Records of Fleming & Ferguson Ltd, shipbuilders, Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland

Scope and Content

  • Material cost books 1913-1961
  • Outside order books 1931-1955
  • Vessel particulars 1880-1964
  • Weights and cost sheets 1912-1966
  • Trim and stability books yard nos.761-799 (not inclusive)
  • Memoranda, articles and annual returns 1950-1982
  • Miscellaneous photographs, catalogues and drawings 1896-1960s
  • Plans 1917-1958
  • Navigation plans c1894-1952
  • Ship plans nos.1-703 (not inclusive)

Administrative / Biographical History

The partnership of Fleming & Ferguson , shipbuilders, was established in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland, in 1885  , and took over the business and yard of H McIntyre & Co continuing McIntyre's sequence of yard numbers from 121. Fleming & Ferguson Ltd was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1895  , being reconstituted as a company with the same name in 1898. In 1903, the Ferguson part of the business broke away, setting up their own ship yard at Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, Scotland, as Ferguson Brothers in wrongful-anticipation of the former firms failure.

The company specialised in craft for harbour construction and improvement including dredgers, hopper barges and other types of small ship. Small passenger for use world wide were also produced with one of their most famous ships being the Antarctic research ship John Biscoe, built in 1956.

The yard was rescued from closure in 1965 by the American Marine & Machinery Co , but ceased building in 1968 when the company's good will was purchased by Alexander Stephen Engineering Ltd , Glasgow. Fleming & Ferguson Ltd was dissolved in October 2001  .

Source: Ritchie, L A (ed) , The Shipbuilding Industry: A Guide to Historical Records , (1992, Manchester)

Arrangement

The material is arranged into series as shown in the scope and content note. Within series, items are generally arranged chronologically.

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Deposit : National Archives of Scotland via John Brown Engineering : Glasgow : 1984 : ACCN 0059

Permanent loan : 1989 : ACCNs 0108, 0110

Permanent loan : 1994 : ACCN 0215

Note

Material in other repositories: no material associated by provenance

Other Finding Aids

Digital file level list available in searchroom

Manual file level list available at the National Registers of Archives in Edinburgh (NRA(S)575) and London (NRA14816 and 21083)

Alternative Form Available

No known copies

Conditions Governing Use

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the University Archivist

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use & condition of documents

Appraisal Information

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 248 procedures

Custodial History

Unknown

Accruals

None expected

Related Material

GB 604 UGD 130 Minutes, order, dredger cost, trial, specifications and measurement books, correspondence files, plans, photographs of Fleming & Ferguson Ltd (Paisley Museum, Art Gallery & Coats Observatory)

GB 248 GD 321 and GD 323/14 Records of Ferguson Brothers (Port Glasgow) Ltd

GB 248 UGD 349 and GB 248 UCS 003 Records of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Ltd, Linthouse Division

For contact details of all repositories with a GB code, see the Archon repository search page

Location of Originals

This material is original

Bibliography

No known publications using this material

Additional Information

No alterations made to date

Geographical Names