Records of Birkmyre Brothers (Calcutta) Ltd, jute spinners, Calcutta, India

Scope and Content

  • Contract of copartnery 1910;
  • Financial records 1935.

Administrative / Biographical History

The Gourock Ropeworks Co was founded in 1736  in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, Scotland. By the late nineteenth century the company was under the control of Henry Birkmyre (1832-1900) and his brother, John, who had become partners in the firm in 1853. Their father, William Birkmyre, had also been a manager of the company until he retired in 1860.

The late 1880s also saw the Gourock Ropeworks Co Ltd establishing offices and warehouses throughout Britain and South America. Agents were also appointed in Europe and other markets were established in Australia. William Birkmyre, Henry's brother, who had managed the sacking mill at Greenock, was responsible for the establishing a large jute mill in Calcutta, India, in partnership with Henry and John. The firm of Birkmyre Bros (Calcutta) Ltd, which eventually operated the Hastings Mill in Calcutta and two others in Serampore and Bombay, generated an average of £10,358 a year as interest on capital invested in the last 10 years of Henry's life. The company continued to trade until the 1930s.

Arrangement

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

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Gourock Ropeworks Co Ltd : Port Glasgow : c.1971

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)1717) and London (NRA10832)

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

The bulk of this material was received directly from the creator by the Economic History Department, Glasgow University in c1971. Management of the collection transferred to Glasgow University Archives in 1975.

Accruals

None expected

Related Material

GB 0248 UGD 42 Records of Gourock Ropeworks Co Ltd

The Gourock Ropeworks Co had a number of subsidiary companies whose records survive:

GB 0248 UGD 42/6/1 Records of Govan Ropeworks Co Ltd

GB 0248 UGD 42/6/2 Records of Archibald Thomson Black & Co

GB 0248 UGD 42/6/3 Records of Gourock Ropeworks Export Co

GB 248 UGD 42/6/4 Records of Gourock-Bridport Ltd, Montreal, Canada

GB 0248 UGD 42/6/5 Records of Greenock Ropework Co

GB 0248 UGD 42/6/6 Records of Gourock Ropes and Canvas (Africa) Ltd

GB 0248 UGD 42/6/7 Records of Gourock Ropes and Canvas Co Ltd, Australia (including Birkmyre Canvas Co Pty Ltd)

GB0248 UGD 42/6/9 Records of Gourock Ropes & Canvas Ltd, New Zealand

GB 0248 UGD 42/6/10 Records of Gourock Ropes & Canvas Ltd, Argentina

GB 0248 UGD 42/6/12 Records of miscellaneous companies related to the Gourock Ropeworks Co Ltd

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

Material in other repositories: no material associated by provenance

Bibliography

No known publications using this material

Additional Information

This material is original

No alterations made to date