I was primarily hunting for the names and addresses of the early shareholders in my quest for genealogical clues...
‘This indenture made the first day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand, eight hundred and twenty-eight, between the several persons whose names are hereunto subscribed and whose seals are hereunto affixed, and Charles Wye Williams of the town of Liverpool in the Kingdom of England Esq., Richard Williams of Drumcondra Castle in the county of Dublin in the Kingdom of Ireland Esq., James Jameson of Harcourt Street in the City of Dublin Esq., James Ferrier of Willoe Park in the county of Dublin aforesaid Esq., Joseph Robinson Pim of Fitzwilliam Square in said City of Dublin Esq., William Dixon of said town of Liverpool Esq., Sir John Tobin of said town of Liverpool, Knight, Alexander Parlane and George Parsons both of said town of Liverpool Esquires of the second part.
‘Whereas by indented Articles of Agreement made, concluded and agreed upon on or about the thirteenth day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and twenty-three Between Charles Wye Williams then of Drumcondra Castle in the County of Dublin Esq., as the acting partner of the Company Copartnership or Firm therein after mentioned of the one part, and Richard Williams of Drumcondra Castle in the said County Esq., John Oldham of Suffolk Street in the city of Dublin Esq., Thomas Williams of Hampton Lodge in the County of Dublin Esq., John Doherty of Stephens Green in the City of Dublin Esq., Ephraim Carroll of Stephens Green in the City of Dublin Esq., Brent Neville Junior of Sackville Street in the said city Esq., Bryan Molloy of Belvidere Place in the said city Esq., James Kelly of Pembroke Street in the said city Esq., John Daniel of Belview in the county of Meath Esq., Henry Higginbotham of Bachelors Walk in the County of Dublin Esq., James McCall of Bachelors Walk in the City of Dublin Esq., Richard Cane of Dawson Street in the said City Esq., Thomas Gibbons of Dame Street in the said City Esq., Hutchins Thomas Williams of Dame Street in the said City Esq., Edward Rotheram of Sallymount in the County of Meath Esq., Robert Roe of Crampton Quay in the City of Dublin Esq., John Clarke of Astons Quay in the said City Esq., Alexander Taylor of Mespill in the County of Dublin Esq., Henry Smith of Annesbrook in the County of Meath Esq., George Palmer of French Street in the City of Dublin Esq., James Lenox William Naper of Loughcrew in the County of Meath Esq., Abraham Lane of Ormond Quay in the City of Dublin Esq., James Jameson of Harcourt Street in the said City Esq., Richard Manders of Mountjoy Square in the said City Esq., Robert Manders of Mountjoy Square in the said City Esq., Henry William Thompson of Stone Brook in the County of Kildare Esq., John Woolsey of Castle Bellingham in the County of Louth Esq., William Walshe of Rutland Square in the City of Dublin Esq., as anonymous partners in the said Company copartnership or Firm of the other part, it was by said Articles of Agreement among other things witnessed that the said several parties thereto had agreed...to commence and carry on a joint trade...between Dublin and Liverpool and other seaports by means of steam vessels to be built for that purpose....several parties did thereby nominate and appoint the said Charles Wye Williams to be the acting partner...under the name and firm of “Charles Williams and Company” pursuant to an Act of Parliament enacted by the Parliament of Ireland in the 21st and 22nd years of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third...and that said anonymous Partners in said Firm should be the said Richard Williams, John Oldham, Thomas Williams, John Doherty, Ephraim Carroll, Brent Neville Junior, Bryan Molloy, James Kelly, John Daniel, Henry Higinbotham, James McCall, Richard Cane, Thomas Gibbons, Hutchins Thomas Williams, Edward Rotheram, Peter Roe, John Clarke, Alexander taylor, Henry Smith, George Palmer, James Lenox William Naper, Abraham mLane, James Jameson, Morgan George Crofton, Richard Manders, Robert Manders, Henry William Thompson, John Woolsey, and William Walshe.’
