SylvaC (with a deliberate capital C at the end) is a brand of British ornamental pottery characterised primarily by figurines of animals and Toby Jugs. The SylvaC company briefly ceased production in 1982 although production of SylvaC pieces was resumed in 1998 by the current trademark holder Norman Williams.

The company was founded in 1894 by William Shaw and his uncle  William Copestake. They gave their names to the fledgling company ‘ Shaw and Copestake’. Initially at the Drury Works, Normacot Road, Longton but very soon afterwards at the Sylvan Works, Normacot Road. Copestake left in 1895, however, and Richard Hull became Shaw's partner.
Hull's son joined in 1936. And it became a Ltd Company. In 1938 the ‘Thomas Lawrence ( Longton) Limited of the Falcon Pottery, Waterloo Street, Longton’ was bought (which produced pottery with the distinctive 'falcon' mark on it).
 
Until a suitable factory was built on land opposite the old Shaw and Copestake the two companies operated independently for nineteen years. In 1957 new works were opened at Barford Street, Longton. At this time 140 people were employed. 
New premises, gradually merged the two businesses and the Falcon Mark of Thomas Lawrence was ceased in 1964.

Following the voluntary liquidation of Shaw and Copestake in 1982, the factory and contents were bought by the North Midlands Co-Operative Society and from there they leased it to a workers co-operative society called Longton Ceramics. A year and a half later the United Co-Operative society took over and ran it as the Crown Windsor name. This was not a successful venture and only managed five months of production before liquidation. The premises was bought by Portmeirion Potteries Ltd in 1991 (1989?) who began to operate there.
Portmeirion Pottery began in 1960 when pottery designer Susan Williams-Ellis (daughter of Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who created the Italian-style Portmeirion Village in North Wales) and her husband, Euan Cooper- Willis, took over a small pottery-decorating company in Stoke-on-Trent,called A. E. Gray Ltd.

Central to the SylvaC line throughout its history were figurines of animals, and rabbits in particular. Dogs were also popular and virtually every breed ended-up being characterised in pottery. Many variations of Toby Jugs were produced, including 'character' versions which celebrated events or tied into product advertising. Although many colours and glazes were used, most people remember the distinctive orange or green glazes most.

SylvaC pieces are not rare; however, they are becoming collectable, and the best pieces can fetch high prices. There is a common belief that pieces made after 1982 are fakes or somehow "less" SylvaC than pieces made before then. As with any collectable, there is a vested interest in keeping prices high despite the fact that SylvaC was never particularly expensive to produce and not in any sense rare and certainly never meant to be high art.

The Falconware/SylvaC brands have passed through many hands since the days of Shaw&Copestake and the notion of a "Golden Era" of SylvaC is a very modern construct that has had a detrimental effect on all of the great pottery houses, especially those based in Stoke-on-Trent.

1894- 1982
Early ware was unmarked.
‘SylvaC' was a trade name often used by Shaw & Copestake, it was not until c.1937 that the name "SylvaC" was impressed on the bottom of the ware but it was very haphazard and much ware was unmarked. 
Shaw & Copestake also used paper or metal foil stickers to mark their ware - most of these fell of during use.

Bron(nen): Wikipedia en www.thepotteries.org