c. 1840–1859
BOURNE’S / Warranted
Warranted wording separates this from the later Denby and limited-company stamps.
impressed · stoneware · Denby, Derbyshire, England
Pottery & porcelain
Denby marks
On stoneware from Denby, Derbyshire, England, Denby marks carry “J. BOURNE & SON LTD / DENBY (partly faint)”. The mark period is 1916.
- Active years
- 1809–2026
- Country
- United Kingdom
- City / region
- Denby, Derbyshire, England
- Products
- salt-glazed bottles and jars, hunting jugs, tableware, ovenware, decorative vases, animal figures
- Marks
- 6
Derbyshire factory production 1809–June 2026. The brand continues under separate ownership; official website announces a 2027 relaunch. This end year applies to the historic factory, not the brand.
What to look for
- Read the whole Bourne name. J. BOURNE & SON predates the limited-company wording; LTD belongs after incorporation in 1916. A separate year, as on the 1916 example, dates that specimen.
- Compare the outline and lettering: oval BOURNE DENBY ENGLAND, the Danesby Ware script and the later Denby scroll are separate formats. Do not use the broad Danesby trade-name history as the date of every script stamp.
- On Greenwheat, the signature A. COLLEGE omits the d in designer Albert Colledge’s surname. Glyn Colledge used his own signature on other Denby decorative wares.
Dated marks & timeline
6 marks
1916
J. BOURNE & SON, LTD. / 1916
The complete LTD name and separately printed 1916 provide a date beyond a general company period.
printed · stoneware · Denby, Derbyshire, England
From 1916
J. BOURNE & SON LTD / DENBY (partly faint)
An impressed oval with full J. BOURNE & SON LTD differs from the printed BOURNE DENBY ENGLAND oval.
impressed · stoneware · Denby, Derbyshire, England
c. 1930–1941
Danesby Ware.
Danesby Ware is written as a two-word script trade name rather than a Bourne company name or Denby scroll.
printed · stoneware · Denby, Derbyshire, England
Undated
BOURNE / DENBY / ENGLAND
BOURNE at the top and ENGLAND at the bottom inside a single oval, without J., & SON or LTD.
printed · stoneware · Denby, Derbyshire, England
Undated
DENBY / MADE IN ENGLAND; A. College
A. College signature accompanies the factory stamp and identifies Albert Colledge’s design family.
printed / stencilled · stoneware · Denby, Derbyshire, England
About Denby
The pottery at Denby in Derbyshire was established in 1809 beside a deposit of stoneware clay. The Bourne family developed the business during the early nineteenth century, with Joseph Bourne becoming its principal name. Salt-glazed bottles and jars supplied the ink, drink and household trades. The firm became Joseph Bourne & Son around 1850, when Joseph entered a partnership with his son Joseph Harvey Bourne.
After the deaths of father and son, Sarah Elizabeth Bourne continued the business until 1898. Incorporation followed in 1916. Denby expanded from utilitarian stoneware into decorated domestic wares, richly coloured glazes and ornamental pieces. Danesby Ware was one of its trade names. Albert and Glyn Colledge contributed hand-decorated designs, while Gill Pemberton developed modern tableware including Chevron and Arabesque.
The company acquired the nearby Langley Mill pottery in 1959. Later ownership included Crown House and Coloroll, followed by a management purchase in 1990. The Denby group entered administration in March 2026 and factory production ended in June. The brand passed to a new operator, Denby Home Pottery Limited, whose website announced a relaunch for 2027.
Also known as: Bourne Denby · J. Bourne & Son Ltd · Denbyware · Danesby Ware · Denby Tableware · Denby Pottery / Joseph Bourne & Son
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Lovatt’s / Langley Mill hunting jugs →
Closely similar sprigged stoneware jugs may carry LOVATTS or LANGLEY WARE. Langley examples can have a shoulder row of dots and stag-hunt sprigs; Denby’s usual hunting scene is a fox hunt. Later common ownership does not turn an early Langley mark into a Denby stamp.
Salopian Art Pottery hunting jugs
The relief scenes and brown stoneware can closely resemble Denby. Check for the Salopian maker’s signature rather than attributing by colour or sprigs alone.