Mason's chronology

1752 December Birth of Miles Mason in Yorkshire
1760s Miles Mason moves to London, possibly as apprentice to his uncle, John Bailey.
1775 Death of Richard Farrer, china dealer of Fenchurch Street, London, leaving a fortune of £30, 000 to his daughter Ruth.
1782 Miles Mason marries Ruth Farrer, and takes control of Richard Farrer's china retailing business. 
1783 Birth of Miles and Ruth Mason's first child, Ann Ruth.
1783 September Miles Mason becomes a Freeman of the Glass Sellers Company.
1785 January 27 Miles and Ruth first son, William, is born. 
1789 May 9 Their second son, George Miles, is born.
1791 July 16 Their third son, Charles James, is born.
1796 Miles Mason enters into a porcelain-making partnership with Thomas Wolfe and John Lucock at the Islington Pottery, Liverpool (known as Thomas Wolfe & Co.). 
1796-1800 Miles Mason enters into a partnership with George Wolfe to manufacture pottery at the Victoria Pottery, Lane Delph, Staffordshire. 
1800-1806 Miles Mason continues production alone at the Victoria Pottery, Lane Delph.
c.1802 Miles Mason gives up his interests in the retail premises at Fenchurch Street, London.
1806-1813 Miles Mason takes over the larger Minerva Works, Lane Delph, Staffordshire. William Mason, his eldest son, becomes a partner.
1808 January 12 William Mason marries Susannah Heming of Mapleton, Derbyshire.
1811 Miles and William Mason take over Sampson Bagnall's Works, Lane Delph, Staffordshire.
1813 Charles James Mason takes out a patent on ironstone china for 'making English porcelain'. Mason's purchase the Fenton Stone Works, High Street, Lane Delph, Staffordshire. 
1813-16 George Miles and Charles James Mason take control of the Minerva Works.
1814 February George Miles Mason marries Eliza Heming, sister of William's wife, Susannah.
1815 August Charles James Mason marries Sarah Spode.
1815 William Mason has opened a pottery retailing business at 1 Smithy Door, Manchester.
1822 April 26 Miles Mason dies, and is buried at Barlaston, Staffordshire.
c.1822-4 William Mason listed in the Rate Books as the tenant of a pottery at Fenton Culvert.  
c.1824 Samuel Bayliss Faraday is made partner in the Mason's business.
1826 George Miles Mason retires. The firm continues trading as C.J Mason & Co.
1834 Death of Ruth, wife of Miles Mason. She is buried at Norbury, Derbyshire.
1836 Charles James Mason becomes an active member of the Potteries' Chamber of Commerce.
1840 Samuel Bayliss Faraday is made partner in the Mason's business.
1844 Chartist riots in Staffordshire.
1844 Death of Samuel Bayliss Faraday. Charles James Mason is declared bankrupt.
1848 Francis Morley buys the Mason patterns and shapes and removes them to the Broad Street Works, Hanley, Staffordshire (present site of Mason's ironstone factory). 
1850-8 Firm trades as Francis Morley & Co.
c.1851-3 Charles James Mason enters into a second pottery manufacturing venture at the Daisy Bank Works, Lane End, Longton, Staffordshire.   
1852 Charles James marries for the second time, to Miss Astbury of Longton.
1853 Charles James is forced to sell the factory for a second time.
1856 Death of Charles James Mason. He is buried at Norbury, Derbyshire.
1858 Francis Morley forms a partnership with his son-in-law, Taylor Ashworth, trading as Morley & Ashworth.
c.1862 Death of William Mason.
1862 Francis Morley retires from the business, passing the effects to Taylor Ashworth.
c.1861-1968 The company commences trading as George L. Ashworth & Bros Ltd.
1883 December is purchased by John Shaw Goddard, son of a china exporter.
1884 January Ashworth's becomes a limited company.
1919 John Vivian Goddard succeeds his father.
1968 March The firm changes its name to Mason's Ironstone China Ltd.
1973 April Mason's join the Wedgwood Group and are renamed Mason's Ironstone.