Mug, Adams for Liberty, Blue Ironstone Year 1988, England, Vintage

• Pattern: Liberty 1988, Elizabeth
• Made in England
• Vintage: 1988
• Details:  This is a really beautiful mug in Liberty's trademark duck-egg blue.  They were commissioned by Liberty & Co., London starting in 1975 as a yearly tradition and made by Adams using Liberty's extensive archive designs of flowers, exotic birds, oriental patterns and their trademark blue.  Each mug is different, highly collectible and hard to find.  The design is the same on both sides and also a small design on the inside border, this one has some pretty oriental style flowers with a wicker border and has the words: "LIBERTY 1988".  The mug is stamped on the bottom: "Jenny Wren, David Whitehead & Sons, Elizabeth, Adams Made in England, Established 1657, Real English Ironstone, Produced for LIBERTY".  This is a little different than the other Liberty mugs we carry.  The floral pattern used on this mug is called "Elizabeth" and David Whitehead & Sons was a textile designing and manufacturing firm, around since 1915, so we are guessing the floral design used on this cup must be a proprietary design from that firm and we are really guessing here that Jenny Wren was the actual designer, but could just be the pattern name.  We also carry Liberty mugs for years: 1987, 1989 (SOLD), 1991(SOLD) and 1992 (SOLD). Great for birthdays or anniversaries or a Liberty Year Mug collector. 
• Materials:  Ironstone
• Dimension:  3.25 inches Tall, 3.0 inches in Diameter (at top opening) and 4.5 inches Wide including the handle.
• Condition:  Vintage - Used.  Excellent Condition. There are no cracks, chips, or scratches.  Please review all pictures and make sure you love this item before purchasing, we can't accept returns.  Please remember these are VINTAGE and ANTIQUE items, they are NOT new, every effort has been made to show any scratches, wear  and imperfections.     

The history of Adams (William Adams & Son(s) Potters Ltd, earlier names: (W.Adams, W.Adams & Co, W Adams & Son) is extremely long and made even more complex by many of the family members all being named "William".  Even more confusing, as the William Adams passed away, they were succeeded by sons of the same name who continued making the same kinds of wares.  What follows is a very brief overview of this great family of potters.  Originally established in 1657 by Robert Adams and his son John of Hadderridge and Brick House, as Brickhouse Potteries.  William Adams & Sons was established in 1769 in Staffordshire by William Adams (baptized 1746; died 1805).  Adams was one of three north Staffordshire William Adamses who were all cousins and all potters working at the time in an extended Adams family of potters of many generations (goes back at least 12 generations). This Adams founded the Greengates Pottery in 1779, producing fine jasperware table sets, plaques, medallions and other products stamped Adams & Co. He is said to have been a friend and confidant of Josiah Wedgwood.  Adams died in 1805, and his business was taken over by his younger son Benjamin; the business closed in 1820 in part due to Benjamin's ill health and was sold in 1826 to John Meir, but in 1897 was sold back to another branch of the Adams family, and was finally absorbed into the Wedgwood Group in 1966.