Just reicieved this from MIS.
I have sent your images to Christies New York. Here is the response.
Thank you for the images of a crisp English fern and vine molded majolica dessert plate. The impressed mark refers to a firm established by Samuel Lear, circa 1887-1886.
In addition to the wonderful information in Marilyn and Joan’s book, web reader’s might enjoy this link to the Stoke-on-Trent Potteries site. Their source for the entry on Lear is Jewitt’s and surveys of the period among others. Please find some of the details cut and pasted below. Also find a Christie’s lot entry for a Samuel Lear majolica teapot with footnotes referencing good sources for the works including a period advertisement published by the Pottery Gazette.
http://www.thepotteries.org/allpotters/649a.htmMayer Street Works, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
Mayer Street Works
In about 1877, Samuel Lear erected a small china works on part of the site of the old manufactory, which included as warerooms and offices the residence of the Mayers.
Mr. Lear produced domestic china and, in addition, decorated all kinds of earthenware made by other manufacturers - a specialty being spirit kegs. He added to his Mayer Street works a new manufactory, built by himself in 1882, in the High Street and there carried on a successful manufacture of ordinary china, majolica, ivory body earthenware and Wedgwood-type jasper ware. Samuel Lear fell on bad times in 1886 and his creditors closed the works.
Jewitt's Ceramic Art of Great Britain 1800-1900
Thomas Bevington was recorded as working these works in 1892.
1898 OS map showing Mayer Street