Royal Crown Derby

Crown Derby, Kings Pattern

Crown Derby

The Derby Porcelain Company was established in 1750.  In 1773, King George III, smitten with Derby  porcelain, gave the company the right to include the crown in the logo, and call it Crown Derby. 

In 1815 the sales manager, Robert Bloor, borrowed heavily and bought the factory.  In 1825 the backstamp was changed to incorporate the Bloor name.  The Bloor backstamp comes in 2 varieties, with or without a crown, the later production bearing the crown.  These plates have a crown and probably date to about 1835.  

Bob died in 1848 and the factory went belly up.  It was eventually bought by former employees and continues to this day (under new owners).

Royal Crown Derby

After many trials, the company was visited by Victoria in 1890, and smitten by their production, allowed the Royal prefix to be added to the company name.  And the name continues to this day.

These bowls demand hearty fare, and we enjoyed a stew of beef, mushrooms, and potatoes.  This was accompanied by a sparkling cider from Eve's Cidery.

 The silver is the Cinderella pattern (Gorham, Whiting) introduced in 1925.

 All gone. . . 

Hard to believe that china has survived for so many years.  The gilding is still bright and barely worn.