Records of Scotts' Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Greenock, Inverclyde, Scotland

• Minute books 1903-1957
• Administrative papers including yard, properties and plans, labour, wages, welfare and conditions, patents and agreements 1818-1981;
• Shareholders records 1899-1964;
• Annual balances, profit & loss accounts 1859-1969;
• Ledgers 1780-1967;
• Journals 1802-1970;
• Cash books 1851-1969;
• Account books 1870-1959;
• Inventories and valuations 1883-1980;
• Letter books 1798-1950;
• Correspondence including private business, estimates and tenders, engines, admiralty, mercantile and secretary and accounts departments 1900-1970;
• Enquiries, tenders, contracts and specifications 1853-1974;
• Cost books 1825-1978;
• Salaries and wages 1903-1969;
• Drawings: Hulls of new ships, refits and conversions and Admiralty contracts c.1869-1960s;
• Drawings: Engines of c.90 ships;
• Drawings: Hulls undertaken by Greenock Dockyard Co Ltd of ship nos. 211-511 (not inclusive);
• Technical documents relating to engines nos. 571-571 (not inclusive) 1922-1982;
• Photographs and negatives of ships, machinery, dockyards, personnel and miscellaneous images, 20th century;
• Cinematographic film 1962;
• Microfilm of financial records, wage books etc. 1941-1946;
• Arrangements for launches 1925-1968;
• Trials programmes 1946-1966;
• Press cuttings for Scotts' and Greenock Dockyard Co 1849-1962;
• Publications from Scotts', Scott-Lithgow and Reports of the British Shipbuilding Research Association 1856-1962;
• Miscellaneous material concerning the shipyard, vessels and other shipyards 1837-1900.

Note: The collections of drawings of hulls and engines for both Scotts' and Greenock Dockyard Co are not comprehensive. Drawings for around 383 ship hulls from Scotts' survive, the earliest being ship no. 61, and around 90 engines from ship nos. 570-851. Around 167 hull drawing survive for the Greenock Dockyard Co from between ship nos. 211-511.

In 1711  , John Scott established a small business to build herring busses and other craft. Later, his sons expanded the business and, in 1790  , the firm acquired the Greenock Foundry, Greenock, Scotland, and began trading as Scott, Sinclair & Co . In 1859  , they became known as the Greenock Foundry Co , but also traded variously as John Scott & Sons and Scott & Co . In 1899  , the firm was incorporated as a limited liability company, Scotts' Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd , and it absorbed the Greenock Foundry Co in 1904  . The company took over Scott & Sons (Bowling) Ltd in 1965  and Greenock Dockyard Co Ltd in 1966. In 1970  , the company merged with Lithgows Ltd , Port Glasgow, Scotland, to form Scott Lithgow Ltd , Greenock.. The new company was nationalised in 1977  as part of British Shipbuilders, and sold to Trafalgar House plc in 1984  . Scott Lithgow plc continued trading until 1992 when their operations ceased.

Source: Ritchie, L A (ed),The shipbuilding industry: A guide to historical records , (1992, Manchester)

This material is arranged into series, which consist of numbers of items related by function and/or format. Within series, the items are generally arranged chronologically.

Requests for access for legal, business or commercial purposes must be referred to Keeper of the Records of Scotland

Deposit : National Archives of Scotland and Scotts of Greenock Ltd : 1978-1998

Held under the charge and superintendence of the Keeper of the Records of Scotland

Manual file level list available in searchroom.

Manual file level list available at the National Registers of Archives in Edinburgh (NRA(S)2069) and London (NRA10856)

No known copies

See separate copyright regulations. Any requests for large scale copying must be referred to the Keeper of the Records of Scotland.

This material has been appraised in line with standard National Archives of Scotland procedures

Records held by Scotts of Greenock Ltd prior to acquisition by the National Archives of Scotland

Accruals possible

See source list on Shipping and Shipbuilding Industry available via the Glasgow University Archive Services homepage

GB 248 GD 320 Records of Lithgows Ltd (shipbuilders: 1918-1967: Port Glasgow)

GB 248 GD 322 Records of Scott & Sons (Bowling) Ltd (shipbuilders and repairers: 1958-1965: Bowling, Dunbartonshire)

GB 248 GD 323/1-24 Records of Scott Lithgow Group

GB 599 Scott Lithgow Ltd - Scotts' Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd , Greenock. Collection contains record books and photographs of ships.

No known publications using this material

This material is original

The fonds level of description was compiled by Jenny Bunn, Assistant Archivist, 3 April 2000

Amended by Emma Yan, Assistant Archivist (Cataloguing), 01 February 2008