Bristol Glass Houses - Redcliff Backs

This glass house probably started in about 1673, since there is no development shown here, just outside the city walls on a map of 1671, but some is shown on a revised edition of 1673. The drawing on the left is from Millerd's map of Bristol in 1710. It is the only glass house shown that is not a cone, but that is not unusual, since drinking glass does not appear to have been made in cone glass houses until well into the 18th century. On the right is the position of the glass house ('L' shaped building close to the river bank) and near-by glass cone as shown on Rocques map of 1743.

Date	Owner	Notes on Lowdens
1678 - 1681	John Cooke	John has apprentice from 1674, Charles son of Randolf (deceased) apprenticed to John Cooke 1681, registered 1689
1689	landlord	Reference to John and landlord
1691 - 1693	John Rawlins
1693 - 1696	Charles Stubbs	John & Edward Lowden living nearby, & Stubbs lived elsewhere in Bristol in 1696 and was described as a merchant
1696 - 1699	Edward Lowden
1700 - 1717	Thomas Ewens	William, son of John Lowden registered as glass maker, 1700, Edward son of Edward registered 1701

Table showing ownership of Redcliff Backs glass house.

The Lowden family of glass makers

This glass house is linked with the Lowden family for much of its early history, although they only appear to have owned it for a short period. John Lowden was the first glass maker to appear in the Bristol Burgess Books as a freeman in 1673. There is a suggestion that the Lowden family came from France, but it is unclear what evidence this is based on. John Lowden married Mary Cleverly, daughter of William, a local rope maker, in 1673 and they had a son William, who also became a glass maker and possibly another older son named John. John and Mary took Abraham Jennings as a glass making apprentice in 1674. Edward Lowden married Mary's sister Sarah three years later and they had sons Edward and George, of whom only Edward became a glass maker. A John Lowden married Elizabeth in Bristol in August 1674 and they had son John in 1676, but it is unclear if these were glass makers, or had any connection. There is a record of Charles Lowden, son of Randolf Lowden, glass maker, deceased, being apprenticed to John Cooke in 1681 and he was registered as a glass maker in 1689 in the Burgess Books. However, it is uncertain whether he or Randolf actually worked there as tradesmen in their own right for any length of time. There is no sign of Charles in the list of the inhabitants of Bristol in 1696. There is, however, mention of a Henry Lewdin living nearby in Radcliffe Pit (the area south of the city wall where the glass house was) in 1696, but his relationship, if any, is unclear.

John Cooke

John Cooke, merchant and his wife Elizabeth took William Clealoe (Clellow) lately of Stourbridge as an apprentice in June 1678 to instruct for seven years in "arte vitrearii" (glass making). There were a number of members of the Clellow family mentioned in Oldswinford, Stourbridge (a parish where a number of glass houses were sited) records from 1646-1713, but not William. As described above, John Cooke also took Charles Lowden as an apprentice glass maker in 1681. A John Cooke was christened in Oldswinford, son of William Cooke in 1647 and there is a record of a John Cooke marrying Elizabeth at Blockley in 1664. A John Cooke was quite an influential merchant in Bristol about this time, being a member of the Merchant Adventurers of Bristol from 1667 and Chamberlain from 1680 - 1698. In 1713 a John Cooke made an agreement with another Old Swinford glass maker Stephen Collier (christened 1687) to make flint glass in Bristol. He was apparently still involved in this venture in 1741, so it is a possibility that he was the son of the other John. It seems probable that John senior was not himself a glass maker and owned the glass house at least for the period he took apprentices. It is likely in fact that he built the glass house and recruited the Lowden family to come and work for him. He may well have relinquished ownership to concentrate on his civic duties and a more lucrative merchant's business.

John Rawlins

This is a common name in the area and it is difficult to trace any more details. He is said to have been a glass maker and to have had an apprentice in 1692. In 1696 he may have been living in Tucker Street in St Thomas's parish.

Charles Stubbs

Charles was probably a Bristol merchant. A Charles Stubbs married Hestor Web in Bristol in 1683. By 1696 he was living in the centre of Bristol and was described as a Merchant in the surtax category. He may well of sold the glass house to Edward Lowden because of the downturn in glass business caused by the war tax on glass. In 1695 he took on two apprentices, Nicholas Lockier and John Hardick. There is no record of them being transferred to another master or of them living in St Mary Redcliffe Parish in 1696, so Stubbs may have moved to another glasshouse.

Thomas Ewens

The Glass house was probably under the ownership of Thomas Ewens from 1700 to about 1717 and he had apprentices bound to him in 1700 and 1710.

The Glass

Considerable quantities of drinking glass were shipped from Bristol (mostly in Bristol ships). Customs records show that in 1683 and 1684 destinations included Madeira, Barbados, Jamaica, and New England. This glass house must have manufactured many of these. Equally, significant quantities of French, Flanders and Dutch glass were imported through Bristol at this period, suggesting that they were concentrating on the high-end marking and importing less expensive glasses for home consumption.

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