John Davenport (29 September 1765 – 12 December 1848) was one of the most financially successful

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

industrial

potters 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 Jer ...

, founder of the

Davenport Pottery Davenport Pottery was an English earthenware and porcelain manufacturer based in Longport, Staffordshire, Longport, Staffordshire. It was in business, owned and run by the Davenport family, between 1794 and 1887, making mostly tablewares in the ...

firm in Longport in

The Potteries The Staffordshire Potteries is the industrial area encompassing the six towns Burslem, Fenton, Hanley, Longton, Stoke and Tunstall, which is now the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. North Staffordshire became a centre of ...

. He served as the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

M.P. for

Stoke Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom. Stoke may refer to: Places United Kingdom The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below. Berkshire * Stoke Row, Berkshire Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stok ...

from 1832 to 1841. A native of the nearby rural town of Leek, he worked for a while for a local bank then in 1794 he set himself up as a pottery manufacturer in Longport, Stoke-on-Trent. His ruthless business sense combined with the technical breakthroughs of Wedgwood and Spode, and made his firm a formidable force in the growing export trade from the Potteries. He married Diana Ward in 1795 and they had two daughters and three sons. Davenport resided at

Westwood Hall Westwood Hall is a former stately home in Leek, Staffordshire, England. It is a Grade II listed building. It has been a school since 1921, and is now Westwood College. Description The house, extended from an existing building, was created from 18 ...

from 1813, and the running of his business began to pass to his son Henry in the 1820s. This left Davenport time to become involved in politics. He served in the Commons as a diligent local M.P. until 1841. He was also deputy lieutenant for

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

. A portrait of Davenport by an unknown artist is held by the

Potteries Museum & Art Gallery The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is in Bethesda Street, Hanley, one of the six towns of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. Admission is free. One of the four local authority museums in the city, the other three being Gladstone Pottery Museum ...

.Art UK
/ref>

References

External links

* 1765 births 1848 deaths English potters English industrialists Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 Deputy Lieutenants of Staffordshire Staffordshire pottery Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1760s-stub