Back to Kuykendall Genealogy IndexWEMYSS
I had never heard the name Wemyss before researching our family. I was surprised to find the name several times in the emigration lists for Australia. Then, at a Southern Cross Genealogy site, Wemyss is the name of the man in charge of the commissary for all the convicts in 1821. In Scotland, it is a family name with a castle to boot. Following is from a web page from a Scottish pottery company:
https://www.wemyss-ware.co.uk/pages/History.asp
History of WEMYSS® WARE
Wemyss® Ware is a type of earthenware pottery produced in the Fife Pottery of Robert Heron & Son in Kirkcaldy, Fife, from around 1882 to 1930. It was named after the Wemyss family of Wemyss Castle, near Kirkcaldy, who were early enthusiastic patrons. It is probably the most attractive and sought-after Scottish pottery.
The most outstanding feature of Wemyss® Ware is the painting, which was all done by hand in a free-flowing naturalistic style. Cats, pigs, tableware and vast range of everyday items were boldly decorated in vibrant colours with fruit, flowers, birds and animals. Roses, both wild dog roses and hybrid cabbage roses, were a particular specialty.
It is not surprising that the style has a distinctly continental flavour, since the artist mainly responsible for it was Karel Nekola, (pictured right), a Bohemian who was trained on the continent, possibly at Dresden. He was recruited by Robert Methven Heron to work in Fife. Additionally, some of the Wemyss cat designs were probably modeled on those produced by Galle, and the black cockerel motif, which appears on some pieces, is a traditional French design. The Griselda Hill Pottery is gratified that since 1993 there has been a direct link between Griselda Hill and Karel Nekola through Esther Weeks, the last Wemyss decorator, who was herself taught by Karel's son Joseph. Esther has passed on to Griselda many of the secrets of the Wemyss techniques, especially those concerning the cabbage rose, which was the archetypal Wemyss design.
The quality of the painting is one of the hall-marks of Wemyss® Ware. An under-glaze technique was used, with the design painted directly onto the biscuit-fired pottery. This gave the artist much greater freedom and allowed more subtle effects than the more common over-glaze method. One consequence of this technique was that, in order to preserve the colours, the glaze had to be fired at a relatively low temperature, which meant that over time it almost always crazed. For decorative items this did not matter, but for functional pieces such as inkwells and honey-pots it was a disadvantage because the piece eventually discoloured as the contents seeped into the pottery.
Because of the labour required to paint each item, and the high failure rate in the kiln, Wemyss Ware was always expensive. It was fortunate for the pottery that it proved very popular with aristocracy and landed gentry for many years until the combination of a shift in fashion away from the naturalistic Wemyss style and the Depression brought about the closure of the Fife Pottery in 1930. This was not quite the end of Wemyss Ware, however, because the rights and moulds were bought by the Bovey Pottery in Devon, which continued to produce it until 1957.
Original Wemyss® Ware is today highly collectable, and the prices for unusual or particularly fine items are very high. One of the best collections is to be seen locally, in the Kirkcaldy Museum.
Wilhemina Wemyss
Immigration to Victoria 1852-1879
Index to Inward Passenger Lists,
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Surname Given names Age Month Year Ship Code Fiche Page
WEMYSS ALEXR 19 JAN 1854 MERLIN B 060 005
WEMYSS CATHERINE 8 JUL 1866 STAR OF INDIA B 258 004
WEMYSS CHRISTINA 26 SEP 1871 WESTERN EMPIRE B 305 003
WEMYSS GEORGE 5 JUL 1866 STAR OF INDIA B 258 004
WEMYSS GRACE 42 JUL 1866 STAR OF INDIA B 258 004
WEMYSS J W MR 40 OCT 1857 ISTANBOUL B 133 004
WEMYSS MALCOLM 27 SEP 1871 WESTERN EMPIRE B 305 003
WEMYSS WHILMINA 18 DEC 1865 SAM CEARNS B 253 006
WEMYSS WM 45 JUL 1866 STAR OF INDIA B 258 004
WEMYSS WM 13 JUL 1866 STAR OF INDIA B 258 004
This list shows Harold Hamilton Kerr's mother, Wilhemina Wemyss, arriving in Victoria AU on the ship SAM CEARNS at the age of 18 in December 1865. No other family members with her last name are shown on the ship with her. She emigrated to Australia as a governess, in order to escape a bad family situation.
Note, in July of the next year, 5 people with the name of Wemyss arrived in Victoria on the Star of India. This is not the same ship that is tied up in San Diego Harbor, San Diego, CA. The ship in San Diego was launched in 1863 as Euterpe, renamed in 1906 or so as Star of India.