‘The true potter’: identity and entrepreneurship in the North Staffordshire Potteries in the later nineteenth century

Abstract

Adopting a critical perspective on the industrial district concept, this paper explores the relationship between identity and entrepreneurship in the context of regional economic development in the North Staffordshire Potteries in the later nineteenth century. Contra to the model of the ‘ideal-typical’ industrial district, both business networks and any collective ethos of economic exchange were fragile in the Potteries. In this environment, entrepreneurship became a key issue. In particular, sections of the industry attempted to redefine the scope and practice of entrepreneurship in the local context, arguing that the entry into the industry of ‘illegitimate’ small firms was damaging the trade. The issue of regional representativeness was central to the process of redefining entrepreneurship.