John Swire & Sons Ltd archive

The collection comprises the bulk of known surviving material stored in the London Office of John Swire & Sons, covering the development of the firm from about 1870 to 1982. The collection is not complete, due mainly to bomb damage suffered during World War II. There is also a paucity of Eastern rec...

Full description


Date(s) of creation: 1869 - 1983
Level: Collection
Format: Archive           

Reference number: JSS
Summary: The collection comprises the bulk of known surviving material stored in the London Office of John Swire & Sons, covering the development of the firm from about 1870 to 1982. The collection is not complete, due mainly to bomb damage suffered during World War II. There is also a paucity of Eastern records attributable to the occupation of local offices and the firm's Head Offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai in 1941, when records were destroyed either by the Japanese or beforehand by staff to prevent them falling into enemy hands. The importance of the collection lies in the comprehensiveness of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century correspondence in illustrating the development of the firm and its subsidiaries from the London side where policies were decided, and from the Eastern side where they were implemented. It also gives a good picture of leading figures and firms involved in the Far Eastern trade at that time such as Jardine, Matheson & Company, the China Merchants Company and Holt's, and reveals aspects of Chinese trade and British business philosophy at the end of the Victorian era. The material includes series of correspondence coming in and out of the London Office; legal material including original deeds and leases; accounts; organisation papers, board papers and minutes, papers relating to staff and photographs.
Main author: John Swire and Sons Ltd
Alternative reference: JSS
Extent: 1300 boxes
Admin history: John Swire & Sons Limited (JS&S), headquartered in the U.K, is the parent company and corporate co-ordinator of the Swire group, a multi-national, multi-disciplined commercial group, with its principal areas of operations in the Asia Pacific region, and centred on the Greater China area, but also interests in America, Canada, and New Zealand. John Swire & Sons Ltd was founded in 1832 when John Swire, a Liverpool merchant since 1816, extended his business to include his young sons John Samuel (born 1825) and William Huds ... View more
Custodial history: Material has been transferred from the offices of John Swire & Sons, Ltd.
Acquisition: Deposited in 1975, 1977, 1988, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016
Accruals: Accruals ongoing
Arrangement: The collection is arranged by organisation - beginning with material relating to the parent company in London, followed by a section for each of the main subsidiaries representing Swire's interests in the East. The subsidiaries are arranged in order of their foundation. The main sections, with their references are: (JSSI) John Swire & Sons; (JSSII) Butterfield & Swire; (JSSIII) China Navigation Company; (JSSIV) Coast Boats Ownery; (JSSV) Taikoo Sugar Refinery; (JSSVI) Taikoo Dockyard & Engineering Company; (JSSVII) ... View more
Access status: Restrictions
Access conditions: The majority of files are open for consultation. Some files are closed under the Data Protection Act. See individual file descriptions for more details
Copyright: Copyright is owned by John Swire & Sons, Ltd, 59 Buckingham Gate, London, SW1E 6AJ
User restrictions: Copying for personal research purposes is permitted. Please contact the archivist for all publication requests.
Language: English
Finding aids: Paper handlist available for material deposited prior to 2012. Material added from 2012 onwards has been catalogued online only.
Related material: Associated Material held elsewhere: Photographic collection held at the Head Office. At SOAS: Scott Family Papers [ref. PP MS 49], particularly the papers of Maurice Woodforde Scott who worked for Butterfield and Swire in Hong Kong and Shanghai (1934-1937). Digitisation Projects: Historical Photographs of China: https://www.hpcbristol.net/ WikiSwire: http://wikiswire.com/wiki/Main_Page
Format: Archive           
Subjects:
Access Points - Person, Corporate & Family Names:
Name Code Person, Corporate or Family Name Type of Entity
GB/SOASNAF/P552 Swire; John (1793-1847); Merchant and founder of John Swire & Sons Person
GB/NNAF/C117945 John Swire and Sons Ltd Corporate
GB/NNAF/C215949 Butterfield & Swire Corporate
GB/NNAF/C123201 The China Navigation Co Ltd; shipowners Corporate
GB/SOASNAF/C312 Coast Boats Ownery; shipping traders Corporate
GB/SOASNAF/C311 Taikoo Sugar Refinery Ltd Corporate
GB/NNAF/C215913 Taikoo Dockyard & Engineering Company of Hongkong Ltd; shipbuilders and repairers Corporate
GB/SOASNAF/C310 Tientsin Lighter Company; river cargo transporters Corporate
GB/SOASNAF/C307 Orient Paint, Colour & Varnish Company Corporate
GB/SOASNAF/C308 Swire & Maclaine Corporate
GB/SOASNAF/P875 Lang; William (fl 1866) Person
GB/SOASNAF/P554 Swire; William Hudson (1830-1884); partner at John Swire & Sons Person
GB/SOASNAF/P847 Scott; James Henry (1845-1912); businessman Person
GB/SOASNAF/P876 Mackintosh; Edwin (d 1904) Person
GB/SOASNAF/P837 Scott; Colin C Person
GB/SOASNAF/P829 Swire; George Warren (1883-1949); merchant and trader Person
GB/SOASNAF/P830 Swire; John Kidston (1893-1983); merchant and trader Person
GB/SOASNAF/P1250 Newby; R N (fl 1867-1869) Person
GB/SOASNAF/P1252 Butterfield; R S (fl 1866-1867) Person
GB/SOASNAF/P1249 Swire; John (1861-1933); merchant and trader Person
Access Points - Places:
Place Code Place Name
1861060 Japan
1880251 Singapore
2077456 Australia
1819730 Hong Kong
1605651 Thailand
1814991 China
2017370 Russia
2088628 Papua New Guinea
1269750 India
1275339 Mumbai
1275004 Kolkata
7729894 Eastern Asia
2643743 London
7729884 Eastern Europe
6255149 North America
6255151 Oceania
7729896 South Eastern Asia
6255148 Europe
2644210 Liverpool
105343 Jeddah
1796236 Shanghai