Worcester

Worcester, England · Porcelain · also recorded as Royal Worcester Porcelain Works, Flight & Barr, Barr, Flight & Barr, Flight, Barr & Barr

Transcribed by Igor Kukolj from Chaffers, William. Marks and Monograms on European and Oriental Pottery and Porcelain, 1891, Reeves & Turner, London, p.723. Scan: archive.org/details/marksmonogramson00chaf (leaf n742). Checked 22 August 2026.

Marks

The Flight & Barr, with a crown mark as engraved in Chaffers 1891, page 723 — 1793–1807
**Flight & Barr, with a crown** · script, beneath a crown · *engraved in the source*Chaffers 1891, p.723
Chaffers sets this engraving beside the sentence naming Joseph Flight and Martin Barr as proprietors from 1793 to 1807, and says they 'used this mark'.
Crown — “crown”
Script lettering — “script”

The Barr Flight & Barr mark as engraved in Chaffers 1891, page 723 — 1807–1813
**Barr Flight & Barr** · script · *engraved in the source*Chaffers 1891, p.723paired by position
Positioned against the passage covering the 1807–1813 partnership. The pairing is by position on the page; Chaffers does not restate the dates in the caption.
Script lettering — “script”

The B.F.B. beneath a crown mark as engraved in Chaffers 1891, page 723 — 1807–1813
**B.F.B. beneath a crown** · impressed, without colour · *engraved in the source*Chaffers 1891, p.723
Chaffers states this one explicitly: 'Messrs. Barr, Flight & Barr, 1807 to 1813. The letters B. F. B. with a crown above, impressed on the ware without colour.' Impressed and uncoloured is the detail that separates it from a printed mark.
Crown — “crown”
Initials — “B, F”

The BARR FLIGHT & BARR · Royal Porcelain Works · WORCESTER · London-House, No. 1 Coventry Street mark as engraved in Chaffers 1891, page 723 — **BARR FLIGHT & BARR · Royal Porcelain Works · WORCESTER · London-House, No. 1 Coventry Street** · printed, beneath two crowns · *engraved in the source*Chaffers 1891, p.723
The full printed factory mark, including the London-house address set below a rule. Chaffers prints the address as part of the same block, and the cropper now keeps them together.
Crown — “crown”
Block capitals — “BARR”

The Flight Barr & Barr mark as engraved in Chaffers 1891, page 723 — 1813–1829
**Flight Barr & Barr** · script · *engraved in the source*Chaffers 1891, p.723
Chaffers gives the initials for this firm as F.B.B., 'also impressed on the ware without colour, used from 1813 to 1829'.
Script lettering — “script”

What the source records

Joseph Flight and Martin Barr were proprietors from 1793 to 1807.Chaffers 1891 · p.723
From 1807 to 1813 the firm was Martin Barr, Joseph Flight and M. Barr junior.Chaffers 1891 · p.723
On the death of the elder Mr Barr the style of the firm became Martin Barr, Joseph Flight and George Barr.Chaffers 1891 · p.723
From 1829 to 1840 the proprietors were Joseph Flight, Martin Barr and George Barr.Chaffers 1891 · p.723
Mr Flight never took an active part in the business; George Barr resided in London for some years managing the sale of finished production, while Martin Barr and a younger brother superintended the manufactory at Worcester.Chaffers 1891 · p.723
The London house was at No. 1 Coventry Street.Chaffers 1891 · p.723
In 1786 Robert Chamberlain, the first apprentice at the Old Worcester Porcelain Company, began business with his brother Humphrey in new premises in High Street, at first only decorating porcelain bought from Turner of Caughley.Chaffers 1891 · p.723

Why this differs from other listings

The Flight and Barr partnerships changed name four times in fifty years, and the mark changes with them — which makes a Worcester mark a date, not just an attribution. This entry keeps each engraving beside the years Chaffers gives it, and labels the two cases where the pairing is positional rather than stated. Listings that show the marks without the partnership dates leave out the only reason to look them up.

The source page

Page 723 of Chaffers 1891, the source for this entry — Chaffers 1891, p.723 — public domain, from archive.org/details/marksmonogramson00chaf (leaf n742). Check the transcription against it.

What this entry does not establish

Two pairings are by position on the page rather than by an explicit caption, and are labelled as such. Chaffers dates B.F.B. and F.B.B. in words; he does not date every script mark in words.
Chaffers 1891 does not cover twentieth-century Royal Worcester marks, including the date-code systems collectors rely on for later pieces.
The Chamberlain works were a separate business from Flight & Barr until the later merger. This entry covers page 723 only; the Chamberlain marks are on pages not yet transcribed.

Questions

What marks does Chaffers 1891 record for Worcester?

5 on p.723: Flight & Barr, with a crown (1793–1807); Barr Flight & Barr (1807–1813); B.F.B. beneath a crown (1807–1813); BARR FLIGHT & BARR · Royal Porcelain Works · WORCESTER · London-House, No. 1 Coventry Street; Flight Barr & Barr (1813–1829). 5 of them are engraved in the source and are reproduced above; the rest are described in words only.

What dates does the source give?

The dates Chaffers attaches to these marks fall between 1793 and 1813. They are his, not an inference drawn here, and several are given as approximate or open-ended in the original wording shown on each plate.

Where was Worcester?

Worcester, England. The source also records the name as Royal Worcester Porcelain Works, Flight & Barr, Barr, Flight & Barr, Flight, Barr & Barr.

Is the Barr Flight & Barr attribution certain?

No, and the source says so. Chaffers flags it — paired by position. Positioned against the passage covering the 1807–1813 partnership. The pairing is by position on the page; Chaffers does not restate the dates in the caption.

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.