Josiah I was born on 23rd March 1733 to poor parents in a village, in what is now Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire, England. When he was six, his father died and was buried in a pauper's grave. Despite his father's poverty at death, it is possible he had fallen on hard times only a short time beforehand so that young Josiah might not have had such a deprived childhood as has been believed.

The Family Tree and control of the company is outlined below:

Josiah Spode I - (1733 - 1797)

Founder of the Spode pottery manufactory and known as Josiah Spode I even though his father was also a Josiah Spode.

Son of Josiah Spode and had 3 elder sisters.

Married Ellen Findley 8th September 1754 (she died 1802). Ellen ran an haberdashery business as well as bringing up 8 children!
Children :
Josiah Spode II (1755 - 1827)
Samuel (1757 - 1817)
Mary (1759 - 1786)
Ellen (1762 - 1801)
Sarah (1764 - 1798)
William (1770 - 1773)
Anne (1772 - 1829)
Elizabeth (1777 - 1793)

Prior to his success as a potter Josiah Spode was an accomplished violinist: details from the history of the Adams family, another important potting family, say:

'when any festivities were held at the Bank House (Bagnall) Josiah Spode (afterwards the famous potter) would always be invited to be one of the musicians, as he was an accomplished violinist. The two succeeding generations of the Adams and Spode families were intimate friends'.

By 1758 had bought a house and some land and he continued to buy land and build houses in the area. Prior to the founding of the company Spode in about 1770 his working arrangements are complicated. He contributed land for the canal alongside the factory. The canal system was a very important development for the industry. Prior to this transport was extremely difficult. The water transport provided by the canals meant that both raw materials and finished ware could be moved more easily and without damage making the whole industry more efficient and distribution more effective.

In his will he left a house to his wife Ellen; a Mill at Stoke (the pottery factory) and 'Meadow adjoining' to Josiah; a house in Newcastle to his daughter Sarah and all other lands etc equally to all children. Part of the factory is still known as the Meadow today!

At his death the obituary in the Times said:

'He possessed many amiable and endearing virtues, which rendered him an ornament to society and a service to mankind; in domestic attachments he was tender , generous and affectionate; in friendship , faithful and sincere; nor was he less distinguished for charity and liberality to the poor. In short he lived universally respected and died not less generally lamented.'

Josiah Spode II - (1755 - 1827)

Married - Elizabeth Barker whose father had been apprenticed to Whieldon.

Children :
William (later changed name to Hammersley) (1776 - 1834)
Josiah Spode III (1777 - 1829)
Elizabeth (1778 - 1845)
Saba (1780 - 1811)
Mary (1781 - 1850)

To become a tradesman in London it was necessary to become a Freeman of the City. Josiah became a Freeman by joining one of the livery companies. It didn't seem to matter whether it was relevant to the business as he joined the Spectacle Makers Company in 1778.

Success in London marketing and selling the wares made in Stoke led to trading in gradually bigger and bigger premises. He moved in 1784/5 and again in 1788 and also rented additional storage space. Finally moving to Portugal Place in 1794 and buying the freehold in 1802.

He came back to Stoke in 1797 at age of 42 after the death of his father to take over the running of the business.

He was involved in the rebuilding of the Stoke Church where he was senior churchwarden and donated £500 to the new building. Ceramic slabs were made with an inscription which were deposited in the cornerstones of the church in 1826 to 'transmit to generations far remote invaluable memorials of the perfection to which the Potter's Art in the neighbourhood had arrived in the early 19th century'. An early example of a 'time capsule'!

He built cottages for workers in Penkhull, a village next to Stoke, which survived to the mid 1960s!

He was Captain of the Pottery Troop of the Staffordshire Yeomanry Cavalry.

In 1803 he started to build The Mount - biggest mansion ever built in Stoke and was in residence there by 1804. Prior to this factory owners had usually lived in a house on the site of their factory.

He is buried next to his father in the graveyard at St. Peter's Church in Stoke and by other members of the family. The tombs were restored by the Spode Company and rededicated in a special service on June 15th 2000.

In his will, he left £32,000 to his daughter Elizabeth; £20,000 to Saba; £40,000 to Mary; Residue to William and Josiah. The whole estate was valued for probate at £225,271.13s.8d less debts allowed of £87,135.13s.8d. Other provisions were made and greater details than are listed here were attached to the bequests.

Josiah Spode III - (1777 - 1829)

Married - Mary Williamson.

Josiah and Mary buried in same tomb.

Children : Josiah Spode IV (1823 - 1893).

'As soon as he was old enough he was initiated in the business of a potter under his grandfather'

A report in the Staffordshire Advertiser of Dec 19th 1829, after his death, tells of a terrible accident in 1803 to Josiah III when after the completion of the installation of a steam engine for mill work for the grinding of materials he 'was inspecting the operations when a crown wheel struck his hat and in lifting his arm to protect himself the hand passed between the cogs of the wheels and immediate amputation became indispensable'

At the time of his marriage at the age of 38, he moved to an estate at Great Fenton provided by his father and retired from the business. He returned to the business 12 years later at his father's death only to die suddenly at The Mount two years later in 1829.

His estate, at 3 years after his death, was valued at £162,576.

Josiah Spode IV - (1823 - 1893)

No connection with the company which was sold when he was 10.