Buckfast Abbey Pottery - Mary Gibson-Horrocks / Boys-Adams

Mary Gibson-Horrocks (an early Leach student) and Gregory Tingay as Brother Alexander produced some gorgeous work. I love the proportions of this and the simple decoration and the unusual glaze colour. Under-rated work IMO.

Mary Gibson Horrocks is probably almost unique,as she worked both at Leach St Ives,and with Michael Cardew. This particular shape is almost atypical.

Mary is either unique or she's not..................... and she's not.

I like her pots though.

One was talking about her experience. I don't know any others that did the Leach/Cardew track in the 40's/50's. Tho no doubt someone else does.Hence the 'almost'.
Any more hairs you wanna split?

It was rotten of me I know but I just couldn't stop myself!

You are quite right in that she is unique in being one of the few to have worked with Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew.

Besides Michael Cardew, who fits the bill, the others that I am aware of are Robert Blatherwick, David Stannard (from USA), Peter Stichbury (NZ potter, who worked with Cardew in Abuja), Gwyn Hanssen Pigott (Australia), Chantal Donoyer (France) and Michael Cartwright.

First one I've found although I'm sure there's loads of them about.

I couldn't read it in the shop.

It's really enjoyable/interesting buying pots bringing them home and finding out the history.

Little bud vase with sgraffito swirls. The mark should have a running stag (a fast buck, I suppose) in the centre, but only a hoof and the tip of an antler have registered.

Vase 9.5cm high. Impressed mark with the running stag and the words "Buckfast Abbey Crafts Ceramics".

Edited:

Mary Boys-Adams, (nee Mary Gibson-Horrocks), moved to Buckfast Abbey to teach the monks. She was deaf-mute, working there in the 60s if not longer, and had been a student of Bernard Leach

http://www.studiopottery.com/cgi-bin/mp.cgi?item=262

I have acquired a nice little vase today but I am wondering if anyone can tell me if the different marks can differentiate a time line. There are some stamped incised with a stag mark some like this and some MGH for Mary Gibson Horrocks. Does the difference tell when made. Thank you.

She set it up in the 50s, and the Buckfast stamp was in use later, so the lack of a stamp points to an early date, but beyond that I can only speculate

Thank you I was unsure as it looks very modern, would this be by her in your opinion or would it be marked with her initials if that were the case.

It was originally set it up by the monks in 1952 before she arrived and ran it, training the monks etc, so probably not by her personally

Ok interesting thank you

Over the years I have come across a lot of Mary Gibson Horrocks\Buckfast Abbey pottery  in charity shops and boot sales. To such an extent that it must have been produced in quantity by a number of people. Think Aldermaston, Winchcombe, Prinknash, Leach standard ware, Briglin sort of scale.
          It had the perfect site for tourist giftware sales. Lovely building and grounds, halfway twist Sea and Moors, just of the main A38 Exeter/Plymouth trunk road with a ready source of labour.
          The monks were very good at commercial ventures. The notorious Buckfast Abbey Fortified Wine (the bane of Glaswegian alcoholics) was produced there.
Proof in point, at this precise moment there are 46 items of Buckfast/Mary Gibson Horrocks items on sale on Ebay. That is a lot!

I have just seen that Mary Boys-Adams (nee Gibson-Horrocks) has died at the age of 97. (1923 - 2020).

Oh that is sad. Probably nearly the last of that immediate post-war generation that worked at the Leach pottery and Wenford Bridge with Michael Cardew.

NGL best noodle mug ever, it’s huge!