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Toft Ware

Thomas Toft of Tinkers Clough, in Staffordshire, made slip decorated ware. Being ambitious, he did not hesitate to portray the human figure on his pottery, and some examples of this are very quaint. He made large dishes which are sometimes found to bear his name in the decoration, and which would seem to have been more for ornament than for use.

A famous example of Toft Ware is a large dish in the Bethnal Green Museum; this is ornamented with a lion rampant and other designs, and a basket border all in slip. Combed ware was also made by Thomas Toft, and was produced by covering the body with a thin coating of slip in a contrasting color, which was afterwards marked or grained with a comb, similar to that used by house decorators and painters of our own time.

“The most usual pieces in combed and marbled ware were posset pots and tygs” (Binns). Of the former Mr. Jewitt gives the following account: “Posset-pots have been used in Derbyshire and the neighboring counties from an early period until the present time. ‘Posset.’ is an excellent mixture of hot ale, milk, sugar, spices, and sippets, or, perhaps, more correctly speaking, dice of bread or oatcake. In those counties this beverage was formerly almost, if not quite, universal for supper on Christmas Eve, and the posset-pot was thus used but once a year, and often became an heirloom in the family. A small silver coin and a wedding ring were generally dropped into the posset.” The pot was handed round, each guest taking a spoonful, and hoping to obtain possession of the ring or coin.