Editing Pearson plc (section)

=== Manufacturing businesses 1856 to 1993 ===
In 1856, S. Pearson & Son advertised itself as manufacturing sanitary tubes and bricks in Yorkshire.<ref name="IDCH"/> Manufacturing expanded beyond sanitary tubes and bricks to include a variety of items globally, including nuts and bolts, specialist glass, pottery, porcelain and fine china, and related items.<ref name="IDCH"/>

Pearson acquired Allied English Potteries (including [[Royal Crown Derby]]) in 1964<ref>{{cite web |last1=Birks |first1=Steve |title=Allied English Potteries Ltd |url=https://www.thepotteries.org/allpotters/19c.htm |website=thepotteries.org |access-date=12 February 2024}}</ref> and [[Royal Doulton|Doulton & Co.]] in November 1971, whereupon it merged those two potteries companies.<ref name="potteryhistories">{{cite web |last1=Perry |first1=Mike |title=Royal Doulton |url=https://potteryhistories.com/doultonhistory.html |website=potteryhistories.com |access-date=12 February 2024 |date=2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Royal Doulton Company Records |url=http://www.archives.staffordshire.gov.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=G272%2F2 |website=archives.staffordshire.gov.uk |access-date=12 February 2024}}</ref> Pearson purchased the [[Fairey Aviation Company|Fairey Group]] in 1980, and its engineering was merged with Doulton's industrial ceramics engineering.<ref name="doultonusa">{{cite web |title=Doulton |url=https://doultonusa.com/HTML%20pages/history.htm |website=doultonusa.com |access-date=12 February 2024}}</ref>

Pearson sold Doulton Glass Industries Ltd in 1982.<ref name="IDCH"/><ref name="doultonusa"/> The Fairey Group became independent of Pearson in 1986 via a management buy-out.<ref name="doultonusa"/> As Pearson refocused on its core publishing and media industries, it divested Royal Doulton, which was its remaining fine china division and the last of Pearson's manufacturing assets, in 1993.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pearson Announces Spinoff of Royal Doulton |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/12/business/company-news-pearson-announces-spinoff-of-royal-doulton.html |access-date=12 February 2024 |publisher=[[The New York Times]] |agency=[[Reuters]] |date=12 November 1993}}</ref><ref name="potteryhistories"/>