Background of Bennington Pottery

Captain John Norton founded the Bennington Pottery in the late 1700's, aiming to make pottery for the community's needs. Such as jugs, pitchers, and kitchenware. 

Opening in 1793, Bennington Pottery was one of the most innovative potteries of its time.  They were especially known for their stoneware jugs that were used for everyday activities.

The first examples made by Norton were the Redware, which was covered with a lead glaze.  He also made salt-glazed stoneware.  This was easier to identify because it is marked by Norton.  The salt vapors condensed on the pieces to form an acid resistant finish.  Some were glazed with tan, brown or black.  The dark brown was used for kitchen wares.

Around 1845 Christopher Fenton became involved with Norton though Marriage.  He persuaded Norton to make the Rockingham pieces.  (This was stoneware in yellow and white mottled glaze.)  Around 1847-1858 more fancy pottery was made, starting with the Parian Ware.  The Parian ware was sometimes unmarked making it hard to tell where it originated from.

This is a piece of Scroddled ware from the archeology dig at the Bennington Elementary School.  This type of pottery shows how unique and innovative the Bennington Pottery was for its time.  The swirls in all pieces of Scroddled ware are not only on the surface of the pottery, they can be found throughout if you were to look at a piece as a cross section.

 

In 1845 a fire burnt one of the pottery's major manufacturing buildings.  After this disaster John Norton and Christopher Webber Fenton went their separate ways.  Norton went back to making more simple stoneware and Rockingham ware.  Fenton continued to experiment with porcelain.

  

The United States Pottery, which was the Fenton influenced pottery ran from 1847-1858.  In 1858 the pottery closed due to financial reasons making the production of Parian ware only last 6-12 years.  The Norton Pottery ran until 1911, but ceased production in 1894.

 

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