Wood & Caldwell impressed pottery mark 1791-1818

Click here for a list of all known Wood & Caldwell Staffordshire figures.

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James Caldwell (1759-1838) and Enoch Wood (1759-1840) probably first met, as teenagers, in the mid 1770s when James was working for Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795) and Thomas Bentley (1731-1780).  The young boys, James and Enoch, were the same age and presumably they struck up a good friendship.

Thomas Bentley (1731-1780) and Josiah Wedgwood (1730-1795).

Enoch’s father, Aaron Wood (1717–1785), was a potter who was well known for modelling Staffordshire figures in clay, and we can assume that Enoch was happy to follow in his father’s footsteps.

James Caldwell’s father, James Caldwell (1721-1791), was a businessman based in Nantwich where he was referred to as a “draper” buying and selling cloth.

The younger James Caldwell got on well with Josiah Wedgwood and became his protégé.  We can assume that Josiah provided a lot of very helpful guidance to James and became very much his mentor helping him to develop his keen business orientated mind. 

James Caldwell's notebook

James’s notebook from this period records a wide range of topics of learning in addition to copious notes on pottery experiments where James is writing down the results of firing clay with different glazes and different temperatures. 

While James obviously built up a detailed knowledge of making pottery, this was not to be his main career.  In 1777, at the age of 18, James started a new job, working as a clerk for the lawyer John Sparrow (of Bishton Hall), in Newcastle under Lyme.  It should be noted that John Sparrow was also a close associate of Josiah Wedgwood.

Again, James appears to have struck up a good relationship and got on well with John Sparrow such that when his five years of training was completed (1782) he became an attorney and went into partnership with John Sparrow (Sparrow and Caldwell).

In 1784 James married Elizabeth Stamford (1754-1830).  This marriage was an excellent match as James’ diaries, and their letters to each other, indicate a very close loving relationship and one that was to result in seven children.  Elizabeth also brought with her a large fortune. 

Elizabeth Stamford, James Caldwell, Hannah Stamford.

We can assume that James and Elizabeth met through Josiah Wedgwood.  Elizabeth’s father Thomas Stamford (1712-1787) was an engineer businessman who supplied tools and equipment to Josiah.  Elizabeth was also the niece of Thomas Bentley (1731-1780), who had been Josiah’s business partner.

Josiah Wedgwood died in 1795 and James Caldwell was his executer.  Over the next few years James was involved in helping Josiah’s sons to run the Wedgwood Pottery business.

In 1791 James Caldwell’s father died leaving him a considerable amount of money.  Using his inheritance, and money brought to him in his marriage, James went into a partnership with Enoch Wood (Wood and Caldwell).  In addition to being the same age, James and Enoch also had similar religious beliefs as they were both sympathetic to, if not complete followers of, the Unitarian ideals of the time.

James and Enoch immediately set about building a large factory in Burslem.  This was called the Fountain Place Works and it was here that a wide range of pottery products were produced, including dinner services, jugs and ornamental 'Staffordshire Figures' of various kinds.  Although it was a major enterprise at the time, the firm itself is not so well known amongst modern day collectors of china.  Most of the items produced by the company were not marked, however, jugs and Staffordshire Figures with the impressed mark of 'Wood & Caldwell' do turn up at auctions from time to time. 

Many people assume that James was not very active in the company however this was not the case.  Without a doubt Enoch Wood ran the day-to-day business but James was certainly involved bringing to the partnership his knowledge of pottery manufacture, his contacts within the pottery industry and also his legal brain. 

James also maintained business relationships with many of the movers and shakers in the local area.  His diaries are full of visits to and from many of the leading families of the time, including the Wedgwoods, Spodes and Davenports.

James is recorded as making occasional visits to London to lobby the government of the day directly in support of the interests of the Staffordshire pottery industry.  In particular, in 1811, James Caldwell and Josiah Spode both spent time in London successfully lobbying the government of Spencer Perceval to stop a proposed tax being placed on the potter manufactures. 

The Staffordshire pottery manufactures were all grateful and the local newspaper reported that, "At a meeting of the manufacturers of earthenware … at the Swan Inn, Hanley, two pieces of plate, of the value of 100 guineas each were unanimously voted to J. Caldwell and J. Spode Esqrs. for their exertions with the minister in procuring an abandonment of the intended tax on earthenware."

Silver Epergne made in 1799 by the company Matthew Boulton

James was presented with a silver epergne inscribed “James Caldwell of Linley Wood, Esquire from the Potters of Staffordshire, in grateful commemoration of his prompt, zealous, and sincereful service in opposing the Taxation of their manufactures. 1811.” 

In 1818, Enoch bought James's share for £27,000 which was a considerable amount of money for the time.  After this Enoch went into business with his sons (Enoch Wood and Sons).  James’ sister-in-law Hannah Stamford also had an interest in the business and she sold out a short while later.

Much information is contained in the book "Wood Family of Burslem" by Frank Falkner" 1912.  Another book is ‘English Earthenware Figures’ by Pat Halfpenny, 1991, which also includes some lists of some of the wide range of Wood and Caldwell Staffordshire Figures that were produced by the firm, most of them unmarked.