Chronology

Charles William Cayzer born

Union Steam Ship Company formed

Charles William Cayzer employed by William Nicol & Co. in Bombay

Donald Currie & Company formed

Charles William Cayzer leaves Nicol & Co and briefly moves to Cardiff

August Bernard Tellefsen Cayzer born

Charles William Cayzer moves to Liverpool where he begins trading as Charles Cayzer & Co

Charles William Cayzer establishes Cayzer Irvine & Co in Liverpool, having made business contacts in Glasgow

Clan Alpine, Charles William Cayzer’s first steamship, built in Glasgow

Herbert Robin Cayzer born

Clan Line Association Steamers formed, managed by Cayzer Irvine & Co, and 109 Hope Street, Glasgow becomes company headquarters

Castle Packet Company becomes Castle Mail Packet Company

Clan Line Steamers Limited is formed

Charles William Cayzer becomes Member of Parliament (Conservative) for Barrow-in-Furness

Charles William Cayzer knighted

Union Steam Ship Company and Castle Mail Packet Company amalgamate to become the Union-Castle Steamship Company

Charles William Cayzer created 1st Baronet of Gartmore

August Bernard Tellefsen Cayzer marries Ina Frances Stancomb

Cayzer Irvine & Co becomes a limited company

Sir Charles William Cayzer fails in his attempt to be elected MP for Monmouth Boroughs

(William) Nicholas Cayzer born

Union-Castle Line taken over by Royal Mail Steam Packet Company

Britain enters the First World War.   Six Cayzer family members and company directors are called to active service.

Sir Charles William Cayzer 1st Bart., dies

August Cayzer becomes chairman of Cayzer, Irvine & Co. He appoints his brother Herbert Cayzer as deputy chairman, with an identical salary to his own.

Assets of the Scottish Shire Line acquired, adding refrigeration capacity to the fleets.

August Cayzer is instrumental in the purchase of the Greenock Dockyard Company, putting Cayzer Irvine & Co in the unique position, for a shipping line, of possessing its own shipyard.  The company headquarters move to No. 2 St Mary Axe in the City of London

August Cayzer begins to rebuild the firm by acquiring the British & South American Steam Navigation Company.

August Bernard Tellefsen Cayzer is created 1st Baronet of Roffey Park in recognition of his and the Clan Line’s services to the war effort.

Sir Charles Cayzer, 3rd Bart., wins the parliamentary constituency of Chester for the Conservatives and remains their M.P. for 20 years.

Herbert Robin Cayzer is created 1st Baronet of Tylney in the New Year’s Honours list

Clan Line’s capital is reduced from almost £4 million to under £2 million. It is forced to sell the British & South American Steam Navigation Company to the Royal Mail Group

The crash of the New York Stock Exchange brings dire consequences for world economics and trade. The Great Depression begins.

Fred Bedford the Managing Director of Cayzer, Irvine & Co., is forced to introduce a 10% salary cut across the firm as a result of the worldwide economic depression.

Union-Castle Line becomes independent again

Both the Clan Line, its associated Greenock Dockyard, and Union-Castle are much affected by wartime requisitioning.

Sir Herbert Cayzer created 1st Baron Rotherwick of Tylney in the King’s Birthday Honours

Sir August Cayzer dies.  Lord Rotherwick becomes the chairman of the family business

By the end of the war Clan Line have lost 37 ships and Union-Castle 11 through enemy action.

Clan Line buys eight freighters, limited shipyard capacity and high building prices preventing the construction of new ships.

Union-Castle negotiates new mail and freight contracts with the South African government.

Mrs Smuts launches the Pretoria Castle in Belfast by radio from South Africa.

Clan Line take over Hunting Group‘s air transport and servicing business. Hunting-Clan Air Transport is formed.

Hunting-Clan Air Transport begin a weekly ‘Africargo‘ service.

Clan Line group merges with the Union-Castle Line group to form the British & Commonwealth Shipping Company Limited.

Hunting-Clan begins to offer passenger flights and package holidays.

Lord Rotherwick dies.   Sir Nicholas Cayzer 2nd Bart., (of Roffey Park) becomes Chairman of British & Commonwealth

British & Commonwealth purchase Springbok Shipping Company.

Hunting-Clan merges with Airwork to form British United Airways.

British & Commonwealth purchases Hector Whaling Company.

The decision is made that the Clan Alpine will be the last ship built for Clan Line.

Air Holding Limited is formed, bringing together major shipping companies with an interest in air freight including British & Commonwealth 

British & Commonwealth take a 36 per cent interest in the South African Marine Corporation [Safmarine]

British United Airways is bought by Caledonian Airlines.   It becomes British Caledonia.

Sir Nicholas Cayzer is created Baron Cayzer of St Mary Axe in the City of London in the New Year’s Honours.   

Caledonia Investments separates from British & Commonwealth