Roland Bott (1891-1947)

This page is about Roland Bott and not my dad, Rowland Bott the subject of this whole blog. But more on Dad's non-army life can be found HERE>

His father was Roland Bott (1891-1947) and it seemed a good idea to give him a whole page.

The forename sounds the same but is spelt differently. It causes endless problems this misspelling of the two versions of the same forename of father and son! To clarify Dad is Rowland with a w; and his dad is Roland without a w; but it is sometimes written wrongly on original documents.

EARLY YEARS & FAMILY

Roland was born on 19th September 1891.

Roland Bott's Birth Certificate 1891

On 31st October 1914 he married Elizabeth Insley. I think the photo below of Roland and Elizabeth is before their marriage as there are no rings visible.

Roland Bott & Elizabeth Insley

Roland Bott and his father Thomas (born 28th July 1863), Elizabeth Insley and her father James, are all described as 'potter' on the marriage certificate and they would have had jobs in the local pottery factories almost certainly in the town of Longton.

For example, Thomas Bott's father (also Thomas), Roland's grandfather, was described as a 'Pot[tery] Printer' in 1863 on his son's birth certificate (see image below). Click here and scroll down slightly for a film of pottery printer at Spode.

Roland's grandfather Thomas's wife was Emma Bott née Walton and they married in 1857. At the time of their son's birth, they lived in Cross Caroline Street, Longton.

Roland's father Thomas married Emily Annie Leese in 1886.

Birth certificate, Thomas Bott b.1863

In the 1901 census Roland, age 9, was living with his family at 4 Wharf Street, Longton - one of the poorest parts of the town. The photo of Wharf Street, below, in 1905 shows children waiting to pick up small lumps of coal dropped by the coal merchants. Once bought by a merchant but dropped in transit to the pottery factories the coal became fair game for the poor families who needed coal for fuel but had little money.

Wharf Street, Longton 1905

Roland was described as a Potters Packer in the 1911 census - a hard job but skilled - enabling the pots to get to their customer without breakages. At this period crates and various sized casks (or barrels) were used and the pots packed in straw.

Case and crate 1923

Roland Bott probably late 1914

Details on reverse of above photo with address

Roland lived in Anchor Road, Longton after his marriage so perhaps the photo above is after October 1914 but it is undated. The printed line to the left is a photographer in Scarborough but I know no more about its occasion.

WORLD WAR I

Roland Bott, Despatch Rider, World War I

Roland Bott, Army no. M/301861, served in the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) during World War I (1914-1918) in India. He was a Despatch Rider and was in Mechanical Transport, and is also described as a lorry driver in other army documents. His younger brother Norman also served in World War I and was a prisoner of war in Germany from 1917 till the end of the war. I have yet to find out about his elder brother, John Thomas Bott, and any war service...

I have yet to research fully Roland Bott's WWI army service so what follows is gradually to be updated and corrected - this updated 13.11.2020

From the papers I have, I can see he had a tough time. As well as fighting in the war he had a lot of serious illnesses including scabies (this link takes you to another useful but unrelated blog)and malaria ending in a long stay in hospital.

His illness took him to Bombay (Mumbai) arriving on 10th August 1918 on the 'Varela' - a hospital ship - coming from Mesopotamia (Iraq). He is then recorded as being in Cumballa War Hospital from that date until 17th September 1918.

He was then transferred to Deolali, a British Army transit camp in Maharashtra, India.

And then to the 34th W. General Hospital perhaps in Bangalore? He is recorded as spending 78 days in hospital with amoebic dysentery, bouts of malaria and on top of all that bronchitis. The date of admission is difficult to read but I think it is 17 September 1918 with discharge on 3 December 1918.

In a letter headed 'Authority for Journey from India to the United Kingdom' dated 15th January 1919 he is to return as a 'Convalescent' and 'desires to proceed to Longton (Staffs) Railway Station'.

A few sketches survive done whilst he served in WWI. Some are recording WWI and others relate to family, home, and designs for pottery. The captions are his own titles where legible with my additions in brackets.

A Happy Family

With Apologies to W. Barrowfrith

Doing His Bit

The Shepherd's Boy

An Old Village (initials under signature illegible)

Lime (and figure)

At his death Roland Bott was described as 'Earthenware Manufacturer' - he  had owned (or still owned) a small decorating pottery: Longton New Art Pottery which at one time was on the site of Gladstone Pottery Museum. he occupied the Managers House, now renamed (2023) the Doctor's House, and used the muffle kiln as his decorating kiln.

Not much information was forthcoming from my dad, Rowland Bott about his father's business Longton New Art Pottery. My dad was never involved in the pottery industry. It seemed to be a period in his life dad did not wish to talk about. However, he did tell me that his father, Roland Bott, owned or rented this small unit on the Gladstone site as a decorating business. He pointed the house out to me once when I was little and it is a coincidence that I eventually worked as curator at Gladstone Pottery Museum!

It seems Roland Bott decorated ware rather than much making of actual pieces. It is probable that he bought in blanks to decorate to his design and requirements, which he could then fire in the muffle kiln. I remember some 1930s coronation items in the family. He also decorated cheap earthenware and 'fancies' and Toby Jugs bearing the 'Kelsboro Ware mark.

Art Deco jug, Longton New Art Pottery

Backstamp to jug (NB this is not cellulose ware)

Also Bott experimented with cellulose ware. This was something which didn't need firing after decoration but had a cheap look even though cheerful and wore badly. When I was little I remember there were large vases at home with bright coloured patterns and interesting glazes. Some were from Sweden and these I was told were bought as samples for Roland to copy or be inspired by.

In the photograph below Roland can be seen amongst the ladies in the middle, 3rd row back from the front, behind the smart seated gentleman. The photo, from an unknown source, is of an unknown pottery factory. It was taken by Templeman photographers of Stoke-on-Trent. The factory and date of the image is unknown but judging by the girls' hats is 1920s/1930s. This was certainly not a factory owned by Bott who seems to be working for others in a much bigger concern. 

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In the 1939 register he is recorded as 'Warehouse Foreman, Packers, Pottery'.