Reference Sources

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This is a list of all the sources of information on Davidson that we have found (and read!). As Cloud Glass wasn’t made until the early 20th century, books on earlier glass will obviously not refer to Cloud Glass, but we’ve listed them for those people who have a wider interest in Davidson glass. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in some of these sources – readers beware! The books are not listed in any particular order.

Books and Booklets

Title: Miller’s Glass of the 20’s and 30’s. A Collectors Guide
Author: Frankie Leibe
Year published: 1999
ISBN: 1 84000 070 8
Comment: Has a paragraph of information on cloud glass and one colour photo of an amethyst cloud glass bowl.

Title: British Glass 1800 - 1914
Author: Charles R Hajdamach
Year published: 1991
ISBN: 1 85149 141 4
Comment: Section on Davidson with one sentence on cloud glass.

Title: The Identification of English Pressed Glass 1842 - 1908
Author: Jenny Thompson
Year published: 1989
ISBN: 0 9515491 0 3
Comment: Section on Davidson with black and white photos but no cloud glass references.

Title: A Supplement to The Identification of English Pressed Glass 1842 - 1908
Author: Jenny Thompson
Year published: 1993 approx.
ISBN: 0 9515491 1 1
Comment: Two line drawings of Davidson patterns from 1893. No cloud glass.

Title: English Pressed Glass 1830 - 1900
Author: Raymond Slack
Year published: 1987
ISBN: 0 7126 1871 6
Comment: Section of information on Davidson with colour and black and white photos. No cloud glass.

Title: English 19th Century Press-Moulded Glass
Author: Colin R Lattimore
Year published: 1971
ISBN: 0 214 20598 3
Comment: Section on Davidson with colour and black and white photos. No cloud glass.

Title: The Peacock and the Lions. The Story of Pressed Glass of the North East of England.
Author: Sheilagh Murray
Year published: 1982
ISBN: 0 85362 197 7
Comment: Section on Davidson including colour and black and white photos. Includes a page of information on cloud glass and a colour photo.

Title: Miller’s Popular Glass of the 19th and 20th Centuries. A Collector’s Guide.
Author: Raymond Notley
Year published: 2000
ISBN: 1 84000 188 7
Comment: Various references to Davidson glass, including cloud glass, with colour photos and price guide.

Title: 20th Century Factory Glass
Author: Lesley Jackson
Year published: 2000
ISBN: 1 85732 267 3
Comment: A page of information on Davidson and a colour photo of various cloud glass items.

Title: Davidson’s Glass: From Gateshead to the World
Author: Nick Dolan
Year published: 1993
ISBN: none. Produced by Tyne & Wear Museums.
Comment: An eight-page booklet devoted to Davidson glass, with colour and black and white photos, including cloud glass items.

Title: The Glass Association Registration Numbers 1908 - 1945
Author: Jim D Edgley
Year published:1996
ISBN: none. Produced by The Glass Association.
Comment: A booklet listing registered design numbers for glass items and dates registered, including Davidson registered designs. No illustrations. Note the edition we have has a couple of errors and omissions

Title: A Short History of Geo. Davidson & Co. Ltd. 1867 - 1948
Author: Claude L Fraser
Year published: 1948
ISBN: none. Produced for The Society of Glass Technology.
Comment: A fourteen-page booklet detailing the technical side of glass production at Davidson. Black and white photos of production processes and one of ripple design vases in smoke – no reference to cloud glass.

Title: British Table and Ornamental Glass
Author: L M Angus-Butterworth
Year published: 1956
ISBN: none. Published by Leonard Hill (Books) Ltd.
Comment: Section on Davidson’s glass production substantially similar to Claude Fraser’s booklet. Some black and white photos but no cloud glass.

Title: Miller’s Glass Buyer’s Guide
Author: Jeanette Hayhurst (consultant editor)
Year published: 2001
ISBN: 1 84000 361 8
Comment: Photographic identification and price guide for all types of glass. Some colour and black and white photos of Davidson including cloud glass.

Title: Tyneside Industries
Publisher: Historical Publishing Company
Year published: around 1889
ISBN: None
Comment: This book describes itself as:  'Newcastle and District. An Epitome of results and manual of commerce. Business men and mercantile interests. Wealth and growth. Historical, Statistics Biographies.' The book contains a description of George Davidson and the Teams glassworks.

Title: 75 years of diverse Glass-making to the World
Author: Geoffrey C Timberlake
Publisher: Geoffrey C Timberlake
Year published: 2003
ISBN: None
Comment: An in-depth and authoritative account of Nazeing Glass including some information on the relationship between Nazeing and Davidson.

