Lowestoft

Lowestoft, Suffolk, England · Porcelain · also recorded as Lowestoft China Manufactory

Transcribed by Igor Kukolj from Chaffers, William. Marks and Monograms on European and Oriental Pottery and Porcelain, 1891, Reeves & Turner, London, p.759. Scan: archive.org/details/marksmonogramson00chaf (leaf n778). Checked 22 August 2026.

Marks

The page transcribed for this entry records no mark for this factory. That is stated rather than filled in — a mark is not asserted here because the source does not give one.

What the source records

Established in 1756 for the manufacture of pottery and porcelain, in soft paste.Chaffers 1891 · p.759
About 1775 hard paste was introduced.Chaffers 1891 · p.759
The origin traces to 1756, when Hewlin Luson of Gunton Hall near Lowestoft found fine clay on his estate and sent a sample to a china manufactory near London, where it proved finer than Delft ware. — Chaffers quoting Gillingwater, History of Lowestoft, 1790 — probably written some years earlierChaffers 1891 · p.759
Luson erected a temporary kiln at Gunton, but London manufacturers tampered with his workmen and spoiled the ware, frustrating the scheme. — Chaffers quoting Gillingwater, History of Lowestoft, 1790Chaffers 1891 · p.759
The undertaking was revived in 1757 by Messrs. Walker, Brown, Aldred & Richman, who bought houses on the south side of Bell Lane and converted them to the manufactory. — Chaffers quoting Gillingwater, History of Lowestoft, 1790Chaffers 1891 · p.759

Why this differs from other listings

Chaffers carries Gillingwater's 1790 account at length, including the failed Gunton attempt and the named 1757 partnership. Dating a Lowestoft piece hinges on the soft-paste / hard-paste change at about 1775, which is stated here with a source.

The source page

Page 759 of Chaffers 1891, the source for this entry — Chaffers 1891, p.759 — public domain, from archive.org/details/marksmonogramson00chaf (leaf n778). Check the transcription against it.

What this entry does not establish

The marks section for Lowestoft is not on page 759 and has not yet been read. This record carries history and dates only — no mark is asserted.
Gillingwater is Chaffers' source, not Chaffers' own observation. The chain is: this page -> Gillingwater 1790 -> events of 1756-57.

Questions

What marks does Chaffers 1891 record for Lowestoft?

None. The page transcribed for this entry (p.759) records no mark for Lowestoft. That is stated rather than filled in from elsewhere.

What dates does the source give?

None. Chaffers dates no mark on this page, so this entry gives no date either.

Where was Lowestoft?

Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. The source also records the name as Lowestoft China Manufactory.

Can this page tell me what my piece is worth?

No. This site reports what one nineteenth-century reference recorded, and cites the page so you can check it. It does not authenticate objects, value them, or offer an opinion on a specific piece.