit claim from the Wedgwood Group Pension Plan. It was thought the company scheme would be taken over by the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) following the collapse of Wedgwood and sister firm Royal Doulton last year. But the PPF could not legally accept the scheme as there was still a surviving solvent organisation with fund members connected to it – the Wedgwood Museum in Barlaston.



Lawyers for the museum argue its treasures cannot be sold off because they are protected by "permanent endowment" status, but it will be months before a judge makes the final decision. Tom Wedgwood …a direct descendant of company founder Josiah, said: "The upcoming court case is a potential tragedy for all of us in North Staffordshire. We have had enough bad news, with closures and job losses in the pottery industry. "I don't understand how such a ludicrous case has arisen and I urge common sense to prevail. Why would anyone donate money or family possessions to trusts if the Government can introduce new legislation that means they are sold off? Now we are in a ludicrous position when we might have to try to raise funds to buy back and re-donate all the pieces which were originally donated by Wedgwood ancestors and cousins and previous generations of factory managers."



The family has launched a website and Facebook profile SaveWedgwoodMuseum to spearhead the campaign.



Dr Alan Wedgwood, head of the Wedgwood family, said: "When members of the Wedgwood family donated parts of their personal collections to the museum trust over the course of the last two centuries, this was done as an act of social philanthropy, in the belief the collection would be preserved for all future generations. New government legislation should not be introduced which can cause the subsequent break up and sale of this historic collection."



The campaign team says auction house Christie's has valued the collection at £20 million, meaning the PPF would still have to find the bulk of the £134 million shortfall. And supporters believe it is unfair to hold the museum to account because five out of 7,000 Wedgwood Group pension fund members work for it.



Tom Wedgwood said: "I want to stress to all Wedgwood pensioners that even if the collection was sold, it would not mean extra money for them.



"It would just mean the PPF has to pay less into the compensation scheme when it eventually steps in."



A "permanent endowment" covers any asset which trustees cannot spend because of a restriction in the charity's governing documents.

A Darwin Family Tradition

Back in March I wrote a piece congratulating Dr Emma Darwin, best-selling and award-winning authoress on the achievement of her Doctorate – following in a grand family tradition. Soon after, Emma, who has just written a short story for broadcast on BBC Radio 4, e-mailed to alert me to the fact that, in her own generation, she was just but the latest. Her sister Carola achieved her Ph.D. in Musicology last Autumn whilst their eldest sister Sophia was awarded her Ph.D. in Mathematics some time ago.

Dr Sophia Darwin is a member of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at my alma mater Durham University.

Dr Carola Darwin is a celebrated English soprano singer, more details here and here.

I hereby suggest that a collective noun for Doctors could be "A Darwin of Doctors."

FW: The Burke's Peerage & Gentry Collection

The Burke's Peerage & Gentry Collection
Price: £195.00 plus postage and packing: £20 (UK) and £50 (RoW)
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The Collection features the following reference works published by Burke's
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Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage (2003, 4,556 pages) Burke's Landed
Gentry, The Ridings of York (2005, 958 pages) Burke's Landed Gentry, The
Principality of Wales and the North West (2006, 1,009 pages)
The combined published price of these books is £697 plus postage and
packaging. The Collection is priced at £195 plus postage and packaging
(£20 UK and £34 World). This offer is open to individuals and libraries and
is available only direct via the Burke's Peerage & Gentry website.
Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage
Edition: 107th
Editor in Chief: Charles Mosely
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Year of Publication: 2003
Burke's Landed Gentry, The Ridings of York
Edition: 19th Volume II
Editor in Chief: Charles Mosley
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Burke's Landed Gentry, The Principality of Wales and The North West
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Alibris Book Fetch Results for "Wedgwood"

__________________________________________________________________

ALIBRIS BOOK FETCH RESULTS
__________________________________________________________________

The Selected Letters of Josiah Wedgwood by Josiah Wedgwood Unknown Binding
Cory, Adams & Mackay. (1965) With Dustjacket Very Good. $6.36 Buy now at
http://www.alibris.com/booksearch.detail?invid=9726376729&cm_mmc=B-_-1-_-A-_
-A

The Personal Life of Josiah Wedgwood, the Potter by Wedgwood, Julia And
Herford, C. H.
Hardback BIBLIOBAZAAR. (2009)
9781116687903.
New. $34.56
Buy now at
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The Personal Life of Josiah Wedgwood, the Potter by Wedgwood, Julia And
Herford, C. H.
Hardback BIBLIOBAZAAR. (2009)
9781116687897.
New. $36.65
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Wedgwood's Catalogue of Cameos, Intaglios, Medals, Bas-Reliefs, Busts, and
Small Statues: Repr. From the Ed. of 1787. Ed. By E. Meteyard by Josiah
Wedgwood Paperback Nabu Press. (2010) 9781147434682.
New. $28.30
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Wedgwood Blue by Wedgwood, Pam (Cop)/ Wedgwood, Oliver (Cop)/ Wedgwood, Sam
(Cop) PAP/COM. Paperback Alfred Pub Co. (2005) 9780571523597.
New. $8.03
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New “Save the Wedgwood Museum” Website