Articles

The following articles on August Walther and ORALIT can be found on www.pressglas-korrespondenz.de.

1)       Achat-Kunstglas ORALIT,  Sachsische Glasfabrik August Walther  &Sohne AG, Ottendorf-Okrilla u. Radeberg 1932, 1933 u. 1934; "Slag Glass" und "Cloud Glass”

2)       Urangruner Tafelschmuck der Sachsischen Glasfabrik August Walther  Sohne AG, Ottendorf-Okrilla u. Radeberg, 1933 und 1934

3)       Oralit" - ein besonderes Dekorations-Verfahren fur Pressglaser

Periodicals

Title: The Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review

This monthly trade magazine started life as The Pottery Gazette in 1877. In the early years of the 20th century its name changed to The Pottery Gazette and Glass Trade Review, then in 1970 it became Tableware International.

As the name suggests, most of the information concerns the UK pottery industry, particularly in “The Potteries”, the area around Stoke–on–Trent. The smaller sections on glass production also concentrate on the glass industry in that area of the UK. However there is a brief report in each issue about glass production in the North-East of England, as well as monthly import and export figures.

Articles on technical aspects of glass production, reviews of trade fairs, features on glass and china retailers and news from individual manufacturers all provide a unique look at glass production in the past. If you want to find out who the daughter of the manager of the Royal Brierley factory married in 1932 then this magazine will tell you!

One of the best sources of information concerning new products is the section of advertisements at the front of each issue. Most are in black and white but the few colour ones are stunning – especially those of Bagley Glass.

Davidson’s, sadly, were not big advertisers in this magazine. Generally they had one advertisement per year, although sometimes the same advert was repeated in a later issue. These were full or half-page black and white adverts, sometimes with a picture of a design but often with no glassware featured. February 1932 must have been a momentous month, for the Potter Gazette ran a full-page colour advert for amber cloud glass – the only colour advert we have found for Davidson in this magazine.

We have found two ways of getting access to archive copies of The Pottery Gazette in the UK: -

  1. Through inter-library loan from the local library. This gives access to copies held in the British Library and the Science Museum library. There is a small charge for this service. Editions prior to 1957 have had the adverts at the front and back of each edition removed. Someone decided that it wasn’t worth keeping the adverts. The earliest volumes available from this source are 1922.
  2. Visiting the reference library in Stoke-on–Trent. You need to register with them (quick and simple) then you can access their reference copies. You cannot remove them from the reference room, but they do have a photocopying service and can make black and white or colour photocopies for you – copying fee charged. Thankfully these magazines do retain their adverts, but regretfully some previous researchers have managed to surreptitiously tear some pages out. It seems that the missing material refers mostly to Clarice Cliff pottery, so shouldn’t overly affect research on Davidson glass.

Other Sources

Tyne-and-wear Archives, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

The archives contain some surviving records of George Davidson e.g. glassmakers accounts from the 1930s. A full list can be found in the August 2002 Cloud Glass newsletter. Their website can be found at http://www.thenortheast.com/archives. Email address is twas@gateshead.gov.uk.

Public Records Office, Kew

The PRO is the main source of information about Trademarks, Registered Designs and other documents relating trade. Some of the PRO's catalogues are available online at www.pro.gov.uk. The PRO is open Monday to Saturday and anyone can register to view the records. When going for the first time you will need two forms of identification. See the PRO web site for more details.

The British Library, London

The British Library holds indexes and summaries of the UKs patent Office. Like the PRO it is open Monday to Saturday, however, obtaining a readers ticket is more difficult. For casual research they will only issue a one-month ticket. If you wish to extend this, it has to be in writing. Visit their web site at www.bl.uk for more details.

The British Library Newspaper Library

This is located in Colindale, North London. It has a large store of both original and microfiche newspapers and periodicals from all over the country. An online catalogue is available at www.bl.uk/catalogues/newspapers.html. Visit the British Library web site at www.bl.uk for details of opening hours and admission.

The UK Patent Office

Copies of patents can be obtained by post from the Patent Office. There is a charge (about £2.86). You must know the patent number first!! The patent office does maintain a database of UK patents, but it is limited to current patents only. Their web site is www.patent.gov.uk.

Companies House

Companies House is the central register for UK companies. Copies of some company information is available. These include Company Accounts, Directors list and the Annual Return. For older records the charge is £10 per copy. Much documentation is missing for Geo Davidson & Co Ltd. Their web site is www.companies-house.gov.uk .


Copyright (c) Chris and Val Stewart 2001