John Davenport (abt. 1765 - abt. 1848)

Born about 29 Sep 1765 in Leek, Staffordshire, England

Descendants

Died about 12 Dec 1848 at about age 83 in Leek, Staffordshire, England

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Biography

John was born in 1765. He passed away in 1848. ^[1]

John Davenport (29 September 1765 – 12 December 1848[1]) was one of the most financially successful English industrial potters, founder of the Davenport Pottery firm in Longport in The Potteries. He served as the Conservative M.P. for Stoke from 1832 to 1841.[2]

A native of the nearby rural town of Leek, he worked for a while for a local bank then in 1794 he set himself up as a pottery manufacturer in Longport, Stoke-on-Trent. His ruthless business sense combined with the technical breakthroughs of Wedgwood and Spode, and made his firm a formidable force in the growing export trade from the Potteries.

He married Diana Ward in 1795 and they had two daughters and three sons. Davenport resided at Westwood Hall from 1813, and the running of his business began to pass to his son Henry in the 1820s. This left Davenport time to become involved in politics. He served in the Commons as a diligent local M.P. until 1841. He was also deputy lieutenant for Staffordshire.[when?]

A portrait of Davenport by an unknown artist is held by the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.^[2][3]

Sources

1. ↑ Death Registration: "England & Wales General Register Office"
   GRO Online Indexes - Death (accessed 18 May 2022)
   Davenport, John (Age at death: 84).
   GRO Reference: 1848 Oct-Nov-Dec in Leek Volume 17 Page 41.
2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors. (2021, May 14). John Davenport (industrialist). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 12:48, May 25, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Davenport_(industrialist)&oldid=1023106902
3. ↑ http://www.thepotteries.org/allpotters/339.htm