BURSLEM

burslem, a market town of staffordshire, england, in the potteries district, 150 m. n.w. from london, on the north staffordshire railway and the grand trunk canal. pop. (1891) 31,999; (1901) 38,766. in the 17th century the town was already famous for its manufacture of pottery. here josiah wedgwood was born in 1730, his family having practised the manufacture in this locality for several generations, while he himself began work independently at the ivy house pottery in 1759. he is commemorated by the wedgwood institute, founded in 1863. it comprises a school of art, free library, museum, picture-gallery and the free school founded in 1794. the exterior is richly and peculiarly ornamented, to show the progress of fictile art. the neighbouring towns of stoke, hanley and longton are connected with burslem by tramways. burslem is mentioned in domesday. previously to 1885 it formed part of the parliamentary borough of stoke, but it is now included in that of hanley. it was included in the municipal borough of stoke-on-trent under an act of 1908.