J.S. are the initials of the original mill owner Jesse Shirley.
Jesse Shirley was born in Etruria on 17th November 1848. He was educated at Alfieri's Academy, Northwood, Hanley, and was in partnership with his brother, H. B. Shirley in the firm of Jesse and H. B. Shirley, bone and flint mills, Etruria.
"The Etruscan Mill was built in 1857 alongside the Trent and Mersey Canal. The Mill's purpose was to grind materials for the agricultural and pottery industries, such as cattle bone and flint. Bone meal was used by farmers as a fertiliser. Ground, burnt bone is added to Cornish stone and china clay at the pottery factory to make bone china.
The Mill only ceased production in 1972 with the process and machinery virtually unchanged.
In 1975 the Mill was scheduled as an Ancient Monument."
"This interesting example of industrial architecture, on the banks of the Trent and Mersey Canal adjacent to the Summit Locks, is the Etruscan Flint Mill, erected in 1857. At one time such mills were essential to the pottery industry and quite a common sight, but, alas, very few now exist, although I believe this one, with its superb beam engine, will be reprieved and converted into a museum.
The introduction of flint into the manufactory of pottery is shrouded in mystery, but one theory attributes its discovery to Thomas Astbury of Shelton, who, about the turn of the 18th century, stopped at an inn in Dunstable and noticed the soft and delicate nature of fine flint-stone used by an ostler as a remedy for a disorder in his horse's eyes. This suggested to him the idea of using it in the pottery trade.
About 1720, considerable improvements were made by using calcined flintstone, at first as a wash or dip, and afterwards incorporating it with the clays. A mixture of flint with the local clays was the basis of the white stoneware which became the staple commodity of the district for several years.
The original method of preparing the flint-stone was to pound it into a dry state and then sift it through a fine mesh, but this proved harmful to the workmen. By the mid-18th century, new machinery had been perfected for working the flint which was far more efficient and also eliminated health hazards. The flints were first doused with water to prevent the dust rising and then crushed to the consistency of sand by two giant millstones. The crushed flint was then conveyed into circular vats that contained large iron balls which were driven round by the waterwheel at such speed that the flint was ground as fine as oil. With the introduction of steam engines all previous sources of power, such as windmills and waterwheels, became obsolete."
Neville Malkin 2nd July 1975
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An article about the Flint and Bone Mill by Adam Gratton appeared in The Sentinel on 1st May 2019, and reads as follows;
'Then & Now: Remembering Jesse Shirley’s Flint and Bone Mill, now Etruria Industrial Museum'"Among the firm’s long and prosperous history, one of its clients was Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Limited, for which it provided calcined bone ash.
Built in 1857, Jesse Shirley’s Flint and Bone Mill was once a thriving business and a key part of the industrial heartbeat of the Potteries.
Its eponymous owner and founder, Jesse Shirley, was born in Etruria on November 17, 1848.
Schooled at Alfieri’s Academy, Northwood, he went into partnership with his brother H. B. Shirley, creating Jesse and H. B. Shirley, bone and flint mills, based in Etruria.
The company started in 1820, 37 years before the building of the mill in Etruria, and went on to be the world’s oldest producer of calcined bone ash used in the manufacture of fine bone china pottery.
Among the firm’s long and prosperous history, one of its clients was Josiah Wedgwood and Sons Limited, for which it provided calcined bone ash.
This deal in 1837 is seen as the reason Jesse Shirley was able to prosper in Etruria, near to the renowned factory of Josiah Wedgwood.
The site includes a flint kiln, working steam engine and grinding pans that remained in production until 1972.
Today, the factory is home to the Etruria Industrial Museum, run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council."
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