Description:In 1826, Enoch Wood became involved in an unwelcome dispute over the quality and prices of his wares.
Belfast-based manufacturers' agent Robert Anderson claimed to offer china and earthenware at higher quality and lower prices than the Staffordshire firms.
Taunting
Wood and two other manufacturers decided to answer these claims in the press; however, the result was further taunting by Anderson:
"R.A. would recommend Enoch Wood, Sons, and Co, not to use so much of their IDLE TIME in criticising Advertisements; for really a little of this Literary LEISURE might be more usefully employed in bridling their temper, and patiently trying to reconcile themselves to a fair, active, DETERMINED, yet honourable competition."
A reluctant reply
Wood and his allies pronounced themselves "reluctantly dragged to make some remark, and beg to say, that they will always find leisure to write a dozen lines, when required in defence of their Establishment here; and they do not consider their time idly spent when protecting their business, and thwarting the designs of those who might wish to injure it, by holding out to the Public the alluring bait of 'a superior article at lower prices than anyone in the market.'"
Low language
They continue:
"If R.A. does not like his advertisments to be 'criticised,' he should be more careful how he words them, and, above all things avoid sourillity, or low language, such as the term 'nondescripts,' which any man of sense will allow is most woefully misplaced, when applied to such Old and well known Establishments as our own."
Finallt, they inform Anderson that:
"...their station in the Commercial and Manufacturing World is such as will not allow them to descend to honour him with their attention, or to indulge him with any other reply than that of saying, he is beneath their motice."
About this Document
This document was collected by local industrialist Enoch Wood and is now part of the collections at Stoke-on-Trent Museums.