William Billingsley

William Billingsley was born in Derby in 1758. His father was a porcelain painter and had a studio in the family house’s attic, as well as a kiln in the basement.

In 1774, at 16 years old, William joined the Derby China Works as an apprentice. He became extremely talented at decorating porcelain items, both by painting and by gilding with gold leaf. He developed his own technique for painted decoration, where he wiped away areas of paint to give more realistic shading. This was particularly effective for paintings of flowers, and Billingsley became famous for his floral decorations. In 1790 he was promoted to being the chief flower painter for the factory.

While at Derby, Billingsley sometimes worked with another renowned painter, Zachariah Boreman. Boreman was known for his landscape paintings. As well as decoration, both Billingsley and Boreman were interested in how the porcelain was made. They did experiments to try to make better china.

During this period of his life, William’s personal circumstances also altered. He married Sarah Rigley in 1780 and they had three children: Sarah in 1783, James in 1785, and Lavina in 1795. Sadly, James died in infancy, but Billingsley’s daughters thrived.

In 1796, at 38 years old, William left Derby. He moved to Pinxton, on the Nottinghamshire border, to start a new business in partnership with John Coke of Brookhill Hall. The Pinxton factory made high quality, beautiful porcelain but was not very profitable. It eventually closed in 1813, although Billingsley had already moved on by then.

Pinxton porcelain coffee cans and saucers, decorated by Billingsley

In 1799, at 41 years old, William Billingsley moved to Mansfield with his family. They lived in Belvedere Street. At Mansfield, William was running his own business for the first time. He didn’t have the facility to make porcelain here, so instead he purchased items from other manufacturers then decorated them to sell. Billingsley’s pieces from Mansfield are often elaborately gilded, as well as painted with landscapes, animals, classical figures, and fruit, in addition to the flowers for which he was already famous.

In 1802, now aged 44, Billingsley moved on again, this time to Brampton-in-Torksey, Lincolnshire. His daughters Sarah and Lavina came with him, but he separated from his wife at this time, and she moved back to her family in Derby. At Torksey, William was able to start making china again, as well as decorating it. He got investment from a man named Henry Bankes to open this new factory, but it was not successful and quickly closed.

Billingsley returned to decorating porcelain made by others, while looking for his next opportunity. He unsuccessfully visited both Bristol and Swansea to look for work.

In 1808, at 50 years old, William was taken on by Barr, Flight and Barr at the Royal Worcester Porcelain Works. He continued to do some decoration, but his time at Worcester was mostly focused on improving the porcelain being produced there.

In 1813, now aged 55, Billingsley suddenly moved to Nantgarw in South Wales. He also briefly started using the surname Beeley, which may have been an attempt to be inconspicuous; it has been suggested that he was fleeing some debts. In Nantgarw, William set up a china factory with his son-in-law Samuel Walker. The factory made very high quality porcelain but William didn’t do much decorating while he was there. He quickly moved on again.

A porcelain plate from Nantgarw factory, decorated by Billingsley

In 1814, at age 56, Billingsley started working at the Cambrian Pottery in Swansea. As he had in Worcester, William focused much of his time in Swansea on improving the porcelain produced there, rather than decorating it.

In 1817, at age 59, Billingsley moved back to Nantgarw and re-started the factory there. Two years later the Nantgarw works were bought by John Rose, who also owned the Coalport China Works in Shropshire.

William Billingsley

The Painter of Flowers

A short history of porcelain painter William Billingsley