Percy Shelley (1860–1937) was an English potter and a major force in developing

Shelley Potteries Shelley Potteries, situated in Staffordshire, was earlier known as Wileman & Co. which had also traded as The Foley Potteries. The first Shelley to join the company was Joseph Ball Shelley in 1862 and in 1896 his son Percy Shelley became the s ...

. He was born in

Longton, Staffordshire Longton is one of the six towns which amalgamated to form the county borough of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910, along with Hanley, Tunstall, Fenton, Burslem and Stoke-upon-Trent. History Longton ('long village') was a market town in the parish of S ...

. He attended Owen's College, Manchester and then

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree- ...

, where he gained a B.A. degree. In 1881, he joined his father, Joseph, at Wileman & Co. pottery. Shelley had not received any formal training in pottery, but became known first and foremost as a potter and went on to develop the lasting reputation of Shelley China. Wanting to improve the ware that the company was producing and to get a better understanding of the export market, especially America, Shelley went to the US and visited the 1893

Chicago Exhibition (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. Joseph Shelley his father died in June 1896, and Shelley took control of the business. To improve the ware he brought in artists and designers who he felt could (and did) change the company. The best known were Rowland Morris and

Frederick Alfred Rhead Frederick Alfred Rhead (1856–1933) was a potter working in North Staffordshire, England. He is not to be confused with his son Frederick Hurten Rhead (1880–1942) who was also a potter, and who worked mainly in the USA. His other children inclu ...

. Shelley married in 1890 and his first son, Percy Norman, was born in 1893. One year later twin boys, Vincent Bob and Kenneth Jack, were born. All the sons were known by their middle names. Norman and Bob joined their father in the business just before the start of WW1. After the war they were joined at the factory by their brother Jack who had completed his university course. Each son was to take charge of an area of the company and build on the growing reputation that their father had started.Shelley Potteries, ''The History and Production of a Staffordshire Family of Potters'' – Watkins, Harvey & Senft; In 1932, Shelley retired to Bournemouth and died in 1937.

Bibliography

* ''Shelley Potteries, The History and Production of a Staffordshire Family of Potters'', by Chris Watkins, William Harvey & Robert Senft; Barrie & Jenkins; 1980 * ''The Shelley Style, A Collectors Guide'' by Susan Hill; Jazz Publications; 1990; * ''Wileman, A Collectors Guide'' by Richard Knight & Susam Hill; Jazz Publications; 1995;

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelley, Percy English potters English businesspeople People from Longton, Staffordshire Alumni of the University of London 1937 deaths 1860 births