c. 1876–1930
Crested peacock head and curved neck above a spreading base; no full bird body or tail.
glass · England, United Kingdom
Glass
Sowerby glass marks
The name “Sowerbys Tynesyde Glassware, Made in England” appears among Sowerby glass marks on glass from United Kingdom.
- Active years
- 1807–1972
- Country
- United Kingdom
- City / region
- Gateshead, England, England
- Products
- pressed domestic glass, Vitro-Porcelain opaque glass, Venetian-style blown glass, carnival glass, Art Deco glassware
- Marks
- 5
Family glassmaking was active by 1807; pressed-glass production began in 1846 and the Ellison works opened in 1852; decorative production ended in 1972. Earlier site histories are not treated as dates of the pressed-glass company.
What to look for
- Look for a small peacock’s head moulded into the glass, often faint or partly hidden in the base decoration. The crest is part of the bird device.
- A registration diamond records the design’s registration. Decode its letters and numbers separately from the maker’s peacock; it is not a guaranteed date of manufacture.
- The scalloped Sowerbys TYNESYDE GLASSWARE label survives in silver/black and gold/yellow versions. Colour alone does not establish a different stamp design or a precise year.
- Unmarked pieces need a matching shape and decoration in a factory pattern book. Opaque Vitro-Porcelain is glass; Venetian styling can also occur on Gateshead-made pieces.
Marks & lettering
5 marks
Undated
Crested peacock head and curved neck above a spreading base; no full bird body or tail.
impressed · glass · United Kingdom
Embossed peacock factory trademark.
Undated
Sowerbys Tynesyde Glassware, Made in England
label · yellow and gold · glass · United Kingdom
Scalloped label.
Undated
Sowerbys Tynesyde Glassware, Made in England
label · black and silver · glass · England
Circular scalloped label.
About Sowerby
The Sowerby family’s glassmaking history in Gateshead reaches back to 1807. John Sowerby established the Gateshead Stamped Glass Works in 1846, and the Ellison Glass Works followed in 1852. Pressing molten glass into moulds allowed the company to produce decorative household wares in large quantities. By the 1860s it was a major employer on Tyneside. Its products included dishes, baskets, vases and small holders, alongside a separate range of blown ornamental glass made with the skills of Italian craftsmen.
John George Sowerby’s artistic interests helped shape the company’s late Victorian output. Nursery-rhyme subjects adapted from Walter Crane’s illustrations appeared on pressed wares, while opaque Vitro-Porcelain glass offered blue, white, ivory and marbled colours. This was glass despite its porcelain-like appearance. Later production included iridescent carnival glass and Art Deco designs. The peacock’s-head trademark became closely associated with the firm, although many pieces were unmarked. Following financial difficulties in the 1950s, Suntex Safety Glass Industries acquired the company in 1957. Sowerby glass production continued until 1972. Surviving pattern books and factory records document a much longer history than the lifespan of any one trademark or paper label.
Also known as: Sowerby & Co · Sowerby & Co. · John Sowerby · Sowerby’s Tynesyde Glassware · Gateshead Stamped Glass Works · Ellison Glass Works · Sowerby / Sowerby’s Ellison Glass Works
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
George Davidson & Co. →
Davidson’s heraldic trademark is a demi-lion rising from a turret or wall. Sowerby’s is a crested peacock’s head and neck; compare the body outline rather than treating every small crested device as a crown.
Henry Greener / Greener & Co. →
Greener used a demi-lion holding a star, later an axe or halberd. These are lion devices, distinct from Sowerby’s peacock head.
Venetian / Murano glass
Sowerby employed Italian glassworkers and made Venetian-style blown vessels in Gateshead. A lion-mask ornament or Venetian shape is not by itself an Italian maker’s signature; compare the entire shape to a Sowerby pattern book.