Subject

Master potter. Born in Burslem, Stoke, Staffordshire, into a potters family. Married his cousin, Sally. Childhood smallpox left him with a limp. His inability to operate the potters wheel meant he turned to design and management instead.  It is said he often used his stick to smash items that he felt were not good enough. Contacted the Cherokees Indians to find a source of the whitest possible clay. His London showrooms became a fashionable place to visit. Flaxman, Stubbs and Lady Diana Beauclerk all provided designs for him. Promoter of social reform and active in the fight against the slave trade. Wedgwood is nowadays compared with Henry Ford for his innovative introduction of methods of mass production.