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In Britain, people tend to hand down porcelain as heirloom within their families for generations. Fine porcelain was originally brought from the Far East to Europe, and was treated as precious imported goods for the aristocracy in Britain. It was treated to prove a noble family and handed down from generation to generation to build up the family status. The consuming style of aristocracy had been followed by other social classes from the 18th century and throughout the 19th century. This English custom of "family porcelain" is still found as traditional custom in a Cotswold town where has been historically recognized as "the most English" area and created "Englishness" by preserving heritage and attracting tourists.

This paper aims to show how people treat family porcelain and what the management of family porcelain means in today's Britain. Nowadays, family porcelain handed down among people was originally given as a present in rituals of passage or inheritance. It tends to be inherited from paternal grandmother, mother and maternal side of family. Most of family porcelain is not used, but displayed or kept. In fact, porcelain from mother and grandmother tend to be displayed. By displaying family porcelain, family memories of the past members and rituals are embodied in a space as a living room in people's house. By using family porcelain daily or in special occasion, family memories are reviving more vividly in people's life and are connecting each generation to the lineage. Family porcelain carries symbolic messages about people's identity and belonging.

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