Day 94. Pottery of More Recent Times

A shard of medieval pottery (11^th - 12^th century) found in Preston.

This pottery is coarser and of poorer quality than the Roman pottery discussed on Day 92, despite the progress of over a thousand years.

By the Medieval period, pottery was little favoured by the better-off classes. Household dishes and other wares were typically made of pewter, or silver if especially wealthy. This trait continued well into the 18^th century. The poorer classes who couldn't afford pewter used wooden wares or pottery vessels. This pottery was basic and poorly made – anything of better quality would be unaffordable – and no attempt at beauty or style was made. Where many crafts had advanced considerably over the past several centuries, the art of the potter had remained stagnant.

Staffordshire Slip Ware found in Preston, 18^th century.

In the 18^th century, this began to change. Growing overseas trade from the early 17^th century led to the growing popularity of china – imported from its namesake country – among the higher tiers of society. Elegant porcelain was a feature of many homes. Josiah Wedgewood founded his Staffordshire factory in the mid 18^th century to emulate the imports, and the fine porcelain that became a key feature of that region was eagerly sought. China replaced metal dishes for fine dining, then began to filter down through society until it became the standard household feature which it remains today.