History
In 1756 Hewlin Luson Esq. found clay on his Gunton estate which, after it was analysed in London, was reported to be akin to Delft ware. However, his early attempts to produce porcelain ware were unsuccessful and, about one year later, a partnership which did not include Luson was formed to establish a company.
By January 1760 the company was ready to advertise its wares in the Ipswich Journal and records show that the porcelain produced at Lowestoft was highly successful, being advertised as far afield as London and Cambridge. It is also possible that some ware was exported to Holland.
During the life of the factory, a range of items were made, from birth tablets to spittoons. Although the vast majority of the ware falls within the category of everyday household items, things such as eye-baths, inkwells and cutlery handles can also be found among catalogue entries. As well as the distinctive blue and white hand-painted ware, the factory produced pieces with enamel decoration and transfer printing, though these were to come during the middle and later periods, and probably contributed to the decline in hand-painting.
We know that Thomas Walker, one of the latter partners, wrote a will stating that the factory was to "continue for sixteen years from October 1785 and then cease". The termination of the business was therefore planned and Production gradually ceased, until finally the factory closed down somewhere between October 1801 and early 1802.
Lowestoft Porcelain has been highly collectable since 1760(Ladies Day).
The Southwold Tankard
It is known that Walker and Co., manufacturers of porcelain in the Georgian period, produced ware for all types of customers in the local region. There are surviving examples of pieces with inscriptions to people and of local town names. Some of these pieces have interesting stories surrounding them, such as the Black Boy Tankard and its connections with the town of Beccles. During our research into the original ware we came across the only known piece to be made that had links to Southwold, Suffolk. The Southwold Tankard was discovered at the Bristol Museum. After contacting the museum they agreed to send us photos of the piece and in the meantime we began our research.
The original Tankard is made from soft paste porcelain and has been decorated not by hand as many pieces were, but with a transfer print, which has been seen on other pieces besides the tankard. The only hand decoration on the piece is an inscription, which reads "Willm Mewse, Southwould. 1771"in the center of the tankard (note the curious spelling of Southwold, we do not know why this is). As this piece was the only known piece to be linked with Southwold we were very keen to learn more about William Mewse and how he came into possession of his tankard.
Customs collection in the 1700's was an entirely different affair to that of today. Gaining employment in the Customs Service was very much subject to patronage, which was the accepted system for such opportunities. We do not know exactly how William Mewse came into the job but it is safe to say he would have had a solid background, and have been literate and numerate. It is probably that he was a beneficiary of some preference and must have had some social standing to have been vouchsafed by his two Bondsmen. Bondsmen acted as sponsors, and for William Mewse two men took a great risk with £500 of their money to be used as security in the event that William was less than trustworthy. John Glasfpoole, a farmer from Blundeston and Simon Bendy, an Attorney from Great Yarmouth obviously had great faith in him.
William Mewse's first job was as a Riding Surveyor. Riding Surveyors were first introduced in 1698 after the Wool Act was passed and they were accompanied by, and in charge of, Riding Officers. These mounted and armed men were stationed around the coast to prevent wool from leaving the shores. They also helped the Waterguard with any inbound contraband. As a Riding Surveyor it was his duty to inspect the Officers between Great Yarmouth and Aldborough. Based at Cromer, his Warrant is dated 7 December 1757, around the time the first porcelain factory was coming into being.
William remained at Cromer until 10th October 1768 when he moved to the Great Yarmouth Collection, where he remained for 2 years until he was warranted Collector at Southwold in 1770. The role of Collector was more senior than that of Riding Surveyor. It would have entailed actual collection and remitting dues for all dutiable goods. He would have been mounted and armed still, but now responsible for a small staff at the Southwold station.
The work of Customs (and Excise) officers was sometimes very dangerous. Whilst they worked singly or in twos and threes, smugglers often operated in gangs of a dozen or more persons, usually armed with flintlocks, cutlasses and knives. Sailing vessels used by smugglers were also often armed with small cannons, and skirmishes on land and at sea were quite regular. Many smugglers commissioned the building of fast skiffs with very shallow draughts. These were designed to carry a few barrels of spirit and be rowed from offshore across flats and into marshland where Customs cutters could not venture. In some cases local inhabitants often aided smugglers, many having vested interests in obtaining illegal imports. Wool, brandy, rum, wines, textiles and tobacco were the most commonplace contraband.
William Mewse stayed at the Southwold Collection until his death in 1788, he was buried at the Southwold church as was his wife, Sarah Mewse, who died from Smallpox in 1770. Whilst in Southwold they had a daughter also named Sarah but unfortunately she died very young at under a year old.
We have been unsuccessful in finding out why William had the Tankard, there seems to be no supporting evidence to suggest that it was a gift for a special occasion, or any evidence that it was a gift at all. It would seem likely that William purchased the Tankard for personal reasons. It is almost certain that on his travels whilst inspecting the Riding Officers he would have passed through Lowestoft many times and would have seen the beginning and growth of Walker and Co.
