|
Christian Salvesen Ltd
(founded 1872)
Whalers and shippers
The history of the firm of Christian Salvesen goes back to 1851
when Christian Salvesen arrived
in Leith and set up in business as a shipowner and broker. two years
later he joined the Edinburgh merchant George Vair Turnbull, continuing
in parnership with him until he went solo in 1872.
Three of his sons, Thomas, Frederick and Theodor joined him in the business;
the fourth, Edward, preferred a legal career which began with a law
degree from the University of Edinburgh, and
which culminated in his elevation to the College of Justice and the
Bench as The Hon. Lord
Salvesen (1857-1942).
The archives of Christian Salvesen Ltd were surveyed by the National
Register of Archives (Scotland) 1968 and deposited with the University
Library in 1969, with several tranches of additional material coming
in later years. "A List of the Archives of Messrs Christian Salvesen
Limited deposited in Edinburgh University Library" was compiled
by Tom Hubbard on a grant
from the firm, and was published by the Library in 1981; copies are
available for consultation
in the Special Collections Department. Histories of the firm held in
the Library include "Salvesen
of Leith", by Wray Vamplew (Edinburgh & London: Scottish Academic
Press, 1975) and "A whaling enterprise: Salvesen in the Antarctic",
by Sir Gerald Elliot (Wilby, Norwich [U.K.]: Michael Russell, 1998),
both of which have been presented to the Library. Sir Gerald Elliot,
Chairman of Christian Salvesen plc from 1981 to 1988, has also presented
to the Library a collection of historic books on whaling in the South
Atlantic and the Antarctic.
|