Description:Supplies of straw were vital to the success of the pottery industry.
As a packaging material, it was used to soften the ride on bumpy roads.
It also helped to minimise the risks involved in loading and unloading wares from the canals.
When supplies were short, prices rose - and manufacturers would usually pass on the costs to the buyer, as this notice makes clear.
3 shillings per hogshead (barrel) would be charged;
3 shillings would be charged for any crate over the value of 3s.
2 shillings would be charged for any crate under the value of 3s.
About this Document
This document was collected by local industrialist Enoch Wood and is now part of the collections at Stoke-on-Trent Museums.