Small, off white china ornaments decorated with civic arms, other crests or decorated with transfer prints or name of place were known as Crest Ware, Heraldic China or Heraldic Souvenir Ware.
The industrial revolution and the coming of railways opened up travel to the working class and led to the growth of seaside resorts. In the Victorian and Edwardians period, many people liked to bring home a china ware souvenir depicting the name or crest of the place they were visiting. During the late 19th and early 20th century, miniature crested and souvenir ware became so popular that most UK households had them in their homes. The tradition of purchasing a souvenir from a holiday destination has continued to this day.
These ornaments were made mainly in the potteries around Stoke-on-Trent by companies such as Arcadian, Carlton, Grafton, Savoy, Shelley, Swan, Willow Art. W.H. Goss. was considered to be the best quality. Ornaments include figurines, everyday objects or functional objects. Some crests depicted on the china have been shown to be unofficial designs.
William Henry Goss (1833-1906) was the owner of Falcon pottery in Stoke-on-Trent and his sons Adolphus and Victor were credited with the idea of making souvenir ware bearing crests and names of resorts. They also made tiny replicas of visitor attractions and small busts of famous people. Genuine Goss has an inscription on the base describing the item and also a goshawk crest with the name W.H. Goss below it.
Storiel has several examples of this type of china in its collection from different places.