James Clews (1790-1861)

He and his brother, Ralph, operated the Cobridge works at Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire from 1819 until 1834. They concentrated on exporting blue-and-white china for the American market: "some of the richest pieces of dark-blue color that were ever made by any potter took the form of pieces bearing American historical designs". In the early 1830s, their nephews (John Clews Jackson and his brother, Job) set up their own pottery exporting business and went directly against them. By 1834, the brothers were declared bankrupt and two years later (1836) they moved to the States and established the Indiana Pottery Co., at Troy, Indiana. Owing to the inferior quality of the clay and the general economic climate, the venture was not a success and the brothers returned to England worse off than before. Despite their own business failings, their china is now highly treasured, particularly by American collectors. James' son became one of Wall Street's wealthiest and his grandson, Henry Jr., created the Chateau de la Napoule.