Dish, 6.75 x 5.375 inches. Printed and impressed maker's marks for William Brownfield & Son. The registry diamond dates the registration of this pattern to 7 February 1877. The impressed "1/77" indicates the dish was produced in January 1877. This pattern is part of the "Mediæval" dinner service series by William Brownfield & Son, which consists of 22 different scenes, the largest pattern series based on a single theme ever produced by the factory. The patterns are divided into the following collections of Medieval Scenes: (A) Pastimes in the Garden - 6; (B) Washing in the Garden - 2; (C) Activities in the Kitchen - 2; (D) Children's Activities - 4; (E) Activities--Countryside - 4; (F) Leisure Time - 4. This scene presumably belongs to the Leisure Time category, depicting a young man in medieval dress lying on his stomach on a stone balustrade, clasping his chin with a hand. He is gazing off in the distance towards a castle on a hill. In the middle ground is a forest and above, three birds are flying.

The Brownfields were potters in Cobridge, North Staffordshire from about 1837 to the 1890s. William Brownfield began as a junior partner in the firm of Robinson, Wood & Brownfield, at a pottery formerly owned by Ralph & James Clews. Eventually William Brownfield appears to be the sole owner, the first reference appearing in White’s 1851 directory where we find under china and earthenware manufacturers, Brownfield Wm. Cobridge. The factory produced a range of earthenware, stone china and added stoneware and parian to their productions. In the International Exhibition of 1862 they were awarded a medal for “printed earthenware” but no details are given of the patterns. Entries at other International exhibitions followed. In 1871 William Etches Brownfield entered the business and it became William Brownfield & Son. William Sr. died in 1873 and William Jr. continued and his brother Edward Arthur Brownfield joined the firm. They continued to make a wide range of ceramics with occasional tour de force pieces for national and international exhibition, becoming one of the top ten Staffordshire factories. The company’s last swansong was an unusual venture fostered by Arthur Edward Brownfield, who in 1892 created a Potter’s Guild based on John Ruskin’s principles. But this “cooperative” was unfortunately destined to failure and the company was wound up in 1900.