Mason Cash originated as a

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

company, based in Woodville, Swadlincote,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, UK, making a range of earthenware and

stoneware Stoneware is a rather broad term for pottery or other ceramics fired at a relatively high temperature. A modern technical definition is a vitreous or semi-vitreous ceramic made primarily from stoneware clay or non-refractory fire clay. Whether vi ...

kitchenware :'' For a record label, see Kitchenware Records'' Kitchenware are the tools, utensils, appliances, dishes, and cookware used in food preparation, or the serving of food. Kitchenware can also be used in order to hold or store food before or af ...

including mixing bowls, pudding basins and petware. They are most well known for their range of 'Cane Bowls'. Mason Cash is now a brand of the Rayware Group and while many of the Mason Cash items have retained their original designs, others embody contemporary twists, evolving into progressive modern interpretations of the originals.

History

The origins of Mason Cash can be traced back to a pottery already operating at

Church Gresley Church Gresley is a large village and former civil parish in the South Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. The village is situated between Castle Gresley and the town of Swadlincote, with which it is contiguous. By the time of the 2011 ...

around 1800. The location was selected due to the local deposits of

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

and

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

. Mason Cash ceramic items were made from ‘white and cane’ glazed earthenware sometimes known as ‘yellow ware’ due to the colour of the local clay. Mason Cash had been producing mixing bowls during the 1800s, but in 1901 they designed and manufactured the very first iconic Mason Cash mixing bowl. The design of the Mason Cash mixing bowl has barely changed in over 100 years and can be recognised by its original and distinctive pattern on the outside of the bowl.

Expansion

* 1930s & 1940s - expanded their product line to include petware. * 1941 - Thomas Cash's son took over, and incorporated the company as Mason, Cash & Co. Ltd. They continued to produce utilitarian wares throughout the Second World War. * 1973 - the company was purchased by A. B. Merriam. *1979 - ownership was acquired by John Perks and his wife Karen (Merriam's daughter) through the holding company J E and K P (Ceramics) Ltd. * 1986 - the company acquired Cauldon Potteries, and the rights to the 'Royal Cauldon' name from T. Brown & Son Ltd. of the Ferrybridge Pottery,

Knottingley Knottingley is a market town in the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England on the River Aire and the old A1 road before it was bypassed as the A1(M). Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it has a population of 13,503, inc ...

, Yorkshire where production continued until 2003. * 2001 - the company purchased T. G. Green and worked to revive that pottery's Cornish Blue kitchenware line. * 2004 - The Tabletop Company purchased Mason Cash in April 2004, thus forming The Tabletop Group. * 2006 - Production in Swadlincote was stopped, with the machinery moved to Portugal where production continues. * 2007 - The Rayware Group acquired the Mason Cash brand. Sister brand T. G. Green was acquired by Charles Rickard and Paul Burston and relaunched. * 2021 - Mason Cash launched its very first e-commerce site, selling directly to consumers.

Mixing bowl sizes

The Mason Cash mixing bowls are sold in various numbered sizes. The size number of the bowl refers to how many bowls could fit in the kiln in the original factory.

References

{{Authority control Ceramics manufacturers of England Companies based in Derbyshire

History

Expansion

Mixing bowl sizes

See also

References