Q: I recently purchased at auction a beautiful T & R Boote Lahore Registered plate. I’ve been able to find a few that have the underglaze hand painting and they date from 1880 to 1884. However, I can find none that have a children’s scene in the center of the plate. The diamond-shaped mark has Roman numeral “IV” at the top and below that the number “7”. The letter “J,” “C,” and “8” are in the corners. I’d love to know a more accurate date.
A: Thomas Latham Boote and Richard Boote founded their pottery in Burslem, England, in 1842. T & R Boote made earthenware, ironstone, and parian ware. The company began making pavement tiles in 1865. Tiles became the major part of the business in 1906. Richards Tiles took over T & R Boote in 1963. Lahore is the pattern name. It was made in several color variations without a flowery design in the middle. The diamond-shaped mark is the English design registry mark. The Roman numeral indicates the type of material (ceramic), “7” is the day of the month, “J” the year — 1880, “C” the month — January, and “8” is the parcel number. The design on your plate was registered January 7, 1880. The company made plates with your border and many different designs in the center.