The colour of the mark during this period was predominantly black but other colours were used, amongst them red, blue, orange, green, brown, and pink. Some pieces of Belleek also carry the British Patent Office registration mark which gives the date of registration, not the date the piece was manufactured. During this period Belleek also used impressed mark, with the words "BELLEEK,CO. FERMANAGH" or "BELLEEK", or a small impressed mark of a harp or harp and crown. The latter are more usually found on Earthenware pieces.

The Second mark used from 1891- 1926 reflects the addition of a ribbon surrounding the lower half of the design for the first mark on which appears the words "CO FERMANAGH IRELAND" The change in the trademark occurred in 1891 in compliance with the 1891 Mc Kinley Tariff Act and the 1887 British Merchandise Act as amended in 1891,requiring the country of origin to be specified on the article. The mark is black. Wherever impressed marks were used, particularly with figurines the word "IRELAND" is added. Sometimes discolouration or fading is seen in this mark. Although it is not definite why this occurred, it is likely that this product was made during the First World War when materials were difficult to acquire and inferior materials were used.

Introduced in 1926, possibly to mark the Wembley Exhibition of that year. It also contains the registry mark "REG No 0857". Interestingly this registry mark dates from 1884 but was only used from 1926! This mark is always black and was used up to 1946. Around scroll with Celtic decoration and the words "deanta in eireann" (made in Ireland) added. On Earthenware the stamp Belleek changed to "Melvin Ware" in 1936 probably to distinguish it from the more prestigious Parian China.

The Pottery resumed full production in 1946 In tests carried out on backstamps, green was felt to be less obtrusive than black at showing through the translucent China and thus it was decided to change the colour from black to green. The mark is identical to its predecessor in every way except the colour.

A capital "R" in a circle was added in 1955 to signify that the trademark had been registered in the United States. The additional mark is placed immediately above the right hand tip of the banner with the words "CO FERMANAGH IRELAND" the mark is Green.

The size of the mark was reduced in 1965 probably to accommodate placing stamps on smaller pieces. The "R" in the circle moved to above the harp on the main stamp. The mark is Green.

In April 1980 the seventh mark was introduced to commemorate the centenary of Gold medal won at the Melbourne Exhibition of 1880. The colour was changed to gold and the round disk with "deanta in eireann" was omitted At some time around 1984 the gold colour on the mark was substituted with a brown colour, the reason is not known but it is likely that the colour was changed due to the gold burning off during firing.

The previous mark was earmarked to be changed in 1990 but due to changes and personnel this date was missed and the mark was not changed until 1993. Blue was chosen as the colour to differentiate it from other marks and it is

This change was made due to purely technical reasons. There were a lot of problems with the first blue mark with parts of the mark burning off during firing. This resulted in a lot of pieces having to be re-fired with obvious added costs. New artwork for Belleek packaging had been developed around the same time and it was decided to use the opportunity to match both together.

This mark was introduced to mark the Millennium and is black with the additional legend above the mark "MILLENNIUM 2000" and "IRELAND" below the mark. Limited to pieces made during the year 2000.

This is the current mark and is likely to remain until 2010. The green is a match of the colour used on earthenware during the first period.

The firm of David Mc Birney & Co was formed in 1857 and the lease on the pottery site signed. The lease was for a term of 999 years. Robert Armstrong became the first manager and ART director of the pottery and it is interesting that the symbols chosen for the emblem of the Pottery were the Harp, Round Tower and Wolfhound sitting on an island of shamrocks. These are all- symbolic of Ireland. Perhaps chosen to proclaim the arrival of a new product of Ireland. In turn Belleek itself became symbolic of Ireland and often emigrants would bring a piece of Belleek with them to their new homes across the globe to serve as a reminder of “the old country”.

One Hundred and fifty years later we proudly are issuing a new backstamp to celebrate our background and history but equally to proclaim that we are continuing to design and manufacture new products and are dynamically striving to enhance and expand the appeal of Belleek.