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Grays Pottery marks

The name “Kirklands Etruria Embassy Ware” appears among Grays Pottery marks from Hanley and Stoke, England. Its mark period is 1938.

Active years
1907–1961
Country
United Kingdom
City / region
Hanley and Stoke, England
Products
china, earthenware, porcelain, hand-decorated earthenware, porcelain decoration, lustre ware, tableware, souvenir ware
Marks
17

Wholesale/decorating business began 1907; incorporated 1912. Transition to Portmeirion followed the 1960 takeover and 1961 Kirkhams purchase; Portmeirion Potteries incorporated 1962.

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A E Gray and Co Ltd mark, c. 1914–1918

grayspottery.co.uk

c. 1914–1918

What to look for

Dated marks & timeline

17 marks
A E Gray and Co LtdMaker name

c. 1914–1918

black

black · Hanley and Stoke, England

all black galleon mark this mark used (note that the 'o' of 'Co' is within the letter 'C')

A E Gray and Co LtdMaker name

c. 1914–1918

black

black · Hanley and Stoke, England

all black galleon mark this mark used (note that the 'o' of 'Co' is within the letter 'C')

A. EMark wording

From 1944

A. E

white · Hanley and Stoke, England

Suppliers of white-ware to Gray's: . Gray & Co were a decorating firm, buying in white-ware shapes from other manufacturers. They never made ware of their own. When the ware was made specifically for an order from Gray then there were generally no manufacturers marks and only the Gray backstamp is used. However when the ware was from a surplus of ware the manufacturers mark often appears and the Gray's backstamp was applied over the original stamp. Gray purchased ware from over 20 suppliers. However the main suppliers of earthenware blanks were Johnson Brothers, Lancaster & Sons ( Lancaster & Sandland) and Kirkland & Co. - in 1936 . Gray purchased an interest in Kirklands pottery to help ensure consistency of supply. In 1938 Kirklands was renamed to Kirklands (Etruria) Ltd. - for more detained information see Gray's Pottery list of of white-ware suppliers

A. E. Gray & Co Glebe Works Stoke-on-TrentMark wording

Undated

A. E. Gray & Co Glebe Works Stoke-on-Trent

Hanley and Stoke, England

Gray's Sports ChinaMark wording

Undated

Gray's Sports China

Hanley and Stoke, England

the registration number 588114 shows that the design was registered in 1911

Gray's Sports PotteryMark wording

Undated

Gray's Sports Pottery

Hanley and Stoke, England

"New Trade Marks advertised for registration during November include : 336,196. China ware and earthenware pottery included in Class 16. A. E. Gray & Co, Glebe Works, Mayer-street, Hanley. Staffordshire." The Pottery Gazette - 1 Dec 1911

Hand Painted Gray's Pottery Hanley EnglandMark wording

Undated

Hand Painted Gray's Pottery Hanley England

printed, painted · Hanley and Stoke, England

The Gray's clipper mark printed over a Lancaster & Sons backstamp

A E Gray and Co LtdMaker name

Undated

Mark image

Hanley and Stoke, England

A E Gray and Co LtdMaker name

Undated

Mark image

Hanley and Stoke, England

About A E Gray and Co Ltd

Albert Edward Gray established his pottery business in Stoke-on-Trent in 1907 after working as a pottery and glass salesman. A. E. Gray & Co. became a limited company in 1912. Its principal work was decoration: the company bought undecorated ceramic shapes from other manufacturers and applied painted, printed and lustre designs. Gray’s Pottery was a decorating business that bought ceramic bodies from other factories.

The company worked at the Glebe Works in Hanley before moving to Whieldon Road, Stoke, in 1933. Designers included John Guildford, Gordon Forsyth, Susie Cooper and Sam Talbot. Cooper joined in 1922 and left in 1929 to establish her own business. Gray’s output ranged from small souvenir wares to tableware, jugs and decorative pieces, with hand-painted patterns central to its reputation. Ship devices and the Gloria Lustre sunburst became recognisable backstamps.

White-ware suppliers included Johnson Brothers, Kirklands and Lancaster & Sons. Their marks can remain beneath or beside the Gray’s decoration stamp. Susan Williams-Ellis and Euan Cooper-Willis purchased Gray’s in 1960, followed by Kirkhams in 1961. The combined businesses became the basis of Portmeirion Potteries, incorporated in 1962. Early Portmeirion wares can preserve Gray’s wording during this transition.

Also known as: Grays Pottery · Gray’s · A E Gray · Albert Edward Gray · A. E. Gray & Co. Ltd.

Look-alikes & how to tell them apart

Susie Cooper Pottery

Cooper designed at Gray’s before 1929. A Gray’s liner or other AE Gray wording differs from the marks of her later independent business.

Portmeirion

Early transitional products can carry both Gray’s and Portmeirion wording. The 1960–1962 ownership transition separates these from earlier Gray’s production.