Burslem

Burslem, a town of Staffordshire, within the parliamentary borough of Hanley, 20 miles N. by W. of Stafford. It is known as the 'mother of the potteries,' the pottery manufacture having been here established about 1644. Porcelain and pottery of all kinds—Parian, iron and stone ware, &c.—are produced on a large scale, as well as encaustic tiles. There is also a glass manufactory. A fine town-hall, Renaissance in style, with a lofty clock-tower, was erected in 1865. Burslem, a municipal borough since 1878, was the birthplace of Josiah Wedgwood; and a Wedgwood Memorial Institute (1870) serves as a school of art, free library, and museum. Pop. (1851) 16,954; (1891) 31,999.