I have not seen any references to the thin lines around the
footrings of plates, especially to them being used as an identification tag
for the presser that produced the wares.  According to Lois Lehner’s
*Encyclopedia
of U.S. Marks on Pottery and Porcelain*, the Cronin pottery dates from 1934
to 1956.  Given that late date, one would assume that the plates were being
made on a jigger.  The mild steel template that formed the back of the
plates would be mounted on the jigger arm, and that would have produced the
footring and any other circular raised or indented lines.  If these
templates were cut with different patterns for the thin annular lines, then
one could have been assigned to individual potters.



Presser’s marks were used on English wares when goods were only paid for if
they came out of the kiln in good condition.  The potter’s union fought the
goods-from-oven system in the Staffordshire potteries and by 1872, it was
being replaced by goods-from-hand system of paying for what was produced
that apparently eliminated the need for presser’s marks that would identify
who made the plate.  Pages 88-91 of Robert Copeland’s book *Spode & Copeland
Marks and other relevant Intelligence* has a discussion of presser’s and
decorator’s marks along with numerous illustrations of them.



Robert Copeland spent three years “at the bench” learning to be a presser of
dishes at the Spode works before moving up into the management of the
family’s Spode works.  His new book *Manufacturing Processes of Tableware
during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries* has an excellent description
of the pressing of plates and platters, the tools used and their marks.  Prior
to the introduction of the jigger, pressers made their own profile tools of
fired clay that were used to make the backside of plates.  He illustrates
one on page 74 along with illustrations of jiggers.



Robert’s book is a great addition to the literature with copious photographs
and illustrations of the many processes of pottery and porcelain production
from the mixing of clays to the firing of the wares.  I highly recommend
this book for anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of how the wares
were produced and what marks on them may be attributed to different
production processes.  The Northern Ceramic Society published the book in
2009.  See their web site for further information.  Sadly to say Robert
Copeland died this September.  He was a great resource to those of us who
were fortunate to know him.



Peace,

George L. Miller