Humberstone Plate

The Humberstone Plate (Commemorative Plate) was donated to the Colonel Jessup Branch by Bernice Flett of London, Ontario, a past Dominion President of the United Empire Loyalists' Association of Canada.  She made this decision because of the plate's connection to a pottery business in Augusta Township.

The "Humberstone Plate" as it is known, contains the markings Lot 26, Augusta Township, 1787-1823 New Aswegatchy.  Ontario's first Commercial  Pottery.

Branch genealogist researched the plate and the proprietor of the pottery operation-Samuel Humberstone.  She used the Land Book for Augusta Township Concession 1, Lot 27 East side; Blue Church Cemetery Records; Wills on microfilm at Grenville County Registry Office, Prescott; Grenville County History Kit prepared by the Grenville County Historical Society; Maitland-A Very Neat Village Indeed by Stephen A. Otto&Richard Dumbrille and Pioneering in North York.  The following is the result of her research.

Samuel Humberstone was a Staffordshire Potter.  He was born in Staffordshire, England in 1744.  He established a pottery in 1796 on 2 and 1/2 acres in the southeast part of lot 26, concession 1, Augusta Township, which is in the Maitland area.  This was part of Elijah Bottum's grant.  The pottery operation was close to the stream on which Elijah Bottum had established mills.  Samuel died in March 1823 and is buried in the Blue Church  cemetery.  The Memorial to his will stated that his house and other real property is left to his wife, Mary.

Samuel's son Thomas was born in 1776 and died on the 17th of October in 1849.  He also became a potter and the family business was in operation in York (Toronto) for many years.  Thomas operated the first York County pottery.  He received Crown grants of land west of Yonge Street and opened a pottery of his own.  He continued to manufacture pottery until 1870 when he turned it over to his son, Simon Thomas, whose son, Thomas Allan inherited the business in 1915.  He closed the business before the end of the Second World War.

Thomas was said to have made brown earthenware pitchers, vases, bricks and flower pots.  No doubt Samuel turned out the same in his operation.

Click on the thumbnail prints.