Launched in 1976 when Terry was a volunteer at Gladstone Pottery Museum, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent. This is not an academic work and was never intended to be! It's a collection of words, terms and phrases found during 50 years in the ceramics industry. Hopefully, it's a great way of introducing you to the very strange language of the potbanks of the Potteries.
It was launched in January 1976 as a regular column in The Friends of Gladstone Broadsheet and the first word was ARK. What a great word to launch it! Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, had just been opened by the Duke of Gloucester. David Sekers was the Director and The Honorable Hugh Gibson was the Friends Chairman.
Terry started his career in the pottery industry as a Production Management Trainee at Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent and it was there, during his 5-year training course, that he started collecting and compiling the wonderful words of the potteries. Actually, he doesn't know why he did it. But it seemed the 'right thing to do' and it was a fun way of learning. Getting the words and their definitions into print was very satisfying!
And having the Stokie dialect printed on a mug was even better! The mug was made by KilnCraft in two colours. Here's a flyer from about 1978.
This blog was created 30 years later when Terry had a little more time on his hands and the digital technology was developing and becoming easier to use.
The site is visited regularly to refine the definitions, add more words and add more images. Terry is delighted that the blog has been archived for preservation by the British Library and is part of the following subjects: Education & Research - Dictionaries, Encyclopaedias, and Reference Works. Hope you like it!
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| This site is archived for preservation by the British Library and is part of the following subjects: Education & Research > Dictionaries, Encyclopaedias, and Reference Works The UK Web Archive is a consortium of the six UK legal deposit libraries which aims to collect all UK websites at least once each year |
CONTACT - If you have any special Potteries words or phrases which don't appear in the Potbank Dictionary please do send them to > terry.wool@proton.me Many thanks. You will be acknowledged in the text :)
Dialect pronunciation?
If you read each dialect phrase out loud it will sound like the Potteries dialect. So "CYST WREN LOW" is how Stokies would say 'sister in law' and 'JO JO TELL' is the way we would pronounce .George Hotel'.
Why Blogspot Blogger?
Why has Blogger been used as a website? Why not a full-blown dot-com website? Well, Blogspot Blogger is free and works OK. Also, it will still be available after Terry has popped his clogs!
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Finding it useful? Perhaps buy Terry a coffee :)
Click the link below. Much appreciated!
A Little Bit of History
The Potbank Dictionary has grown from humble beginnings.It was launched in January 1976 as a regular column in The Friends of Gladstone Broadsheet and the first word was ARK. What a great word to launch it! Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, had just been opened by the Duke of Gloucester. David Sekers was the Director and The Honorable Hugh Gibson was the Friends Chairman.
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| The Gladstone Working Pottery Museum Story here> |
Terry started his career in the pottery industry as a Production Management Trainee at Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent and it was there, during his 5-year training course, that he started collecting and compiling the wonderful words of the potteries. Actually, he doesn't know why he did it. But it seemed the 'right thing to do' and it was a fun way of learning. Getting the words and their definitions into print was very satisfying!
And having the Stokie dialect printed on a mug was even better! The mug was made by KilnCraft in two colours. Here's a flyer from about 1978.
This blog was created 30 years later when Terry had a little more time on his hands and the digital technology was developing and becoming easier to use.
The site is visited regularly to refine the definitions, add more words and add more images. Terry is delighted that the blog has been archived for preservation by the British Library and is part of the following subjects: Education & Research - Dictionaries, Encyclopaedias, and Reference Works. Hope you like it!
SPODE HISTORY
The must-see blog about Spode and its history. Everything you need to know - well almost! here> |
| This site has been archived for preservation by the British Library |
SPODE ABC
Lots of Spode history stored alphabetically. Explore and enjoy and keep coming back to see more entries as the blog is updated here>THE GLADSTONE POTTERY MUSEUM STORY
From a crumbling and derelict shell of a potbank to an internationally renowned and unique museum of the Stoke-on-Trent Pottery Industry. Four coal fired bottle ovens still stand in the potbank yard. Steam engine, sliphouse, galleries of sanitaryware, tiles and pottery colour, workshops and of course the potters themselves ... follow The Gladstone Pottery Museum Story here>
Copyright Information
This website/blog has been created entirely for fun. I've enjoyed researching and making the information available to everyone. It's all about sharing knowledge. The site has no commercial interests and is for reference and educational purposes. Users of the site may use the content themselves only for educational, or personal, non-commercial use. Please fee free to make use of the information on the site for your personal use. I'd love you to acknowledge where you found the information and if you could create a link to the site that would be great.
Thanks, Terry
Some material on the site has been assumed to be in the public domain - if you think that this is not so then please contact us so that I can correct any errors.
Author and Compiler - Terence Woolliscroft
Terry was born in Stoke-on-Trent - he has 'slip' running through his veins (look it up in the dictionary if you don't know what slip is!) and enjoyed his entire career in the ceramics industry. He has worked in factories in a number of countries producing limited edition luxury goods, mass produced entry-level pieces for export and huge vitreous china sanitaryware products for export worldwide.At the age of 16, straight from school, he joined Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Ltd. The company sponsored his attendance at the North Staffordshire Polytechnic (now Staffordshire University) where he graduated with Honours Degree in Ceramic Technology.
In 1976 he was a member of the team which surveyed the remaining bottle ovens in the Potteries.
In 1976 he was a member of the team which surveyed the remaining bottle ovens in the Potteries.
In 1978 he was a member of the organising committee of The Last Bottle Oven Firing in the Potteries. It was at this event that he met Alfred Clough, the 'fireman' responsible for the Final Firing. In 2018 he co-authored a book with his wife - the first written account of what went on during the last firing of a Potteries bottle oven.
Latterly he was employed in the sanitaryware industry working for Twyfords, Roca, Lecico, Laufen, The Bathroom Manufacturers Association, The John Lewis Partnership and B&Q. The last decade or so has seen him travelling the world passing on his knowledge of the industry in special training seminars. Now retired.
In his spare time he created specialist information websites which have been archived by The British Library:
Latterly he was employed in the sanitaryware industry working for Twyfords, Roca, Lecico, Laufen, The Bathroom Manufacturers Association, The John Lewis Partnership and B&Q. The last decade or so has seen him travelling the world passing on his knowledge of the industry in special training seminars. Now retired.
In his spare time he created specialist information websites which have been archived by The British Library:
* The Potbank Dictionary
* The Potteries Bottle Oven
* The Last Bottle Oven Firing 1978
* The Gladstone Pottery Museum Story
* The History of Twyford Bathrooms
* The History of the North Staffordshire Symphony Orchestra
He chose the Blogspot Blogger platform for all the sites mainly because it is free (!) and hopefully will last longer than himself!
Contact
If you would like to get in touch please email Terry here>
Do let him know if you find any errors, typos, or inaccuracies. Also, if you have send any information which you think would add to the site - you will, of course, be credited and acknowledged for it.
No personal data is stored on this site. No marketing communications are sent to anyone in the EU/UK.