It was agreed that the capital or stock of the company should be £24,000, paid as follows:
Charles Wye Williams £4000
Richard Williams £2000
John Oldham £1000
Thomas Williams £1000
John Doherty £1000
Ephraim Carroll £1000
Brent Neville Junior £1000
Bryan Molloy £1000
James Kelly £1000
John Daniel £1000
Henry Higginbotham £500
James McCall £500
Richard Cane £500
Thomas Gibbons £500
Hutchins Thomas Williams £500
Edward Rotheram £500
Robert Roe £500
John Clarke £500
Alexander Taylor £500
Henry Smith £500
George Palmer £500
James Lenox William Naper £500
Abraham Lane £500
James Jameson £500
Morgan George Crofton £500
Richard Manders £500
Robert Manders £500
Henry William Thompson £500
John Woolsey £500
William Walshe £500
The above was agreed to in 1823.
On 13th July 1824, they agreed to form a new and distinct joint stock company to be called The City of Dublin Steam Packet Company. The stock should be increased to £50,000, and be divided into 500 shares of £100 each.
The co-partners this time were as follows:
Charles Wye Williams
Richard Williams
Henry Higinbotham
Brent Neville Junior of Sackville Street
Robert Roe of Crampton Quay
John Clarke of Astons Quay
James Jameson of Harcourt Street
Abraham Lane of Ormond Quay
Thomas Gibbons of Fitzwilliam Square
Ephraim Carroll of Stephens Green
Hutchins Thomas Williams of Belvidere Place
John Oldham of Suffolk Street
John Doherty of Stephens Green
Richard Cane of Dawson Street
George Palmer of French Street
John Williams of Bridge Street (A Willans family lived at Bridge St.; this might be a misspelling.)
William Atkinson of Werburgh Street
Thomas Williams of Hampton Lodge
Alexander Taylor of Mespill
William John Alexander of Stone House, Co. Dublin
John Woolsey of Castlebellingham
Henry Jeremiah Smith of Annesbrook, Co. Louth
Henry William Thompson of Stonebrook, Co. Kildare
Charles Wye Williams, Richard Williams and Henry Higinbotham were appointed as trustees of the company and authorised to construct the required steamships necessary for the agreed trade between Dublin and Liverpool.
The Deeds of Agreement of the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company, dated 13th July 1824, were witnessed and sealed in the presence of Thomas Palmer by the following:
Charles Wye Williams
Richard Williams
Henry Higinbotham
Alexander Taylor
Brent Neville Junior
Thomas Gibbons
Hutchins Thomas Williams
Richard Cane
George Palmer
Thomas Williams
William John Alexander
John Clarke
James Jameson
William Atkinson
John Oldham
Abraham Lane
The above group also witnessed and sealed the 1825 Deeds.
By 1825, capital was increased to £100,000, before being raised to £230,000. Also in 1825, the company merged with the ‘Liverpool and Dublin Steam Navigation Company’, otherwise called the ‘Mersey Steam Packet Co.’
In 1826, seven proprietors were appointed to decide if a new act of parliament or a new deed was required to regulate the company. The seven proprietors were James McCall, James Chambers, Nathaniel Caldwell (who, in 1818, had stood guarantor for Hutchins Thomas Williams when he had applied to become a stockbroker), John George Peter, Alexander Leslie, Robert Orr and Robert Roe. They suggested modifying the deed of 1825.
In 1826, Henry Higinbotham resigned. The proprietors were convened, and it was agreed that James Jameson of Harcourt Street be elected as a Trustee to replace Henry Higinbotham. Amongst the proprietors in 1826 were the following:
Paul Twigg, James Twigg, Joseph Harvey, William Lunell Guinness, Arthur Lunell Guinness, William Williams, Thomas Williams, James Ferrier, James Jameson, James McCall, Robert Roe, Benjamin Guinness, George Palmer, Alexander Bewley, George Francis Carleton, George Howell, Robert Guinness, Brent Neville, Joseph Hone, Richard Williams, Richard Palmer, Thomas Pim, Thomas Higinbotham, Charles Wye Williams, Nathaniel Callwell, Jonathan Pim, Hutchins Thomas Williams, Joseph Bewley.
