The company was founded in Longton, England, in 1862. It was established as Adams, Scrivener & Co. The third owner was Titus Hammersley. After Mr. Scrivener's retirement, the company was continued by Adams and Hammersley as Harvey Adams & Co.
Titus Hammersley died in 1875, and was succeeded by his eldest son, George Harris Hammersley. Finally, in 1885, Harvey Adams retired, leaving George Hammersley in charge of Hammersley & Co. His partner in the firm was Sarah Hammersley. Three years later, the management was taken over by Gilbert Hemmersley (George's brother). Later, Gilbert's sons Eric and Leslie joined the company.
In 1932, the company was renamed Hammersley and Co (Longton) Ltd. They moved from the Sunderland Road Works in Longton to the Alsager Pottery. Alsager China was used as a trademark.
In 1970, the company was purchased by Carborundum Limited, which merged with Royal Worcester six years later to form Royal Worcester Spode Ltd.
In 1982, the Hammersley name was purchased by Palissy Pottery Ltd. However, Hammersley's Works were closed. In 1989, the Hammersley name was bought by Aynsley China, which operated until 2014, when the factory closed.