William Cookworthy (1705-1780)

William Cookworthy was the first maker of hard-paste porcelain in England. Originally, an apothecary in Plymouth, he discovered kaolin (china clay) on the estate of Lord Camelford in Cornwall in 1745, and soon afterwards discovered an equivalent of petuntse (china stone). In 1768, after years of experimentation, he applied for a patent and opened the Plymouth porcelain factory. This was transferred to Bristol in 1770. Cookworthy retired in 1772, assigning his patent in 1774 to Richard Champion.