By 1828, there were too many stock holders, and not enough time, to transcribe the complete list. I noted down a selection along with the amount of stock held:
Thomas Gibbons £2,400
Thomas Pim £2,700
Joseph Harvey £500
James Pim Junior of William Street £200
Jonathan Pim £2,400
Richard Williams £8,700
Thomas Williams of Sackville Street £200
Joseph Robert Pim £2,400
Joseph Bewley £500
Paul Twigg £1000
William Dixon (of Liverpool) £700
Charles Wye Williams £8000
John D. Williams £300
James Twigg £400
George Francis Carleton £300
Richard Palmer £500
Brent Neville £2000 (Brent Neville as acting executor of the late Brent Neville for £500 stock.)
James Jameson £1000
George Howell £200
John Oldham £2000
Thomas Williams of Hampton Lodge £5000
Hutchins Thomas Williams £4,400
William Williams £200
Arthur Guinness £400
Arthur Lunell Guinness £200
Alexander Bewley
P.D. La Touche
William George Eades (Hutchins Thomas Williams had him arrested in 1827!)
By Proxy were Peter Willans, Edward Charley, John Charley and Matthew Charley. (The Charley family were involved with both the linen industry and shipping in Antrim and Down - Hill Charley’s son, John Charley, married the daughter of Phineas Howell of 15 Eden Quay in 1845, Phineas Howell being the agent of the CDSPCo.)
The above proprietors elected trustees in 1828; they elected Charles Wye Williams, Richard Williams, James Jameson, James Ferrier, Joseph Robert Pim, William Dixon, Sir John Tobin, Alexander Parlane and George Parsons.
The 1828 Deeds of Agreement were signed by the proprietors and were witnessed by either the company secretary, Francis Carleton, or by two of the company clerks, John Harden or William Foster.
Running out of time, I whizzed through the documentation relating to the winding up of the company in the 1920s and 1930s and came across a reference to our great-aunt, Elizabeth Willis Williams, who was the granddaughter of Richard Williams, the bookkeeper to the CDSPCo. She appeared as a minor shareholder under the heading 'Payments to Ordinary Stockholders on Final Disbursement of Surplus Assets of the Company, 1931'. She held £20 of stock, and her address was given as the Royal Bank of Ireland (our grandfather, her brother, worked for the Royal Bank of Ireland), Terenure Branch, Rathmines. This was clearly the address of her bank account. I found no other Williams entries under this heading, but I was pushed for time and could easily have missed something. Elizabeth/Eliza Willis Williams (known as Lil) never married and died in Dublin in 1975.
http://alison-stewart.blogspot.com/2012/04/notes-on-shareholders-of-cdspco.html
Thanks for posting this. I hope it helps you in your genealogical research. It fills in yet another piece of the puzzle for me as to who my 3rd great-grandfather was. He is one of the investors listed here from 1826, Paul Twigg Esquire. He and Jonathan Pim apparently invested in many other steam train and ship businesses in the early to mid 19th century.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Bruce Horn
Hi there Bruce. I'm glad you found this post helpful! I keep stumbling upon the Twigg family on my genealogical travels, although I haven't researched the family at all. My own 3 times great grandfather, John Jeffery Williams of Greys Inn, London, mentioned a Mr. Twigg in his will of 1815, which made me wonder if this Mr. Twigg was a member of your Twigg family. Do you happen to know, by any chance, if Paul Twigg, or his father, had any link to the law profession in either London or Dublin?
ReplyDeleteHi Alison, sorry I didn't see this earlier. That probably refers to this Paul Twigg he was a lawyer in Dublin as were at least three of his sons, William, James and my 2nd great-grandfather Paul O'Brien Twigg.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Bruce
Thanks Bruce. Many of the Irish lawyers chose to train at Grays Inns where John Jeffery Williams was the steward prior to his 1815 death. They probably did know each other.
ReplyDelete