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Thomas Billinge, Richard Abbey, Thomas Lawrenson and Thomas Johnson): “he employed three engravers in London and two in his own office”, “while he was busy preparing plates for Wedgwood” from September 1761 to January 1766. It is possible that one of these two engravers could be Rothwell although there is no evidence to prove it. The next time we are able to trace Thomas Rothwell is in 1773 when he was living in Church Street, Birmingham, and in 1774 a firm of Rothwell and Hicks, engravers is recorded. An edition of Pilgrim’s Progress was published in 1769 with copper plates by Rothwell and printed by Thomas Smith in Wolverhampton. Lawley commented on the “copper plate etchings of exceptional beauty.” In 1770 ‘The Genuine Works of Josephus’ was published in Birmingham which has nine copper plates, a number by Rothwell from designs by James Millar. We know he was still living in Church Street, Birmingham and in 1774 the firm of Rothwell and Hicks, engravers are in the Local Trade Directory as still working in Church Street, Birmingham. There is no information on Thomas Rothwell now until two references in 1785. The first is of: “a counterpart lease for 101 years between Sir Thomas Gooch of Benacre Hall in Suffolk and Thomas Rothwell, engraver 10 th May, 1785 on a property in Bartholomew Street in Birmingham” There is also a record of Thomas Rothwell still working in Loveday Street, Birmingham until 1788. In that year a new edition of the Bible appeared published by Pearson and Rollanson with three plates by Rothwell. We believe that about this time Thomas Rothwell moved to Swansea c. 1788. Turner in The Ceramics of Swansea and Nantgarw, page 13 says: “He (Thomas Rothwell) was probably there (i.e. in Swansea) a year or so before that event” (The event cited is a reference to the Charles Stevens’ application to the Derby works already mentioned). Morton Nance concurs also with this statement. The first reference to his residence in Swansea is in 1790. As Jewitt says: 4
“In 1790 one of the ‘throwers;’ was Charles Stevens, who had been an apprentice (at the same time as William Taylor) at the Worcester China Works. In that year he applied to be employed at the Derby China works sending his address as ‘The Pot Works, Swansea’ and next at Mr Rothwells, engraver at The Strand, Swansea.” Morton Nance was of the opinion that Rothwell had been in Swansea for some time before 1790 although no earlier reference to his presence has been found. He was still in Swansea in 1792 provable not only because of his dated topographical engravings but also because of the announcement in The Glocester (sic) Journal of the auction of a dwelling with garden and stable in Somerset Buildings situated in the borough near to the Pottery, then rented by Thomas Rothwell. It is not known whether the new landlord would have retained Rothwell as a tenant or whether Rothwell then sought residency elsewhere in Swansea. Rothwell’s house was only one of 17 houses which were put up for auction. Rothwell’s house was at a yearly rent of fourteen guineas, a considerable amount at the time. This is an indication both of his financial state and his status within the Pottery hierarchy. The fact that Thomas Rothwell is mentioned by name in the newspaper is an indication of the esteem in which he was held, otherwise why mention his name? As principal engraver he would have been responsible for producing the patterns for the copper plate engravings for most, if not all, of the early transfer printed ware of the Cambrian Pottery. The policy at the Cambrian Pottery seems to have been that copper plates weren’t signed because so far none in this early period have been found signed. It is possible, to identify some of his engravings for ceramics by comparing them with known and signed Rothwell engravings. He certainly signed his engravings in Liverpool and Staffordshire. Although we know Rothwell was also an enameller it is not possible to identify any of his work as no records exist. That the first three engravings were published by Coles and Haynes but not the others is easily explained, as Gibbs and Morris state that: “he retained a measure of independence from the pottery in his work as an engraver because of his personal friendship with Haynes”. There seem to be no original drawings of Rothwell’s topographical engravings but two oil paintings of Oxwich which are reputed to be by 5
Page 1 and 2: THOMAS ROTHWELL 1740 - 1807 COPPER-
Page 3: “but like all other attempts they
Page 7 and 8: 1792” when he published a series
Page 9 and 10: ear obvious links to him and additi
Page 11 and 12: Thomas Rothwell engravings appear i
Page 13 and 14: Interiors and Architectural The Adm
Page 15 and 16: Others Illustrations from Williams
Page 17 and 18: In order to illustrate the nature o
Page 19 and 20: THOMAS ROTHWELL AT SWANSEA © City
Page 21 and 22: over a Cornfield’ to see how mood
Page 23 and 24: ‘SHAKESPEARE COMMEMORATIVE’ (Fi
Page 25 and 26: ‘DUKE OF YORK’ (Fig.4) This pat
Page 27 and 28: The jug commemorates the first part
Page 29 and 30: The engraving style is again as des
Page 31 and 32: ‘A NEW PUZZLE OF PORTRAITS’ (Fi
Page 33 and 34: Fig. 12 *A later version of Fig.12
Page 35 and 36: ‘RURAL LOVERS’ (Fig. 14) The mu
Page 37 and 38: ‘RIVERSIDE RURAL LOVERS’ (Fig.
Page 39 and 40: The pattern is illustrated on a gre
Page 41 and 42: Finally, touching the style of engr
Page 43 and 44: Fig. 22 43
Page 45 and 46: The ‘brick walling’ which surro
Page 47 and 48: ‘PRECARIOUS CHINAMAN’ (Fig. 26)
Page 53 and 54: LONGBRIDGE/WILLOW PRECURSOR (Fig. 3
Page 55 and 56:
‘GODDESS KUAN YIN’ (Fig. 34) Wr
Page 57 and 58:
A POST-ROTHWELL PATTERN CHANGE A la
Page 59 and 60:
Fig. 37 59
Page 61 and 62:
CONCLUSION Although we are no exper
Page 63 and 64:
BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS ADAMS, Brian and
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