Thomas Wilson (1792–1869) was a 19th-century shipping magnate from

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. In 1822, Wilson jointly founded Thomas Wilson Sons & Co., commonly known as the Wilson Line, a shipping company.

Wilson Line

Thomas Wilson founded Beckington, Wilson and Company in 1822 as a joint venture with his partner John Beckinton and two others. He did not come to the business with a background in shipping but through the use of ships for shipping of

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...

he quickly saw the potential opportunity and became a noted specialist shipowner. By 1825 he owned his first steam ship and saw the company become a prominent figure in promoting the

Port of Hull The Port of Hull is a port at the confluence of the River Hull and the Humber Estuary in Kingston upon Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Seaborne trade at the port can be traced to at least the 13th century, originally con ...

to the third largest port in

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into one sovereign state, established by the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801. It continued in this form until ...

during the emergence and rise of steam shipping in Britain. In 1841, Thomas Wilson took full control of the company, after the other partners left, and so he brought his eldest son David into the business as his partner, making the name Thomas Wilson & Son Ltd. In 1850 his other sons

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

and

Arthur Arthur is a masculine given name of uncertain etymology. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. A common spelling variant used in many Slavic, Romance, and Germanic languages is Artur. In Spanish and Ital ...

joined and became active partners, the name changing to Thomas Wilson & Sons Co Ltd, though usually known as the Wilson Line of Hull. Thomas died in 1869 and the company was taken over by Charles and Arthur, with David as silent partner. A few years later when they were beginning to question their own sons ability to continue running the firm, Charles and Arthur brought in a non-family member to become the new Managing Director, Oswald Sanderson. Parts of the company merged with the North Eastern Railway forming Wilson's & North Eastern Railway Shipping Co. Ltd; the majority was acquired in 1916 by Sir John Ellerman and renamed Ellerman's Wilson Line.

Family

Thomas was the son of David Wilson (1745–1810) and Elizabeth ( Gray; born ). He married Susannah West (1796–1879), the daughter of John West and Grace Harrop, at

Drypool Drypool (''archaic'' DripoleAlso Dritpole, Dritpol, Dripold, Dripol, Dridpol) is an area within the city of Kingston upon Hull, in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Historically Drypool was a village, manor and la ...

, Yorkshire, on 1 September 1814. They had 13 children: * David Wilson (1815–1893) – a bachelor, who managed the business with his father. * John West Wilson (1816–1889) – became the Wilson line representative in Gothenburg, Sweden. He was a member of the Gothenburg City Council (1867–86); a board member of the Skandinaviska credit AB bank and a Director of the Gothenburg Museum. * Edward Brown Wilson (1818–1874) – an engineer who became the manager of E. B. Wilson and Company, aka "The Railway Foundry", which produced the

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria Lind (Madame Goldschmidt) (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in ...

, the first mass-produced locomotive. * Thomas Wilson (1819–1901) MRCS – Surgeon and Homeopath. * Susanna Wilson (1820–1902) – married Henry Garbutt, Captain HEICS. * Elizabeth Gray Wilson (1822–1903) – married Edward Rheam Sanderson, the son of Joseph Sanderson, a shipping agent and merchant. * Harriet West Wilson (1824–1879) – married William Eagle Bott, a ship-owner and broker. * William Burton Wilson (1826–1874) * Frederick Wilson (1830–1870) * Rachel Wilson (1831–1911) – married Joseph Lambert, a corn merchant. He was the father of Rev. Joseph Malet Lambert * Charles Wilson (1833–1907) – 1st Baron Nunburnholme married Florence Jane Helen Wellesley, granddaughter of Gerald Wellesley and a great-niece of

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (; 1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British Army officer and statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures in Britain during t ...

. * Arthur Wilson (1836–1909) – see above, married Mary Emma Smith (1843–1927). * Emily Howard Wilson (1836–1921) – married Arthur Harrison, a corn merchant.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson 1792 births 1869 deaths Businesspeople from Kingston upon Hull British businesspeople in shipping 19th-century English businesspeople