Records of Webster, Steel & Co, piece goods manufacturers and merchants, Glasgow, Scotland

Includes:

• Webster Steel & Co administrative records;
• Webster Steel & Co shareholders' records;
• Webster Steel & Co correspondence;
• Webster Steel & Co accounting records;
• Webster Steel & Co staff records;
• Webster Steel & Co property records;
• Steel, Murray & Co, Durban property records;
• St Lucia Sugar Co annual reports and accounts.

Webster, Steel & Co, piece goods manufacturers and merchants at 33 Renfield Street, Glasgow, Scotland, was formed c1863  by James A Steel and James Muir. In 1865 , a branch was formed in Valparaiso, Chile under the name of Houstoun, Muir & Co, and in 1869  a branch in London was formed under the name Houstoun, Steel & Co. In 1873 , Webster, Steel & Co opened a branch in Natal, South Africa under the name Steel, Atkinson & Co. In 1874 , John Muir, father of Sir John Muir of James Finlay & Co, and senior partner of James Finlay & Co Ltd, textile manufacturers, tea planters and merchants, Glasgow, became a partner in Webster, Steel & Co. Webster, Steel Co were agents for James Finlay & Co in South America. The South African part of the business was carried out by Steel, Murray & Co. In 1875 , the Vaparaiso branch changed its name from Houstoun, Muir & Co to Steel, Hedderwick & Co, which one-year later was liquidated. The London branch changed its name from Houstoun, Steel, & Co to Webster, Steel & Co. In 1884 , the Natal branch changed its name from Steel, Atkinson, & Co to Steel, Murray & Co, which was wound up in 1931 . Throughout the 1880s and 1890s , Webster, Steel & Co and its subsidiaries had a number of partners who variously died or retired instigating the changes of company name but, by 1895 , Sir John Muir was the sole partner. Sir John Muir always had an interest in Webster, Steel Co and there is plenty of documentary evidence to his personal financial stake. After his death in 1903 , his Trustees continued the business until taken over by James Finlay & Co Ltd in 1924 . Webster, Steel & Co were still trading in 1950 .

Files arranged as received.

Some files in this collection are subject to Data Protection legislation as they contain sensitive information and material under 30 years old is closed to access. It is advised that you should contact the Duty Archivist before visiting: library-asc@glasgow.ac.uk

None which affect the use of this material

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

Any work intended for publication that is based on research from this collection must be approved in advance. Apply in the first instance to Archives and Special Collections, email: library-asc@glasgow.ac.uk

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 248 procedures. Duplicates have been removed.

None expected

See GB 248 UGD 091/1/1/2/8 ff. 245-7, and ff. 263 for the 1924 continuation of business under the same name. See GB 248 UGD 091/1/4/2/1-6, which show Sir John Muir's interest in Webster, Steel Co; and see also GB 248 UGD91/26/2/1.

Material in other repositories: GB 059 Finlay Campbell & Co and Finlay Muir & Co (British Library: Oriental and India Office Collections)

No known publications using this material

Description compiled in line with the following international standards: International Council on Archives, ISAD(G) Second Edition, September 1999and National Council on Archives, Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names

Scotland is the location of all place names in the administrative/biographical history element, unless otherwise stated.

Collection catalogued by members of Glasgow University Archive Services staff. Catalogue converted to Encoded Archival Description by Michelle Kaye, Archives Assistant (Cataloguing), May 2012. Additional material catalogued and converted into Encoded Archival Description by Peter Morphew, Cataloguing Archivist, January 2016.