The Williamson-Balfour Company (or ''Williamson, Balfour and Company'') was a Scottish owned

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an company. Its successor company, Williamson Balfour Motors S.A., is a subsidiary of the British company

Inchcape plc Inchcape plc is a British multinational automotive distribution, retail and services company headquartered in London. An outgrowth of Calcutta-based Mackinnon Mackenzie Company, Inchcape has operations in 32 countries across Asia, Australia, ...

. The company was founded in Valparaiso in 1863 as a subsidiary of the

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

shipping company Balfour Williamson (founded by the Scots Alexander Balfour and

Stephen Williamson Stephen Williamson (28 June 1827 – 16 June 1903) was a founder of the Liverpool shipping company Balfour Williamson & Co. and a Scottish Liberal Party politician. He was born in Cellardyke, Fife in 1827, the son of Archibald Williamson, a s ...

). The company was involved in the export of nitrates and wool to England, and later the west coast of the United States. The company diversified into railways, oil, minerals and other activities. When the

Chilean government Chile's government is a representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Chile is both head of state and head of government, and of a formal multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the president and by their cabinet. Legi ...

annexed

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its ne ...

in 1888, it was leased to Enrique Merlet, who sold his control to the Williamson-Balfour Company; they in turn created a subsidiary called ''Compañía Explotadora de la Isla de Pascua'' (CEDIP), which ran Easter Island as a

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

farm. The company constructed a boundary wall around Hanga Roa and sheep rearing structures. During the company's rule and for several years after, the

Rapa Nui Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearly ...

people were confined to

Hanga Roa Hanga Roa (; rap, Haŋa Roa, Rapa Nui pronunciation: �ha.ŋa ˈɾo.a (Spanish: ''Bahía Larga'') is the main town, harbour and seat of Easter Island, a municipality of Chile. It is located in the southern part of the island's west coast, in th ...

, which they were not allowed to leave without permission. In 1953, the Chilean government refused to renew their lease and transferred the island to the

Chilean Navy The Chilean Navy ( es, Armada de Chile) is the naval warfare service branch of the Chilean Armed Forces. It is under the Ministry of National Defense. Its headquarters are at Edificio Armada de Chile, Valparaiso. History Origins and the War ...

and the sheep farming operations ceased. In 1966, the Rapa Nui of Easter Island gained full Chilean

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

. On the Chilean mainland the company operated a number of flour mills, and was involved in the import of machinery and other activities. In 1965 the company sold its milling operations, and was itself acquired by the

Bank of London and South America The Bank of London and South America Limited (BOLSA; es, Banco de Londres y América del Sur, also known simply as ''Banco de Londres'') was a British bank, which operated in South America between 1923 and 1971. Origins The bank's predecessor w ...

(BOLSA). In 1972 BOLSA was acquired by

Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a British retail and commercial bank with branches across England and Wales. It has traditionally been considered one of the " Big Four" clearing banks. Lloyds Bank is the largest retail bank in Britain, and has an exte ...

, which in 1981 sold the Williamson-Balfour companies to Inchcape plc. In the late 1990s Inchcape decided to concentrate on the distribution of motors, and the non-motor businesses, including Williamson Balfour Agrocomercial Ltda, were sold to

Sigdo Koppers {{Infobox company, name = Sigdo Koppers S.A. , logo = , type = Sociedad Anónima , traded_as = {{bcs, SK , company_slogan = , foundation = 1960, location = Santiago, Chile, key_people = Juan Edu ...

in 2000. Williamson Balfour Motors S.A. is still owned by Inchcape, and is now the importer and distributor of BMW and

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Limited is a British luxury automobile maker which has operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW AG since 2003 – as the exclusive manufacturer of ''Rolls-Royce''-branded motor cars. The company's administrative ...

in Chile.

References

Bibliography

* Diamond, Jared (2005) ''Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive'' New York *Fischer, S.R. (2007) ''Island at the End of the World'' {{Authority control European colonization of South America Companies of Chile Economic history of Scotland History of Easter Island 1863 establishments in Chile 1888 in Easter Island 1953 in Easter Island