(60) Piece Royal Doulton Fine Bone China Cadenza Dinner Set. Includes serving trays, plates, cups with saucers, and other accoutrements. Marked on the undersides and dated 1976. 

Condition: Minor scratches on some pieces. Chip on base of large oval tray. Crack on front and back of one dinner plate. See pictures. 

Platter: 16 1/4 x 12 1/4 x 1 1/4 in. 

Royal Doulton is an English ceramic and home accessories manufacturer that was founded in 1815 at Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth, London in an existing earthenware factory. It began as a partnership between two investors named John Doulton and Martha Jones and the factory foreman, John Watts. They traded as Jones, Watts & Doulton until Martha left the partnership in 1820, when the trade name was changed to Doulton & Watts. The business specialized in making salt glaze stoneware articles, including utilitarian or decorative bottles, jugs and jars, much of it intended for inns and pubs. In 1826 they took over a larger existing pottery on Lambeth High Street, moving all operations there. The company took the name Doulton & Co. in 1854 after the retirement of John Watts in 1853 and a merger with Henry Doulton and Co., although the trading name of Doulton & Watts continued to be used for decades. In 1882 it opened a factory in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, which began producing bone china tablewares and decorative items. Through the end of the 19th Century there were three different businesses, run by the sons of John Doulton with significant cross-ownership, which later came back together by 1897, by which time the total employees exceeded 4,000. In 1901 a royal warrant was given, and the company was henceforth known as Royal Doulton. It was a latecomer in this market compared to firms such as Royal Crown Derby, Royal Worcester, Wedgwood, and Spode, but adapted to the swift changes of the 20th Century much better than most. The brands again diverged as the company diversified, resulting in Royal Doulton, Royal Albert, and (after a post-WWII merger) Mintons. These brands were all acquired by WWRD Holdings Limited (an amalgam of Waterford Crystal, Wedgwood, and Royal Doulton). The Burslem factory was demolished in 2014, after almost ten years of vacancy. In 2015 the Finnish company Fiskars Corporation acquired all the assets of WWRD, and today Royal Doulton mainly produces tableware and figurines, but also cookware, glassware, and other home accessories such as linens, curtains, and lighting.

Minor scratches on some pieces. Chip on base of large oval tray. Crack on front and back of one dinner plate. See pictures. 

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