Much of the clay at Carclaze was being sent to the Staffordshire potteries, to be used in the production of the finest porcelain.  It was loaded in ships and taken round the coast via Liverpool to Runcorn, a port on the River Mersey and the terminus of the Duke of Bridgewater’s Canal, where it was transhipped into small boats, which conveyed it to the potteries in Staffordshire, involving a carriage of about fifty miles, After being manufactured into porcelain, it was packed into crates and again consigned by canal to many places inland and to Liverpool for shipment abroad, the carriage being cheaper and safer than if consigned by rail, owing to the fragile nature of the goods.  Some of the earthenware had of course to be sent by rail, but the breakages in shunting operations and the subsequent claims on the railway companies caused the rate of carriage to be very high.

In later years the pottery trade became rather depressed owing to competition from abroad, and a story was told of a traveller from the Staffordshire Potteries who called at a wholesale house in London where he invariably got some orders, but on this occasion was unsuccessful.  When he inquired the reason, he was taken to the warehouse and shown a small china tea service.  “Do you know that?” asked the manager.  “Yes!” quickly replied the traveller; “that comes from so-and-so in the Potteries, and is their favourite pattern and design!” “And what did I pay for it?” “Twelve and six,” promptly replied the traveller.  “Ah,” said his customer, “you are wrong this time; that set cost us 10s. 6d., and came from Germany!” The traveller reported the matter to his firm, who on inquiry discovered that the Germans had erected a pottery on their sea-coast and, by taking advantage of sea carriage both ways, were able to undersell the British manufacturer with pottery for which the clay had been found in his own country.

Arriving at St. Austell, we had a look round the town, and visited the church, which was dedicated to St. Austell.  But in the previous year it had undergone a restoration, and there appeared to be some doubt whether the figure on the tower was that of the patron saint or not.  There were other figures, but the gargoyles were as usual the ugliest of the lot.

There was formerly a curious clock there which was mentioned in an old deed of the time of Edward VI recording that St. Austell’s tower had “four bells and a clok,” but the bells had been increased to eight and a new clock placed in the tower, though the face of the old one, representing the twenty-four hours in as many circles, could still be seen.  When the old clock had been made, it was evident there was no repetition in the afternoon of the morning’s numerals, as the hours after twelve noon were the thirteenth and fourteenth, and so on up to twenty-four.  The church porch was quite a fine erection, with a chamber built over it, at one time used as a sleeping-room by travelling monks, and, like the nave, with a battlement along the top, an old inscription over the porch, “Ry du,” having been interpreted as meaning “Give to God.”  The carving over the doorway represented a pelican feeding its young with blood from its own breast, and a sundial bore the very significant motto: