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In 1849 John Caldwell Bloomfield inherited the
Castlecaldwell estate, which encompassed the village of Belleek, from his
father. Mindful of the plight of his tenants in the aftermath of the potato
famine he sought to provide some form of worthwhile employment. An amateur
mineralogist, he ordered a geological survey of his land. To his delight it
revealed the necessary raw materials to make Pottery - feldspar, kaolin, flint,
clay and shale.
The village of Belleek, whose name in Gaelic, beal leice, translates to
'Flagstone Ford' was a natural choice to locate the business especially the
part of the village known as Rose Isle. This small isle provided the best
opportunity to leash the yet untamed power of the River Erne - power to drive a
mill wheel strong enough to grind components into Slip, the term applied to
liquid potters clay.
Bloomfield acquired partners in the venture, Robert Williams Armstrong an
architect from London with an abiding interest in ceramics, and David Mc
Birney, a wealthy Dublin merchant.
Next he pulled strings, lobbied and practically paved the way single handedly
for the Railway Service to come to Belleek. By rail, coal could be brought in
to fire the Kilns and the finished Belleek product could be sent to market with
ease.
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