THE

POTTERIES  , a name popularly applied to a district of north Staffordshire, the principal seat of the china and earthen-ware industry in England . It lies in the valley of the Trent a little south of its source, and extends into tributary valleys and up the hills flanking them . For a distance of 9 M. from south-east to north-west, and about 3 M. from north-east to south-west, the district resembles one great town, but the chief centres are Burslem, Hanley, Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Fenton and Tunstall: Under the " Potteries federation " scheme (1908) these towns were amalgamated in 1910 as one municipal borough under the name of Stoke-on-Trent . Newcastle-under-Lyme, though not sharing in the staple industry, may also be reckoned in the district . Among the lesser manufacturing centres Etruria, ranking as a suburb of Hanley, is well known for its connexion with Josiah Wedgwood, who founded works here in 1769 . The Wedgwoods and the Mintons are the two most famous family names connected with the china industry of the district . Coal and coarse clay are the only local natural products necessary to the industry; the finer clay and other ingredients are brought from Cornwall and elsewhere . Ironstone is raised in the district . The North Staffordshire and London & North-Western railways and the Grand Trunk canal are the principal means of communication .