Bone China Plate with (SF/SL?) Old Royal Bone China stamp

by Fiona
(Northumberland, England)

The design on the plate. I'm surprised I haven't found another.

The mark: SS, SF or SL

Hello, I have recently purchased a small selection of bone china including a teacup and a plate from a church hall charity sale. The design on the plates is not one I have seen while searching for equivalent designs, and the stamp, although I have seen approximate matches in my search, is not of a colouration I have seen. The teacup is a matching design and mark.

Could someone please tell me what date and maker this plate might have had, and indeed where I might be able to obtain some more if possible? I appreciate there's not all that much to go on - the mark is pretty much characterised by how few unique features it has in my admittedly untrained eye - but it would be great if I could get some help, as the way that all my attempts at researching it have turned up blank is rather puzzling.

Comments for Bone China Plate with (SF/SL?) Old Royal Bone China stamp

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OLD ROYAL BONE CHINA ENGLAND is SS or SS Ltd Sampson Smith of Longton
by: Peter

A very nice Staffordshire mid 20th century plate with a charming design of the period.

Sampson Smith was the firm and the trade name they often used was Wetley China.

They were makers of earthenwares and bone china in the Stoke pottery town Longton.

They traded from about 1846 to 1963

As is typical for small Staffordshire family firms, their bone china production didn't begin until the 20th century and they became a limited company around 1918. Before the 1940's the Staffordshire trade tended to refer to bone china as 'china', and anything that wasn't bone china as 'earthenwares'. In fact, I was standing in a small Stoke-on-Trent family owned factory the other day, and they still refer to clay bodies in the same way. They say 'china' and mean 'bone china'. So this firm decided to call it's product bone china only in the 1940's when they realised their trade jargon needed a bit more marketing applied for the general public.

The other recorded marks they used were as follows:-

SS was an impressed marks - occasional use in the 1800's

SS Ltd was use from 1923 - 1930

Wetley China SS Ltd was used 1925 - 1930

Wetley China England was then used up to the 1940's

OLD ROYAL CHINA ENGLAND Est 1846 (in both black and red ink) - was used from around c.1930-41

Then, a more modern looking mark in green and red ink was introduced, saying "OLD ROYAL BONE CHINA ENGLAND" was introduced 1945 and used through to the closure in 1963. This mark often had the pattern name as well e.g. "Wetley Rose" under the other words.

Your mark says in black, also saying Old Royal Bone China, England was also one of the standard markings 1945 - 1963.

Best regards

Peter (admin)