| Notes |
- "Potter's Lane was the scene of both cottage industries and significant workshops where the Beale family employed considerable numbers of men to work upon their latest designs....The potteries were located at the north end of the town...a tidal stream (known as the Pill) permitted barges to bring in raw clay and take out the finished fired goods....Bideford pottery...managed to corner markets across the Atlantic rim and made fortunes. At the height of the industry, in the 1680s, 290,000 'parcels' of pottery were produced annually to be shipped out of the port, often for market in Ireland or the North American colonies. In 1664, Thomas Beale 'the second' - one of a dynasty of gifted Bideford potters - was paying tax for eight hearths in his home on the Washcombe Road. This evidence, together with the creation of elaborate plaster ceilings entwining his initials and those of his wife with sprays of flowers, suggests levels of disposable wealth [comparable to aristocrats]. By the 1670s, the extended Beale family were employing a dozen men in their potteries....and [buying] properties...for rent to tenants" The Last Witches of England, p. 45-46
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1600 - 1673 (~ 73 years)