Molineaux Webb Catalogue - Sugars and Creamers
Presented in chronological order, this is, as far as I am aware, a unique view of the development of early pressed glass patterns from a British glass factory.
Almost certainly, every sugar once came with a matching creamer, but in the catalogue, some sugars are without creamers and vice versa - this is probably because of space restrictions, though it is also possible that some pieces were no longer produced at the time the catalogue was compiled.
382 - an ornate style similar to very early pressed glass pieces. This may well be pre 1840.
390 - Richardsons in the Midlands produced a very similar pattern to this in the mid 1840s
399 - these were probably made circa 1850
402 - this is a miniature set produced in canary flint uranium.
404 - looks quite small like 402 and was suspected to be in uranium also, an accurate guess... photo lower down.
411 - an example of the sugar with lid can be seen in the lidded sugars / honey section.
0.7 - this is clumsily numbered as it is part of a set. I think this dates to circa 1860 so I've put it here.
427 - the creamer has the word "PATENT" on the side, referring to a company patent taken out in 1862 or 1863.
Missing pattern 430 is the Greek Key sugar and creamer set, registered in 1865
Missing pattern 433 is the raised dots sugar and creamer set, registered in 1866
435 - the whole frosted and ovoid edge set registered in 1867
436 - the frosted bands set, registered in 1868
In a Pottery Gazette advert, the covered sugar basin of the "Duchess" set, which dates to the early 1880s, was numbered 456, showing the numbering system continued, and allowing us to approximate that the company made about 15 or so such designs each decade in the mid Victorian period.
Examples
Pattern 399
This photo was sent in by Nick Andrews as a possible match for pattern 399.
Frosting would have been unusual for a design circa 1850 so if it is the same pattern, it suggests some designs may have reappeared as frosted varieties some time after the original design was launched.
Pattern 402 - photo of sugar/creamer pair sent in by Fred Cooper
The 402s did not always come out in the same shade...
Pattern 404 - thanks to Penny Hayes for the photo
Pattern 0.7 - thanks to Roy for the photo
