The Layton Collection

THE THOMAS LAYTON TRUST & LAYTON'S COLLECTION

Examples of Early English Pottery

Layton acquired reference books about objects as well as the objects themselves. This fine example, about early English pottery, was published in a limited edition of 500 copies in 1891. The embossed cover design uses the style of lettering from Staffordshire slipware, especially that of the Toft family. The authors, John Eliot Hodgkin FSA (1829-1912) and his daughter, Edith Hodgkin, were based in Putney.

The Collection

Thomas Layton collected books, coins, and archaeological items (usually described as ‘antiquities’) for 70 years. In that time he had accumulated what has been described as “probably the largest collection of London antiquities ever amassed by a single individual”.

The vast majority of items are believed to have been bought at auctions. Some came to him from his men working on the river. His businesses provided opportunities for finds from dredging, building of bridges and embankments along the banks of the Thames, for which Layton paid good money. Even by the standards of the day Layton kept poor records of where items were found. Despite this, the collection is considered highly important particularly to archaeologists and pre-historians.