POTTED HISTORY No. 4:
THE BROWN BETTY TEA POT
Fitzwilliam cave men
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Wentworth Woodhouse
Emma Woodhouse
The history of British pottery is long and tortuous, complicated by unsuitable marriages, bastard sons and poor business management. Yet out of this conflict was born some of the most sublime achievements of domestic history. The very same can be said for the British aristocracy and this is where our story begins, with the Rockingham family, who had ties to William the Conquerer plus a couple of castles and a very big house. Our Rockinghams were known as the Fitzwilliams and lived in Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire. The local industries there included pottery, coal, and iron.
The earls of Fitzwilliam lent their name and money to the local pottery which specialized in gilt edged porcelain rococo. At the time this was not considered gaudy but was all the rage and Rockingham Pottery was the very thing from 1745 well into the next century. A side line for Rockingham was earthenware which had a distinctive and very glossy brown glaze, and was developed from a chemical formula consisting partly of iron and manganese. This was called Rockingham glaze.
About this time in Stoke-on-Trent, a new type of tea pot was created out of the local red clay. Rockingham glaze was employed and with the help of the great tea craze that began at this time and never ended, the Brown Betty was born. Queen Victoria's fondness for the pot only helped to establish the Brown Betty as an essential component in making the "best cup of tea". As Potted Histories only concerns itself with happy endings, we are pleased to announce that the Brown Betty is alive and well, and hopping off the shelves at Ancient Industries.
But on a parting note, we have a mystery. It is a little known fact that Jane Austen named some her most evocative characters after the Rockingham family: Captain Wentworth, Emma Woodhouse and who can forget Fitzwilliam Darcy. Was she beguiled by the poetry of these ancient English names or was she extremely fond of the Brown Betty?
