The Society of Ship-Owners of Great Britain (SOGB) was an organisation established by British

ship-owner A ship-owner is the owner of a merchant vessel (commercial ship) and is involved in the shipping industry. In the commercial sense of the term, a shipowner is someone who equips and exploits a ship, usually for delivering cargo at a certain freig ...

s in 1802 to defend their interests by opposing breaches of the

Navigation Acts The Navigation Acts, or more broadly the Acts of Trade and Navigation, were a long series of English laws that developed, promoted, and regulated English ships, shipping, trade, and commerce between other countries and with its own colonies. The ...

. The decision to form the organisation was reached at a meeting held on 22 June in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The ship owners were concerned that while their operating costs such as taxation, naval supplies, wages and insurance, had increased, foreign competition meant their freight rates were kept low. Many ships stood idle while others ran at a loss. They campaigned for

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

ships to be excluded from

British colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...

and fought the American Intercourse Bill of 1806.

Membership

The SOGB was organised around port committees with the principal committee being that of London.

Members of the London Committee

The committee was composed as follows: Chairman: John Hill (also trustee) * Joseph and Peter Ainsley * John Akenhead * Thomas and Robert Brown * John Blacket * Ralph Clarke * William Clark (junior) * Norrison Coverdale * Robert Curling * William Curling * Anthony Collins * Joseph and W. Dowson * Thomas Davison * James Dunning * George French * William Fairles * Henry Fletcher * Thomas Gillespy (Trustee) * Sir Cuthbert Heron * Heathfield, Pycroft and Heathfield * William Havelock * Thomas Hayman * Ives Hurry * Hough and Jackson * Archibald Heurtley * John Jackson * Thomas Keddey * Peter Kennion * John Lyall * William Marshall * Richard Mordey * William Moorsom * Thomas Metcalfe * William Masterman * D. Macarthy * Robert Pedder * Thomas Rowcroft * Joshua Reeve * Isaac Robinson (trustee) * John Shuttleworth * Henry Smithers * Daniel Stephens * J. R. Sherman * William Thompson * John Tulloch * Thomas and George Wilkinson * Richard Wilson (junior) * Thomas S. Williams * John Woodcock Nathaniel Atcheson was appointed secretary for both the London Committee and that of the society as a whole.

Other ports

Secretaries were appointed for other ports: *

North Shields North Shields () is a town in the Borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth. Since 1974, it has been in the North Tyneside borough of Tyne and Wea ...

: William Harrison *

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

: William Blackburn *

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

: Thomas Sanderson Ship owners from

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; sco, Kirkcaldy; gd, Cair Chaladain) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, ...

Bridlington Bridlington is a coastal town and a civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is about north of Hull and east of York. The Gypsey Race enters the North Sea at its harbour. The 2011 Cen ...

and various other ports expressed an interest in supporting the association.

Publications

The SOGB published material relevant to shipowners and their campaigns. *
Collection of Interesting and Important Reports and Papers on the Navigation and Trade of Great Britain, Ireland, and the British Colonies in the West Indies and America
', 1807

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Society of Ship-Owners of Great Britain Shipping trade associations Employers' organizations Organizations established in 1802 1802 establishments in the United Kingdom Organisations based in London