Cookworthy, 1705-1780, and his Circle

Notes:

See also the writer's doctoral thesis 'William Cookworthy, 1705-1780, and his Circle', London, 1974. Provides a wide ranging account of his life with comparatively little about his ceramics business and much on his faith and Quakerism. Touches on Richard Champion. Chapters include: 'The practical chemist' - 'Early training' / 'The economic background' / 'Business interests' / 'Mineralogy and the divining rod' / 'Research and reputation'; 'Plymouth china' - 'The expansion of the pottery industry' / 'Early experiments' / 'The discovery of clay in Cornwall' / 'The Plymouth and Bristol factories'; 'Philosopher without pride' - 'The spiritual background' / 'Cookworthy's early religious inclinations' / Interest in mystical writers' / 'Progress to Swedenborg' / 'Hartley, Law, Wesley and the Swedenborgian controversy'; 'Public friends' - 'Outline of the Quaker organisation and practice' / 'The Friends in Plymouth' / 'Cookworthy's growing importance in the Society' / 'His religious and social work'; 'Friends and neighbours' - 'The Plymouth circle - Huxham, the Mudges, Northcote' / 'Naval friends - Cook and Jervis' / 'Aristocratic friends' / 'Connections in Bristol and London'; 'Family circle' - 'Cookworthy's background and character'. Appendices include: 'Chemical note' [being extracts from Cookworthy's chemical notebook] / 'China memorandum and patent originals' [being 'A transcription of a memorandum describing the discovery of china clay and the method of porcelain manufacture'] / 'Extracts from Chancery Proceedings' / 'Family records' [including a Cookworthy family tree descending from William Cookworthy of Batson, 16th century]