Minton & Co. c.1828 - 1868 commercial
production from circa 1835.
Tile making was managed by partner Michael Daintry
Hollins from 1840 when the brand name, Minton, Hollins,
& Co. was adopted. Michael Hollins is recorded as
working in the factory from 1838. [5]
From 1840 [2] Minton & Co. on tiles was a
trading name of Minton, Hollins & Co. used for the
London House (showroom and offices). Minton, Hollins &
Co., and Minton & Co. brands were used on tiles
contemporaneously, catalogues, letterheads and advertising
all show both Minton & Co. alongside Minton, Hollins
& Co. throughout the nineteenth century and at least as
late as 1912. Floor and enamelled majolica wall tiles post
1868 may bear the legend Minton & Co. or Minton, Hollins
& Co., groups of tiles from installations marked with
both Minton & Co. and Minton, Hollins & Co. are
quite common.
Wall tiles, printed, painted, lead glazed majolica etc.,
bear Minton, Hollins & Co. at least from the 1850s, the
address 'Patent Tile Works' was used from c.1869. Use of the
Minton & Co. brand on tiles appears to phase out from
the late 1850s presumably simply as new equipment was
purchased with Minton, Hollins & Co. brand name and
equipment with Minton & Co. moulds wore out.
Michael Hollins became a partner in Minton & Co. in
1840 and Colin Campbell in 1849, whilst Hollins managed the
tile business Campbell worked in the china business under
Herbert Minton and had little to do with the tile business.
Upon the death of Herbert Minton in 1858 Michael Hollins
became the senior partner and Colin Campbell the junior
partner, Arnoux managed the china business under Hollins
whilst Campbell was responsible for marketing. When the
partnership was dissolved in 1868 the company split in to
Minton, Hollins & Co. the tile company and the remaining
china and pottery company which apparently continued trading
as Minton & Co. until 1873 when it became known as
Mintons.
Campbell started making tiles at the China Works against
the spirit of his agreement with Hollins and sold them under
the name Minton & Co. which Hollins had been using since
1840. Hollins sued, the court found in favour of Hollins in
respect of the name, that Minton, Hollins, & Co. and
Minton & Co. both had the right to use the name Minton
& Co. for their speciality products, i.e. tiles in the
case of Minton, Hollins & Co., and china and pottery in
the case of Minton & Co., (later simply 'Mintons' and
then Mintons Limited). Campbell was specifically prohibited
from using the words Minton and Tiles in conjunction.
For all intents and purposes Minton & Co. on tiles
means Minton, Hollins & Co. the exceptions being limited
to the relatively few tiles produced before 1840 and a few
made by Campbell prior to the court judgement. Mintons China
Works as it is widely known (actually Mintons or Mintons
Limited) is not Minton & Co. on tiles, although this
connection is commonly made not least in the literature
(mostly written by pottery people) and by museums it is
wrong.
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Mintons 1873 - c.1883, Mintons Limited c.1883 -
1918 (these dates for tiles, china and pottery for longer)
this is the china behemoth substantively owned by Campbell
until his death in 1885. Apparently used the branding
Mintons China Works on tiles however Mintons is the
branding, 'China Works' is the address just as 'Patent Tile
Works' is the address for Minton, Hollins, & Co..
[6]
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