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

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. 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 containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 Apr ...

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 cond ...

to the third largest port in

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Great B ...

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 ''*k ...

and

Arthur Arthur is a common male given name of Brittonic languages, Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. An ...

joined and became active partners, the name changing to Thomas Wilson & Sons Co Ltd, though usually known as the

Wilson Line of Hull Thomas Wilson Sons & Co. was a British shipping company, founded in 1840,Greenway (1986), p. 48 It evolved from a joint venture formed by merchants Thomas Wilson, John Beckinton and two unrelated partners named Hudson in 1822. The company expan ...

. 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, England. Historically Drypool was a village, manor and later parish on the east bank of the River Hull near the con ...

, 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 E. B. Wilson and Company was a locomotive manufacturing company at the Railway Foundry in Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Origins Charles Todd was one of the founders of Todd, Kitson & Laird, but left early in the company's history a ...

, aka "The Railway Foundry", which produced the

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (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 Sweden and a ...

, 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 Gerald Valerian Wellesley (1809 – 17 September 1882) was a Church of England cleric who became the Dean of Windsor. More importantly, he was domestic chaplain to Queen Victoria and played a major advisory role regarding the royal family's ...

and a great-niece of

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister o ...

. * 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