Belleek Marks

Belleek porcelain is a tradition dating back 150 years. It started in a town of the same name in Ireland, and they still produce high-quality porcelain items for every day use (tea cups and china services) and for fun (like pigs!). They are celebrating their history by issuing a new backstamp labeled Celebrating 150 Years, Belleek, Ireland, 1857-2007.

Scroll down for history, pictures and descriptions of Belleek marks,
and information about fake/imitation Belleek.

The following Information regarding the Belleek company history is used with permission. Paragraphs are reproduced in their entirety, with no changes to text or graphics. See legal notices and terms at http://www.belleek.com/terms.aspx. See the full history at http://www.belleek.ie/CompanyInfo3.aspx?pagecode=3

In 1849 John Caldwell Bloomfield inherited the Castlecaldwell estate, which encompassed the village of Belleek, from his father. Mindful of the plight of his tenants in the aftermath of the potato famine he sought to provide some form of worthwhile employment. An amateur mineralogist, he ordered a geological survey of his land. To his delight it revealed the necessary raw materials to make Pottery - feldspar, kaolin, flint, clay and shale.

The Pottery's early production centered on high quality domestic ware - pestles, mortars, washstands, hospital pans, floor tiles, telegraph insulators and tableware. However from the beginning Armstrong and Mc Birney wanted to make porcelain not only to utilise the available mineral wealth but also to give full scope to the craftsmanship quickly developing in the Pottery. Their early attempts failed and it was not until 1863 that a small amount of Parian was produced. Even though the knowledge and skill to create Parian had been gained earthenware remained the principal product at Belleek unntil 1920.

Porcelain was featured by Belleek for the first time at the Dublin Exposition of 1872. Their display was the largest in the Irish and English industrial areas. Among the pieces listed in the catalogue for the event are Parian china statues and busts, ice buckets, compotes and centerpieces.

The Belleek Group today employs over 600 people with a yearly turnover of €40 million.

© 2006 Belleek Pottery

http://www.belleek.com

Official Belleek web site. Lots of information about products, history, a collector's society, and marks.

http://geocities.com/irishtke223/

Nice page about Irish Belleek, with lots of interesting links

www.bonanzle.com/CuppaTea

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Dating Belleek

The following Information regarding the Belleek marks is used with permission. It is reproduced in its entirety, with no changes to text or graphics. See legal notices and terms at http://www.belleek.com/terms.aspx.

MARKS

From the Belleek web site, with permission. See table.

	The colour of the mark during this period was predominantly black but other colours were used, amongst them red, blue, orange, green, brown, and pink. Some pieces of Belleek also carry the British Patent Office registration mark which gives the date of registration, not the date the piece was manufactured. During this period Belleek also used impressed mark, with the words "BELLEEK,CO. FERMANAGH" or "BELLEEK", or a small impressed mark of a harp or harp and crown. The latter are more usually found on Earthenware pieces.
	The Second mark used from 1891- 1926 reflects the addition of a ribbon surrounding the lower half of the design for the first mark on which appears the words "CO FERMANAGH IRELAND" The change in the trademark occurred in 1891 in compliance with the 1891 Mc Kinley Tariff Act and the 1887 British Merchandise Act as amended in 1891,requiring the country of origin to be specified on the article. The mark is black. Wherever impressed marks were used, particularly with figurines the word "IRELAND" is added. Sometimes discolouration or fading is seen in this mark. Although it is not definite why this occurred, it is likely that this product was made during the First World War when materials were difficult to acquire and inferior materials were used.
	Introduced in 1926, possibly to mark the Wembley Exhibition of that year. It also contains the registry mark "REG No 0857". Interestingly this registry mark dates from 1884 but was only used from 1926! This mark is always black and was used up to 1946. Around scroll with Celtic decoration and the words "deanta in eireann" (made in Ireland) added. On Earthenware the stamp Belleek changed to "Melvin Ware" in 1936 probably to distinguish it from the more prestigious Parian China.
	The Pottery resumed full production in 1946 In tests carried out on backstamps, green was felt to be less obtrusive than black at showing through the translucent China and thus it was decided to change the colour from black to green. The mark is identical to its predecessor in every way except the colour.

	A capital "R" in a circle was added in 1955 to signify that the trademark had been registered in the United States. The additional mark is placed immediately above the right hand tip of the banner with the words "CO FERMANAGH IRELAND" the mark is Green.
	The size of the mark was reduced in 1965 probably to accommodate placing stamps on smaller pieces. The "R" in the circle moved to above the harp on the main stamp. The mark is Green.
	In April 1980 the seventh mark was introduced to commemorate the centenary of Gold medal won at the Melbourne Exhibition of 1880. The colour was changed to gold and the round disk with "deanta in eireann" was omitted At some time around 1984 the gold colour on the mark was substituted with a brown colour, the reason is not known but it is likely that the colour was changed due to the gold burning off during firing.
	The previous mark was earmarked to be changed in 1990 but due to changes and personnel this date was missed and the mark was not changed until 1993. Blue was chosen as the colour to differentiate it from other marks and it is similar to the second mark in style with the addition of the "R" above the harp.

	This change was made due to purely technical reasons. There were a lot of problems with the first blue mark with parts of the mark burning off during firing. This resulted in a lot of pieces having to be re-fired with obvious added costs. New artwork for Belleek packaging had been developed around the same time and it was decided to use the opportunity to match both together.
	This mark was introduced to mark the Millennium and is black with the additional legend above the mark "MILLENNIUM 2000" and "IRELAND" below the mark. Limited to pieces made during the year 2000.
	This is the current mark and is likely to remain until 2010. The green is a match of the colour used on earthenware during the first period.
	The firm of David Mc Birney & Co was formed in 1857 and the lease on the pottery site signed. The lease was for a term of 999 years. Robert Armstrong became the first manager and Art director of the pottery and it is interesting that the symbols chosen for the emblem of the Pottery were the Harp, Round Tower and Wolfhound sitting on an island of shamrocks. These are all- symbolic of Ireland. Perhaps chosen to proclaim the arrival of a new product of Ireland. In turn Belleek itself became symbolic of Ireland and often emigrants would bring a piece of Belleek with them to their new homes across the globe to serve as a reminder of “the old country”. One Hundred and fifty years later we proudly are issuing a new backstamp to celebrate our background and history but equally to proclaim that we are continuing to design and manufacture new products and are dynamically striving to enhance and expand the appeal of Belleek.

© 2006 Belleek Pottery

Fake/Imitation Belleek

A visitor to the site wrote me asking about identifying a Bellek mark on a newly purchased teaset. Unfortunately, upon seeing the pictures, I wrote back saying I thought these were not Belleek - and it was confirmed by her when she wrote to the Belleek company. Just a heads up!! Here are pictures, shared with permission.

Notice how thick the pottery is. Handles are solid. Shamrocks are thick, not painted on.

No Belleek mark contains a crown, the harp is a different shape, does not contain the shamrocks and dog that are in all Belleek marks. Don't know who it is, but it is not Belleek.

Here is a picture of a real Belleek cup and saucer with the real mark. See the thinness and sheen of the porcelain, the detail on the cup handle, the fine details in the hallmark.

I sent a copy of this mark to Belleek in Ireland, and they kindly took the time to confirm its authenticity.

I'm NOT expert in these matters, please use due diligence identifying marks and their authenticity.

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©Heather Ellen
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