Incised into the still soft clay during manufacture, in which case the mark will show a slight ploughed-up effect and have a free spontaneous appearance.

Impressed into the soft clay during manufacture, many name-marks such as 'Wedgwood' are produced in this way from metal or clay stamps or seals. These have a clean cut appearance.


Painted marks, usually name or initial marks, are added over the glaze at the time of decoration, as well as some stencilled marks.


Printed marks transferred from engraved copper plates at the time of decoration. Most 19th-century marks are printed, often in blue under the glaze when the main design is also in underglaze blue.


I myself use 8 general rules for dating pottery and porcelain

1) Printed marks incorporating the Royal Arms are of 19th or 20th century date.

(2) Printed marks incorporating the name of the pattern are subsequent to 1810.

(3) Marks incorporating the word 'Limited', or the abbreviations Ltd, Ld etc., denote a date after 1861, and most examples are much later.

(4) Incorporation of the words 'Trade Mark' in a mark denotes a date subsequent to the Act of 1862.

(5) Inclusion of the word 'Royal' in a firm's title or trade name suggests a date in the second half of the 19th century, if not a 20th-century dating.

(6) Inclusion of the abbreviation R N' (for Registered Number) followed by numerals denotes a date subsequent to 1883 (see pages on Registration numbers).

(7) Inclusion of the word 'England' in marks denotes a date after 1891, although some manufacturers added the word slightly before this date. 'Made in England' denotes a 20th-century date.

(8) Use of the words 'Bone China', 'English Bone China', etc., denotes a 20th-century date.