James Stiff (1808–18 May 1897) was a noted English

potter A potter is someone who makes pottery. Potter may also refer to: Places United States *Potter, originally a section on the Alaska Railroad, currently a neighborhood of Anchorage, Alaska, US * Potter, Arkansas *Potter, Nebraska * Potters, New Je ...

. He was born in 1808, the son of Robert Stiff, a workhouse master and farmer in

Rougham, Suffolk Rougham is a village and former civil parish north west of Ipswich, now in the parish of Rushbrooke with Rougham, in the West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. Until April 2019 Rougham was in the St Edmundsbury district. In ...

. In 1831 he married Sarah Faulkner Philpott, and Lucy Potter in 1878. Stiff worked his way up from a mould maker in 1830 at Doulton and Watts' Lambeth Pottery in London to owning his own pottery works in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

in 1843. He brought his sons William and Ebenezer into the family business, taking on the name James Stiff and Sons. They were part of a vibrant collection of potters in Lambeth at the time, including Doulton and Watts Pottery in Lambeth High Street (later Doulton & Company) and Stephen Green's Imperial Pottery. This group of Lambeth potteries were famous for their varied types of stoneware pottery; Stiff & Sons also produced

effervescent Effervescence is the escape of gas from an aqueous solution and the foaming or fizzing that results from that release. The word effervescence is derived from the Latin verb ''fervere'' (to boil), preceded by the adverb ''ex''. It has the same li ...

, colourful pottery.

Career

In 1826, Stiff left his job as a plasterer's assistant in Rougham; he went to London, beginning an apprenticeship at the Coade Stone manufactory. Four years later, he began work at Doulton and Watt's Lambeth Pottery as a mould maker. In 1842, he commenced working as a potter at his own premises in Ferry Street, Lambeth (previously the premises of T. Higgins). Directories of the time record him making water filters. The following year, Stiff leased the first portion of his 39 High Street, Lambeth premises; however, he is still listed in trade directories at Ferry Street until 1844. From 1845 on, he is listed at 39 High Street. In 1863 Stiff brought his sons, William and Ebenezer, into partnership with him as James Stiff and Sons. An 1895 article in ''The British Clayworker'' described Stiff as "now retired"; he died in

Swanage Swanage () is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck and one of its two towns, approximately south of Poole and east of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the civil ...

in 1897. Following his death, in 1903 a new partnership of Sydney James Stiff (1867–1948), James Arthur Stiff and William Frederick Stiff (born 1874, another son of Ebenezer) was formed. This partnership was dissolved on 31 December 1912, and the following year the firm was sold to Royal Doulton. He died at Swanage on 18 May 1897 and, like his contemporaries Doulton and Green, Stiff was buried at West Norwood Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stiff, James English potters 1808 births 1897 deaths Burials at West Norwood Cemetery People from Rushbrooke with Rougham