The wonderful village; a further record of some famous folk and places by Chelsea reach . nters at Etruria, had arrived in Londonby waggon, having taken a week on the road, andwere set to work at Chelsea ; and Wedgwoodsmaster-foreman, David Rhodes, had also come upfrom Staffordshire and been installed in the housein Little Cheyne Row, now No. 14, where we findhis name in the rate books from 1770-7. Bentleyhimself probably came into residence in January,1770, and by April the work was evidently in fullswing, Rhodes looking out for more hands, andone of the Chelsea kilns having already, it appea
The wonderful village; a further record of some famous folk and places by Chelsea reach . nters at Etruria, had arrived in Londonby waggon, having taken a week on the road, andwere set to work at Chelsea ; and Wedgwoodsmaster-foreman, David Rhodes, had also come upfrom Staffordshire and been installed in the housein Little Cheyne Row, now No. 14, where we findhis name in the rate books from 1770-7. Bentleyhimself probably came into residence in January,1770, and by April the work was evidently in fullswing, Rhodes looking out for more hands, andone of the Chelsea kilns having already, it appears,been blown up, through precipitate firing. Besides Rhodes and the Willcox family, severalof Wedofwoods best hands were at work underBentley in Chelsea, including James Bakewell,Ralph Unwin, and Nathaniel Cooper: JohnRoberts, his son, and two daughters, who suc-ceeded Rhodes in possession of No. 14 UpperCheyne Row ; Miss Glisson and Miss Pars, andMather, the accountant. The transfer of countryhands to London led in more than one case totrouble and difficulties. Lads lodged away from. en O S az >- o 3^ ETRURIANS IN CHELSEA 151 their homes became refractory and unsettled;questions of comparative wages arose, and inAugust, 1772, we find Josiah writing to Bentley : I do not think it answers any good purpose tosend our Country People up to Town. TheChange is so great that not one in ten can stand itwith Jilt being ruined or spoild or being seizedwith the Swiss disorder, The arrangement al-together must have been a somewhat costly anddifficult one; for, besides entailing some duplica-tion of staff, the plain glazed biscuit ware, thrown,moulded, and fired at Burslem, had to be carefullypacked and sent up by wagon or packhorse or inpanniers on ponies and asses to Chelsea (150 miles),there to be decorated, enamelled, and refired, andthence consigned to the warehouse and showroomsin Soho. But against this, certain advantages weredoubtless set, including the greater possibilities ofo
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