James Derbyshire Glass:
from Manchester, UK

Brought to you byThe Glass Encyclopedia

James Derbyshire was one of three brothers (James, John and Thomas) who operated glassworks in the Manchester area in the mid-19th century. James Derbyshire & Brother, of Hulme, was established in 1858; in 1867 the three brothers opened another glassworks and traded as J.J.& T. Derbyshire; and in 1876 the name changed again to James Derbyshire and Sons. Although they only operated for a few decades, this company produced some very high quality pressed glass tableware. They do not seem to have registered any new designs after the 1870s.

The vase on the left was sold as a "celery vase" and was registered in 1865. The greek key pattern on this vase was a popular motif at the time, and reappears in glassware by all their main glass manufacturing rivals (George Davidson, Moulineux Webb, the Derbyshires, and Percival Yates and Vickers plus many others). Of all the versions, this one is the highest quality, and has been described as setting the standard for those that followed.

Manchester was the second great center producing pressed glass in England during the 19th century. The first was the North East (Gateshead, Sunderland, and Newcastle) with three giant companies Sowerby, Davidson, and Greener, and several smaller ones. There were five glassworks in Manchester producing high quality pressed glass which today is highly collectible, plus several lesser known ones. The main five were:

1. Burtles Tate
2. James Derbyshire
3. John Derbyshire
4. Molineux & Webb
5. Percival Yates & Vickers