See the Potteries List section for the St Thomas Street Pottery 1 and the Temple Gate Pottery.
St Thomas Street Pottery 1
The Pottery had previously been run by W.W. Walker.
| 1816-30 | William Powell ran the St Thomas Street Pottery 1 in partnership with Thomas Powell. |
The firm then moved to the Temple Gate Pottery and the St Thomas Street Pottery 1 seems to have gone out of use.
Temple Gate Pottery
| 1830-54 | William Powell ran the Temple Gate Pottery. |
After William Powell’s death in 1854 the Pottery was operated by his sons, Septimus Powell as general manager and William Augustus Frederick Powell as superintendent of the stoneware pottery.
Born c1788 in Bristol, the brother of John Powell and probably the brother of Thomas Powell and the father of Septimus Powell, William Augustus Frederick Powell and Benjamin Powell.
| 1816-20 | W. & T.Powell, brown stone pottery, Thomas Street (MD). |
| 1816-30 | W. & T. Powell exported stoneware (including stoneware bottles) to Guernsey, Jersey, Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Youghall, Belfast, Limerick, Newry, Londonderry, New York, Leghorn, Genoa, Naples, Sicily, Jamaica and Nevis (PB-EXP). |
| 1818 | 17 Dec. ‘Court of King’s Bench, 3 December. The King on the prosecution of William and Thomas Powell against Joseph Bright, the younger, William Elbury, John Richmond, John Milsom, Edward Milsom, Joseph Appleford, Thomas Love, Nathaniel Bailey and Joseph Hazard, for a Combination. This cause was heard on Friday before the Magistrates; and the Defendants pleaded not guilty. The Prosecutors in this case were stone-ware manufacturers and the Defendants journeymen potters, with the exception of Joseph Hazard who is clerk to Messrs Hope and Bright, in the same trade. The Defendants Elbury and Richmond worked for the prosecutors, together with one Charles Morgan, who was also in the combination, but admitted a witness. Early in October, the Prosecutors, had a dispute with the Defendant Elbury about some work when the latter was discharged; in consequence of which, Richmond and Morgan struck, declaring they would not work unless Elbury was taken back upon his own terms. They were supported in their combination by the other Defendants. On the 26th October a general meeting was called by regular summonses, of the Jorneymen Potters; at which meeting the Defendant Hazard drew up an agreement and the rest signed it, restricting any of the defendants from offering to work for the Prosecutors until the three men who had left were taken back. The hearing of the case took up between three and four hours; when the Magistrates found the Defendants guilty, and sentenced them to one month’s imprisonment in Bridewell’ (BG). |
| 1821-25 | W. & T.Powell, brown stone pottery, Thomas Street and Stourbridge glass warehouse, Bath Parade, Temple Gate (MD). |
| 1822 | 9 Jan. ‘Messrs Powells Stone Potter, Thomas St., for suffering a waggon and a quantity of empty crates to remain in Thomas St.’ (BRO 05059(1)). |
| 1823 | 8 Mar. William Powell suffered a quantity of rubbish to remain on Alfred Hill for night (BRO 05059(1)). |
| 1826-29 | William & Thomas Powell, Temple Gate, Stourbridge glass warehouse, Thomas Street, brown stone pottery (MD). |
| 1828 | T., W., & J. Powell’s specification for machinery for making sugar moulds (Patent No. 5657). |
| 1830 | Alfred Hill, St James’s parish (P). |
| 1830 | 30 Mar. ‘William and Thomas Powell beg to inform their friends and the public, that they have removed their stoneware pottery from Thomas Street, to their premises at Temple Gate, where they solicit a continuance of their favours’ (Bristol Mercury). |
| 1831-32 | William & John Powell, brown stone ware potters, patentees and manufacturers of stone ware sugar moulds (MD). |
| 1831-32 | William and John Powell exported stoneware (including bottles) to Limerick, Cork, Waterford, Belfast, Dublin, Limerick, Newry, Guernsey, Jersey, New York, Madeira and Jamaica (PB-EXP). |
| 1832 | 21 Jul. Stoneware potter, Temple Gate (Ao). |
| 1832 | Alfred Hill, St James’s parish (house & pottery, Temple Gate) (P). |
| 1832 | House & pottery, Temple Gate (List of Electors BRO 04736). |
| 1833-35 | William Powell, brown stone ware, glass bottle and patent sugar mould manufacturer, Temple Gate (MD). |
| 1833-55 | W. Powell, Powell & Co. and Powell Brothers exported stoneware (including bottles) to Belfast, Cork, Waterford, Dublin, Limerick, Londonderry, Wexford, Jersey, Guernsey, Madeira, Lisbon, Barbados, Demerara, New York, Philadelphia, Montreal, Quebec, Bombay, Port Philip and Melbourne (PB-EXP). |
| 1833 | William Powell & Co. paid £80.3s.9d duty on their manufacture of stone bottles (from the ‘Fifth Report of the Commissioners of Inquiry into the Management and Collection of the Excise Revenue [on] Stone Bottles and Sweets, London, 1834’). |
| 1833 | 31 Aug. ‘Spacious premises in St Thomas Street to be let. A dwelling-house, yard, warehouse, etc, etc, situated in Thomas Street, formerly occupied as a stoneware pottery, and now ready for immediate occupation either as a pottery, or for any other business where room is required; there is a good supply of water. A lease would be granted to a respectable tenant’ (Bristol Mercury). |
| 1835 | Alfred Hill, St James’s parish (P). |
