The Career of Lawrence Smith (1849-1915)

 Employment with Leith, Hull, & Hamburg Steam Packet Company

Lawrence Smith entered the service of the Leith Hull & Hamburg Steam Packet Co., 16 Bernard Street, Leith, age 14; on the 19th February 1863 .He was employed on a four year “engagement” in the “Hamburg, outward cargo office” as a Boy Clerk.

His annual salary‘s are recorded as follows.

1863.  £10.

1864.  £15

1865.  £20.

1866.  £30.

A £10 bonus was paid

A new four year “engagement” was given.

1867.  £40.

1868.  £50.

1869.  £60.

1870.  £60.

A £10 bonus was paid.

In January 1871 he was promoted to Clerk.

1871.  £70.

1872.  £70.

1873.  £80.

1874.  £90,

1875.  £100.

No records have survived from 1875 to 1882.

1882.  £150.

1882.  £160.

1883.  £160.

1884.  £160.

1885.  £160.

1886.  £160.

1887.  £170.

There is another gap in records to 1894.While there is no specific date recorded of a promotion, in the returns for 1894 he is referred to as a “Manager”.

1894.  £200.

1895.  £200.

1896.  £200.  By this time he is being deducted £10 per annum to be paid into the “Benefit Fund”. This was the company’s pension fund and was only open to senior members of staff. From 1895 to his death, in 1915, his salary remained £200 per annum less £10 to the benefit fund. Again there is no date recorded of his appointment but in 1896 he is being referred to as the “Manager of the coasting department”, a position he appears to have held until his death.

Source: Glasgow University Business Archives

“Salaries Books”

UGD 255/4/19/1.

UGD 255/4/19/7

UGD 255/4/19/8

UGD 255/4/19/10

“Other Personnel Records”

UGD 255/4/20/2

AGM minutes.

At the AGM in March 1901 Lawrence Smith was offered the opportunity to become a “Member” of L.H.&H.S.P.Co.Ltd., and  to purchase shares in the company  at a cost of £100 per share .He purchased  a total of 25 shares as follows:

23rd March 1901.      10 shares.

26th March 1901.      10 shares.

31st December 1901    1 share.

10th September 1903.  4 shares.

(All fully paid up)

At the same AGM a fellow manager, who commenced his service on the same date as L.S, William Cameron, was also invited to become a member and purchase shares. He purchased 32 shares over the same period.

UGD 255/4/16/3 Register of Members (Shareholders) Folio 40.

After Lawrence Smith’s death in November 1915 the following entry was made in the Register.

SMITH L.  25 shares fully paid up. Died 19th November 1915 (24th January 1916).

25 shares to JESSIE JOHNSTONE LISTON or SMITH, widow of deceased and as Executrix under will dated 7th April 1904.

All dividends to Mrs J. Smith, 6 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh.

(Source: UGD 255/4/2/6)

Supporting Notes...

Lawrence Smith’s salary remaining static over the period 1895 to 1915. During this period annual negative inflation was occurring on a regular basis in the U.K. Therefore in real terms money was increasing in value year by year. Many employers used this situation to their advantage to reduce wages. For instance in some heavy industries, such as shipbuilding and engineering, when orders declined  workers were often asked to take a pay cut of as much as 2.5%.When business recovered they were usually only awarded a 1.5 % increase.

The ownership of every British ship was/is divided into 64 shares. These shares could/may not be subdivided and any transfer of shares must be implemented by a “Bill of Sale”. This was/is regardless of them being sold or inherited. In the mid to late 19th C shares were on a regular basis “given” to long serving members of staff as a bonus for their loyalty. However, it was very unusual for all 64 shares in one ship to be given to two managers Lawrence Smith and William Cameron must have been held in extremely high esteem by the Directors of the Company it was a more common practice, in sailing ship days, to give a ships master one or possibly a few shares whilst in command of a company’s vessel. This ensured his loyalty and honesty in finding homeward cargoes and containing costs. The rewards could be quite substantial given the right trading circumstances for at the end of a financial year the profit, made by the vessel, and would be shared between the shareholders based on the number of shares held. Likewise any losses would be carried by the shareholders, this would be most unlikely in a company such as L.H.&H.SP.Co., Ltd  and the fact the SCALPA was a new vessel..

Details of the SCALPA

• Built  Ramage and Ferguson, Leith.
• Ship-owners and Joint Owners.
• William Cameron , 45 Renfield Street , Glasgow.          32 Shares.
• Lawrence Smith , 16 Bernard Street, Leith.                   32  Shares.
• James Currie Managing Owner.

• 6th May 1910. William Cameron having died his holding of 32 shares transferred, by Bill of Sale, to Lawrence Smith.
• 7th May 1910. 64 shares held by Lawrence Smith transferred, by Bill of Sale, to Leith, Hull & Hamburg Steam Packet C., Ltd.
• 7th May 1910 Leith, Hull & Hamburg Steam Packet Co., Ltd., 16 Bernard Street, Leith 64 shares.
• James Currie Managing Owner.

·        SHIPS NAME: SCALPA

·        OFFICIAL No.: 115656

·        SHIPBUILDERS: Ramage & Ferguson, Leith, Scotland

·        YARD No.: 186

·        DATE  LAUNCHED: March 1903

·        GROSS TONNAGE: 1010

·        OWNERS: Leith, Hull & Hamburg Steam Packet Co, Leith, Scotland

·        MATERIAL: Steel

·        PROPULSION: Screw steamship

·        ENGINES & BOILERS: Triple expansion steam engine and one single ended boiler operating at 165 psi.                                           

·        Horse Power: 146NHP

·        ENGINE BUILDERS: Ramage & Ferguson, Leith

·        DIMENSIONS:L. 220.3ft     B. 30.4ft .     D. 14.8ft.

·        SPECIAL FEATURES: Two decks, well deck, five bulkheads. 

·        NAME  AND OWNER CHANGES: None

·        HISTORICAL  NOTES: 18th April 1917. Torpedoed and sunk, without warning by a German submarine 150 miles NW by W of the Fastnet.

Source: “Customs and Excise Shipping Registers for Leith”, Held at the National Archives of Scotland, Edinburgh, Ref: CE57/11/10, Entry 15, 19th September 1902.