Maryland, Brownsea Island Maryland, Brownsea Island Maryland is a deserted village on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. It was named for the wife of its founder, Colonel William Petrie Waugh. The village was established in the mid-19th century to house workers for a new pottery industry (Branksea Clay & Pottery Company) on the island. The supposed deposit of high quality china clay proved to be unsuitable for porcelain, and the drainage pipes and chimney pots that were produced were not financially viable. The Waughs were forced into bankruptcy. Maryland's people stayed on the island after the closure of the pottery, farming
Brownsea Island the castle and records suggest that he spent £50,000 on enhancing the island's gardens. Sir Augustus John Foster, a retired British diplomat, bought the island in 1840. Foster experienced bouts of depression and died in Brownsea Castle in 1848 when he slit his throat. In 1852 Brownsea was again up for sale and was sold for £13,000. It was purchased by William Waugh, a former Colonel in the British Army in the belief he could exploit the white clay deposits on the island to manufacture high-quality porcelain. A three-storey pottery was built in south-west corner of the island together with