New site set up: http://www.savewedgwood.org

Campaign E-mail address

The campaign to Save the Wedgwood Museum has set up an e-mail address for supporters to get in touch and pledge their support:

SaveWedgwood@gmail.com

 

Campaign Resources

How to help the Wedgwood Museum:

1. Use the E-mail Template or Word Document template to write to your Local MP and the responsible Ministers
   

1. Spread the word, ask others to do the same – MPs are influenced by the strength of feeling as demonstrated through their constituency mail. If you live overseas, then just write directly to the Ministers.
   

E-mail Message Template – Click and send.

Cover letter & Background information – MS Word Template [please let me know if you need a different format].

Thanks to Alison Wedgwood for this material.

Save the Wedgwood Museum - Urgent Call for Action

An appeal from Dr Alan Wedgwood, Thomas D Wedgwood and Alison Wedgwood

The origins of the modern Wedgwood Museum can be traced to Josiah himself. On 3rd September 1774, he wrote:

‘I have often wish'd I had saved a single specimen of all the new articles I have made, & would now give twenty times the original value for such a collection. For ten years past I have omitted doing this, because I did not begin it ten years sooner. I am now, from thinking, and talking a little more upon this subject ... resolv'd to make a beginning.'

That beginning saw the gradual formation of a large informal collection of wares and other historic items which was finally organised into an official museum in 1906. Wedgwood managers of the 20th century kept remarkably few of the wares they produced or inherited, preferring prestige pieces to be held by the museum so that they could be shared with the public.

The Museum was made into a trust in 1962, specifically to prevent it being used as a realisable asset by any future predator. Josiah Wedgwood and Sons became a listed company four years later.

In 1986 when Waterford took over Wedgwood the enthusiasts around the world were reassured that the Museum was protected by the force of law and could not be lost. With this reassurance, many people continued to donate generously with both cash and collectors' items. When the Museum gained Charitable Trust status in 1998, its long term future seemed absolutely guaranteed. And it was on this basis that an ambitious plan to create a new building to house the collection received financial support from all sides. The Millennium Lottery Fund contributed £5m, and a further £4m came from other granting bodies, businesses and individuals. This resulted in a magnificent new museum which opened to the public in 2008 and in 2009 won the Art Fund Prize for Best Museum.

However, what the Museum Trustees were not aware of was that in 2005 a new pension law was slipped in, with little fanfare, resulting in the Museum being held responsible for the £134m deficit of the Wedgwood Pension Plan simply because five of the museum's staff are among the 7000 members of the original Wedgwood pension fund. This law had the laudable objective of preventing companies from concealing assets. It was not intended for charities – but charities are suffering the unintended consequences.

The Wedgwood Museum is now under administration. It cannot be emphasised strongly enough that this is simply the result of the 2005 legislation and for no other reason. In October, there is to be a court case to decide whether or not the assets of the Museum Trust can be appropriated by the Pension Protection Fund. If the ruling goes against the Wedgwood Museum the unthinkable would happen. The Wedgwood collection would be auctioned off and scattered around the globe – this would be a national tragedy.

The museum collection houses evidence of a significant part of England’s great social history. It is not just about ceramics, but science, engineering, craftsmanship, social and political evolution - the birth of the industrial revolution. A story of canal building and inventions, of the Lunar Society, of grand artists such as Reynolds and Stubbs, of Catherine of Russia, Coleridge and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Intimate letters from Charles Darwin to his Wedgwood wife, Aunties and Uncles; between Erasmus Darwin and his friend Josiah. A story of liberal traditions, of the anti-slavery movement; of supporting Thomas Clarkson; dining with Wilberforce, of political crusades, the Reform Bill, of MPs and Lord Mayors and of hard working folk in the Potteries.

Selling off this collection would not help the Pension Protection Fund. Pensioners will receive a statutory amount and will receive no more if the museum is sold off. The managers of the PPF are only following the letter of the law by placing the museum in administration but they know, as we do, that it is all simply bad legislation.

We urge the new Government to amend the shoddy legislation immediately and thus protect the museum and other charities which have suffered from its enforcement. It is not reasonable to use the Wedgwood Museum as a test case in law – this approach risks the whole Wedgwood collection if the Judge is forced to rule against the Museum because of a poorly written law. Supporters of the museum from all around the world, and members of the family who have invested so much in it, appeal to the Government to take action.

What you can do:

Write to your MP:

Search for your MP here: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/

Write to the Ministers:

Ed Vaizey Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

E-mail: vaizeye@parliament.uk

Post:

House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Steve Webb, Minister for Pensions

E-mail: steve@stevewebb.org.uk

House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Support the Wedgwood Museum by visiting or becoming a friend:

http://www.wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk/