Char les ▁James ▁Mason ) ▁who ▁invent ed ▁Mason ' s ▁iron - stone ▁ch ina . ▁His ▁father , ▁who ▁graduated ▁from ▁Bras en ose ▁College , ▁Oxford , ▁was ▁a ▁cultiv ated ▁man , ▁who ▁ret iring ▁from ▁his ▁business ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 9 , ▁became ▁a ▁country ▁gentleman , ▁dev oting ▁himself ▁to ▁literature ▁and ▁painting . ▁In ▁ 1 8 3 2 ▁the ▁family ▁moved ▁to ▁W et ley ▁Ab bey , ▁a ▁m ansion ▁situated ▁in ▁the ▁midst ▁of ▁a ▁park , ▁near ▁W et ley ▁Ro cks ▁in ▁Staff ord shire , ▁five ▁miles ▁from ▁the ▁Pot ter ies . ▁ ▁Mason ▁was ▁educated ▁at ▁King ▁Edward ' s ▁School , ▁B irmingham , ▁and ▁from ▁ 1 8 3 4 ▁trained ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁doctor ▁under ▁William ▁Roy den ▁W att s , ▁a ▁sur geon , ▁of ▁B irmingham , ▁but ▁abandoned ▁medicine ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 4 ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁purs ue ▁a ▁career ▁as ▁an ▁artist . ▁As ▁a ▁youth ▁he ▁was ▁passion ately ▁fond ▁of ▁literature ▁and ▁athlet ics , ▁and ▁he ▁inherited ▁his ▁father ' s ▁taste ▁for ▁painting . ▁An ▁early ▁oil ▁sketch ▁of ▁his ▁exists ▁entitled ▁" D ummy ' s ▁Turn ▁to ▁Play " ▁in ▁which ▁he ▁tried ▁to ▁em body ▁a ▁gh ast ly ▁incident ▁of ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁the ▁pl ague . ▁He ▁was ▁also ▁art ▁critic ▁to ▁a ▁local ▁newspaper . ▁ ▁Life ▁in ▁Italy ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁aut umn ▁of ▁