This chamber pot is an example of the English brown stoneware pottery that
was produced in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was made around 1842. One
of the main manufacturers was the Kishere Pottery on the south side of the
High Street in Mortlake during the early 1800s.
Success of Kishere Pottery
The pottery was set up by Joseph Kishere in the early 1800s. Kishere
trained at Sanders Pottery in Mortlake. At the time, Sanders were the main
producers of stoneware in London. The Kishere Pottery soon became a
successful rival to Sanders. Joseph Kishere's son, William took up the
family business and ran the factory until his death in 1843.
What is Kishereware?
Kishereware is very decorative. It often uses hunting, drinking and
feasting scenes as decoration. Most examples of the pottery are large
mugs, jugs and tobacco jars. To have a Kishereware chamber pot - which
would have been used in place of a toilet - is quite unusual.