Jo Phelan

Ancestry > People

Hello Neil

I'm hoping that you might be able to help us - we've been trying to find information about a family teapot. My great-grandfather was James Mellows from Doe Lea / Glapwell (miner and methodist preacher). The teapot appears to be his, although it has a typo and has the name 'Mellors' printed on it. (Mr & Mrs James Mellors. Doe Lea. 1914).

We'd love to know which pottery it came from, and what the date of 1914 might refer to as it isn't an obvious event/marriage as far as we can see.

If you can offer any information or suggestions, we'd be really grateful as we can't seem to find anything similar on the internet to help us. We did wonder if it was a prize of some kind? A photo of the teapot is below.

I did a bit of family research via ancestry, which threw up a mystery that I suspect that we’ll never get to the bottom of. My great great grandmother (Ann Frost) was apparently 8 months pregnant when she married John George Mellows in 1874, as my great grandfather arrived the following month!

I also found a birth of an Amy Frost in 1866 with no father on the certificate. So, I'm left wondering if we are from the Mellows line at all really. Mum jokes that she wants to be taken to see her 'ancestral home' at Chatsworth!

The ancestry search is quite addictive, but inevitably you end up with some things that you can't get to the bottom of. Here's hoping that the teapots isn't one of them, as we'd love to hatch a plan as to what to do with them ultimately. If they are Chesterfield Pottery, maybe there is a museum locally that might appreciate one/them?

Mum is now getting on (80 this year) and would love to find out more about it. We had planned to visit the area last weekend as she was staying with me in Lincs. But sadly, I think that a lot of the places that she would have wanted to visit, that she remembered as a child, have now gone. I couldn’t find mention of ‘Doe Lea Cottages’ being in existence any longer, and the Doe Lea Chapel is clearly not in a visitable state.

Much to the disappointment of his father, James Jnr (my grandfather) decided to join the Grenadier Guards, and latterly the police force, rather than pursue a career in mining. So, he moved out of the area at a young age, which meant that mum only visited the family in Derbyshire occasionally and her memories are hazy.

After my grandparents died, I had some of their slides digitised. There appear to be some images of the Glapwell(?) mine working circa 1950s. Unfortunately, as they're large files my email wouldn't allow me to attach to this email. If they might be of interest to you, I can see if I can adjust to a smaller file to send on at a later date.

Going back to the teapot, having quizzed mum further on the subject, I am aware that there is a second, similar one in the loft. This is undated, but is marked for Mr & Mrs George Mellows of Doe Lea, (again with a surname typo, this time 'Mellers'). I believe that this was James Mellows' brother. Further discussion has led me to wonder if the pots might originate from Guiseley nr Leeds, as mum told me that she was taken there to visit the family of 'Auntie Sarah Ann' (George's wife) and remembers there being a pottery involved in the trip. However, I can't seem to find anything online about a pottery there to compare styles, so the mystery persists!

Many thanks!

Jo Phelan

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