| 1836-55 | William Powell, brown stone ware, glass bottle and patent sugar mould manufacturer, inventor and sole manufacturer of the improved stoneware which is glazed inside and out with a glaze warranted to resist acids, and will not absorb, Temple Gate (MD). |
| 1836 | Land & buildings, Cheese Lane, St Philip’s parish (WL). |
| 1837 | Alfred Hill, St James’s parish (P). |
| 1838 | 15 May. Stoneware potter, Temple Gate (Ao). |
| 1839 | 11 May. Mr W. Powell appeared to answer a complaint of a lad named John Cogdell for assaulting him. The complainant said that he worked at the defendant’s pottery in Temple Street. The complainant had been accused of stealing money and was taken to the counting house, where Mr Powell was sitting. He denied the accusation whereupon Mr Powell snatched a stick and struck him several times, inflicting a severe wound in his head, the effects of which had kept him in bed for four days. Richard Haynes, a workman at the pottery, attested to the violence of the assault. Mr Powell was fined 20s and costs’ (Bristol Times). |
| 1841 | Glass manufacturer, Temple Gate, St Mary Redcliffe parish (50), living with his wife Constance (50) and son Benjamin (15) (41C). |
| 1841 | 10 Feb & 1 Dec. Stoneware potter, Temple Gate (Ao). |
| 1841 | 27 Nov. ‘Samuel Stiles, charged with stealing a stoneware fountain, the property of Mr Powell, Temple Gate Pottery, was discharged, no one appearing to press the case’ (Bristol Times). |
| 1846 | 1 Jul. Glass bottle manufacturer and stoneware potter, Temple Street (Ao). |
| 1851 | Glass manufacturer and merchant, visiting Union Inn, Union Street, Birmingham (63) (51C). |
| 1852 | Temple Gate, Temple parish (P). |
| 1853 | 12 Nov. ‘Stoneware potters – wanted two or three good throwers in the above trade. Apply to Mr Powell, Temple Gate Pottery’ (Bristol Mercury). |
| 1854 | 21 Jan. Described as a glass bottle manufacturer and stoneware potter in his will. He left the following bequests: To his brother John Powell and sons William Augustus Frederick and Septimus Powell, one hundred pounds each to act as executors and trustees. To his wife Constance, one hundred pounds, the possession and use of his household furniture, plate, linen, books, pictures and housekeeping stores and all other effects in his house, and the sum of thirty pounds monthly during her widowhood. To his trustees, John Powell, William Augustus Fredrick Powell and Septimus Powell, all his freehold and leasehold premises and stock in trade at the stoneware pottery carried on by him at Temple Gate, and also all his money and other personal estate not disposed of to pay his bequests. William Augustus Frederick Powell was, without salary, to act as superintendent over the stoneware pottery, while Septimus Powell was, without salary, to act as general manager, the pottery to be known as William Powell and Sons. An inventory of the stock in trade, plant, fixtures, machinery, book debts and all other assets of the pottery was to be taken after his death. To his sons William Augustus Frederick Powell and Septimus Powell, one thousand pounds each. To his son and partner in the glass bottle works in St Philip’s parish, William Augustus Frederick Powell, a loan of four thousand pounds to enable him to carry out the arrangement already made at those works before 31 December 1857 unless the loan period needs to be extended due to some special emergency. To his sons Thomas Lewis Powell and Benjamin Hawkins Powell, an annuity of fifty pounds each for a period of seven years after his death. In the case of Benjamin Hawkins Powell, the sum was to be paid on the express condition that he did not ‘come to inhabit or reside at or within twenty miles of the City of Bristol’. To his son Edward Colston Powell, the sum of one thousand pounds to be held by his trustees and invested, his son to receive the investment income. To his daughters, Constance Hawkins Powell and Sarah Hawkins Powell, two hundred pounds each. To his brother Joseph Powell of Stogursey, Somerset, and annuity of twenty pounds. The will was proved on 17 July 1854 (PRO Prob 11/2195). |
| 1854 | 4 Mar. He was buried at St Mary Redcliffe church, aged 64 (Ancestry website). |
| 1857 | 25 Apr. ‘To be let, with immediate possession, a commodious house, replete with every convenience, containing fourteen rooms, two cellars, and excellent offices, situate at Temple Gate, near the railway station, the residence of the late Mr William Powell. Apply to William Powell & Sons, Temple Gate Pottery’ (Bristol Mercury). |
| 1873 | 29 Jul. Noted as deceased when John Fry, the younger, his apprentice, obtained his freedom (FM). |
| Apprentices: With his wife Constance James Rees, 21 Jul 1832 (A, Ao) Benjamin Powell, his son, 27 Feb 1838 (A) Arnold Turner, 15 May 1839 (A, Ao) Edward Colston Smith, 15 May 1839 (A, Ao) Charles Sellick, 10 Feb 1841 (Ao) Robert Roper, 1 Dec 1841 (A, Ao) Thomas Joseph Cookson Powell, 1 Jul 1846 (Ao) John Fry, 23 Nov 1846 (Ao)Children: William Augustus Frederick, born c1814 in Bristol (01C); Constance Hawkins, born c1821 in Bristol (51C); Sarah Hawkins, born c1826 in Bristol (51C); Benjamin Hawkins, born c1824 in Bristol (51C); Septimus, born c1833 in Bristol (51C); Edward Colston (PRO Prob 11/2195); Thomas Lewis (PRO Prob 11/2195) |