Founder of the Spode company, Josiah Spode I, was baptised on March 23rd 1733. His exact date of birth is not known*. He is sometime referred to as Spode I.
A son and a grandson also had the same name, so are referred to as Josiah Spode II (or Spode II) and Josiah Spode III (or Spode III). There was also a Josiah Spode IV but he was not directly involved with the company.
Spode I was probably born in Lower Lane or Lane Delph near Stoke in North Staffordshire, England.
Josiah Spode I was an important figure in the history of the North Staffordshire pottery industry and, together with his sons Josiah Spode II and Samuel, a generous benefactor to local good causes.
You can find out more about the owners of the Spode company on my page Who Owned Spode?
*updated Feb 2020 with thanks to Peter Roden for sharing his research
