Stourbridge Paperweights
The manufacture of glass at Stourbridge in Worcestershire was established by emigrants from Hungary in 1556. The place where they erected their factory is still known as Hungary Hill.
In later years the Stourbridge factory carried on the manufacture of glass at Cork and Waterford, in Ireland.
The clay in the home district is still unsurpassed for use in the making of fire pots in the slow Stourbridge process which consumes from four to six months in baking and drying
In later years the Stourbridge factory carried on the manufacture of glass at Cork and Waterford, in Ireland.
The clay in the home district is still unsurpassed for use in the making of fire pots in the slow Stourbridge process which consumes from four to six months in baking and drying
!n the early days of glass making in America, great quantities of this clay were shipped, coming over as ballast on the small ships. This was made into fire pots here until clay was discovered in 1815 in Delaware, whereupon the importation of the English product fell off.
Ink bottles were the specialty at Stourbridge. Two pieces from this factory, an ink bottle and a paperweight, are shown below in Illustrations 45 and 46. The Stourbridge colors are usually soft and pleasing, resembling those of St.Louis. Stourbridge also uses the deep-well set-ups similar to those used in the St. Louis factory but the texture is coarser, as the ink well in the illustration shows. The resemblances referred to are not accidental, but are accounted for by the fact that the Stourbridge industry brought many of its best workmen from the St.Louis factory. Stourbridge weights rank among the finest that have come from England.
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