William H. Goss, born in 1833, was a renown English potter who is credited with the emergence of the souvenir trade in pottery. Goss was a student at the School of Design at London's Somerset House. In 1857, he went to work at the Stoke upon Trent firm as the chief artist that was owned by William T. Copeland. Eventually Copeland bought the business interests of Josiah Spode, his partner in the business. In 1858, William Goss began his own business that was located in Stoke upon Trent.



Initially, Goss exclusively produced ivory porcelain. So fine was his handiwork, he earned an award at the International Exhibition of 1851. William experimented with his china which led to strikingly noticeable improvements in his heraldic china as well as his jeweled porcelain. Much of his production consisted of small vases and pots that had heraldic arms for presentations. Goss soon added to his repertoire by adding small items that depicted interesting local scenery.

The Goss company was bought, in 1929, by Cauldon Potteries. It finally became a subsidiary company of the Royal Doulton group. By the end of the 1800's and the beginning of the 1900's, Goss china became extremely popular, and it was stated that approximately 90% of the homes had at least one piece of this fine white glazed Goss Crested China. When World War I began, there was a decline in Goss china and the Goss family sold their factory in 1929. However, Goss china was still produced until the end of the 1930's. After World War II, interest was revived in Goss china and has continued to the present time.

Goss crested china was made between 1858 to 1939. These were small white glazed porcelain models. These pieces of china carried the coat of arms of the location they were sold as souvenirs. Other factories which included Shelley, Carlton and Arcadian were also in the business of making this souvenir ware. However, Goss is the most collectible.

The Goss family is generally credited with coming up with the idea of making souvenir ware that bore the names and crests of seaside resorts during the late 19th century. The pieces of white glazed porcelain are in the classical shapes of the Greek and Roman antiquities. Tiny replicas of visitor attractions such as a statue of Captain Cook were made with the name and crest of the town of Whitby, the Captain's home town. Small busts of famous people like that of George V and Queen Victoria were also made along with porcelain images of cars and ships. The most collectible of Goss's works are his cottages.

If you happen to have a piece of genuine Goss china there will usually be an inscription on the base that describes the item. Then it will have a goshawk crest and, below it, the name of W.H. Goss. There were over 2,500 different models made that ranged from parian figures to pots and jugs, to tea services, to dinnerware, to beautifully colored figures and cottages. These can be found with more than 10,000 different decorations.