William Greatbatch

William Greatbatch (circa 1735 - 29 April 1813^[1]) was a noted potter at Fenton, Staffordshire, from the mid-eighteenth to the beginning of the nineteenth centuries. Fenton was one of the six towns of the Staffordshire Potteries, which were joined in the early 20th century to become the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England.

North Staffordshire became a centre of ceramic production in the early 17th century, due to the local availability of clay, salt, lead and coal. The nature and scale of local pottery production changed dramatically during the course of the 18th century as part of the Industrial Revolution.

Greatbatch served as an apprentice to Thomas Whieldon at Fenton Vivian before setting up as an independent manufacturer. He developed and supplied wares to Josiah Wedgwood during a business partnership lasting some twenty years and later, following a bankruptcy, worked directly for Wedgwood at the Etruria works until his retirement.

Greatbatch was especially important as a designer and modeller of complicated patterns for tableware shapes, designing and making the moulds for Wedgwood and other potteries.