Wemyss Ware was first produced in 1892 by immigrant Czech designer/decorator Karel Nekola and Fife pottery-owner Robert Heron. The pottery took its name from the Wemyss family, titled incumbents of Wemyss Castle on the east coast of Fife, who were early and enthusiastic patrons of Nekola and Heron's ceramic creations. After being desirable in its own day, the pottery subsequently became extremely popular with collectors.

One of several potteries in Kirkcaldy, the Fife Pottery or Gallatown Pottery was founded in 1817 by Archibald and Andrew Grey. ^[1] It was bought ten years later by John Methven, and from there passed to Robert Heron. ^[1] When Robert Methven Heron (1833-1906) took over the pottery in around 1850, it became Robert Heron and Son. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

By the 1880s, Robert Heron and Son were branding their products as "Wemyss ware" in honour of the Wemyss family who were avid and lucrative patrons. ^{[4] [5]} Karel Nekola, a native of Bohemia, was brought over to Kirkcaldy in about 1883 by Robert Heron to become head of the decorating shop there. ^{[6] [7]} Aged 25, he was the only one of a group of decorators to remain in Scotland, after a Heron had returned from a Grand Tour of Europe with a group of Bohemian craftsmen. ^[8]

Thomas Goode of London had the exclusive right to sell Wemyss Ware in England. ^{[4] [9]}

Nekola's health began to deteriorate in 1910, and a pottery was built at his home in order to allow him to continue to work. ^[10] He died in 1915. ^[11]

The original Fife pottery closed in 1929 or 1930, during the Great Depression, and the rights to Wemyss Ware were bought by the Bovey pottery in Devon. ^{[12] [5]} Karel Nekola's son Joseph, himself a designer, moved to Devon, where he carried on producing Wemyss Ware and training apprentices, including Esther Weeks. ^[13] Joseph taught her painting techniques he had learned from his father. ^[13] When Joseph died in 1952, Esther became head decorator and continued to paint Wemyss Ware until the Bovey Pottery closed in 1957. ^[13]

The rights to the Wemyss name were assumed to be acquired by Royal Doulton, but they produced one piece of Wemyss, a commemorative goblet for the Queen Mother's 80th birthday. ^[14] This piece also commemorated the centenary of Wemyss Ware, but was two years early. ^[15]

The Wemyss name was resurrected in the 1980s when Griselda Hill became interested in pottery while teaching art in London. ^[16] After seeing Wemyss Ware in the Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery, she became interested in creating Wemyss Ware-inspired pottery at an affordable price. ^[16] After the first figure, a cat modelled on an original displayed in the museum, was produced, the line has grown. In 1994, the Wemyss Ware trademark was acquired by the Griselda Hill Pottery. ^[16] Esther Weeks, now in her eighties, was a regular visitor. She continued to paint a few pieces into her seventies and shared with a new generation of painters the techniques used on the original Wemyss Ware. ^{[17] [18]}

After being desirable in its own day, the pottery subsequently became extremely popular with collectors. ^[6]

Wemyss Ware is highly collectible, resulting in a large number of fakes. ^[19]

Category:Companies based in Fife Category:Collecting Category:1985 establishments in Scotland Category:Ceramics manufacturers of Scotland Category:Companies established in 1985