Match Striker Gallery          

Company History

A pottery is first recorded on the Armitage site in 1817, and by 1851 it was involved in the manufacture of Sanitary Ware (i.e. toilets, sinks etc). Edward Jones and Co was first incorporated in 1907 in order to take over this business,. The name was changed in 1960 to Armitage Ware Ltd, and the company went public in 1965. They then merged with Shanks Holdings Ltd in 1965 to form the Armitage Shanks Group Ltd.

Marks
I have been unable to find any dating for these marks, but they must be between 1907 and 1960.

Match strikers with a ashtray

The are clear striking surfaces on each side of the item pictured below, however, it is not clear where they would be stored. My favoured explanation is that there was a removable match well at the top, and that the holes round the base for discarding ash into, however it is possible it is actually a pastel burner, with the pastel placed in the centre, and lit through the hole, and the scented smoke rising out of the middle.