Gourlay Brothers

Gourlay Brothers

Company type	Private company
Industry	Marine engineering, Shipbuilding
Founded	1846
Founder	Alexander Gourlay, William Gourlay, Gershom Gourlay, Henry Gourlay
Defunct	1908
Headquarters	Dundee , Scotland, United Kingdom
Area served	International (including South Africa, South America, India, Russia, Australia, Finland, Turkey, France)
Key people	Henry Gourlay, Gershom Gourlay, Henry Garrett Gourlay, Charles Gershom Gourlay, James Gordon Lyon
Products	Ships (coastal vessels, cargo ships, paddle steamers, screw steamers)
Number of employees	~300 (circa 1866)

Gourlay Brothers was a Dundee-based firm specializing in marine engineering and ship construction, active from 1846 until 1908.

Company history

The origins of the company trace back to the Dundee Foundry, established in 1791. By the year 1820, the foundry was producing steam engines, including those installed in the steam tug William Wallace in 1829, and during the 1830s it also manufactured locomotives for local railway lines. James Stirling oversaw operations at the foundry until 1846.

In 1846, the business was renamed Gourlay, Mudie & Co., before adopting the name Gourlay Brothers & Co. in 1853 under the leadership of brothers Alexander, William, Gershom, and Henry Gourlay.

Shipbuilding commenced in May 1854 when Gourlay's leased a site at Marine Parade to establish a slipway. The initial focus was on constructing coastal vessels, which later expanded to cargo ships for clients such as the Dundee, Perth and London Shipping Company. Under Henry Gourlay’s guidance—who was affiliated with prominent engineering institutions—the company expanded rapidly, becoming Dundee’s largest shipbuilder by 1866 with a workforce of approximately 300 and producing a total tonnage of 14,000 between 1861 and 1867. A significant milestone was the launch of the Dundee in 1867, which was then the largest vessel on the River Tay. Growth continued with the leasing of Camperdown Dock in 1869 to accommodate larger ships. By 1871, all five vessels launched exceeded 1,000 tons. In 1876, Gourlay's was responsible for seven out of twenty-three ship launches in Dundee.

A downturn in the mid-1880s led to a reduced output of three ships totaling around 4,000 tons during 1885-86. Subsequently, orders from international markets—including South Africa, South America, India, Russia, Australia, Finland, Turkey, and France—helped recovery; by 1890 production rose to over 11,600 tons.

Following Gershom Gourlay’s retirement in 1889, his sons Henry Garrett and Charles Gershom Gourlay joined James Gordon Lyon on the board of directors. The mid-1890s saw another slump with only three small paddle steamers built in 1894. Ship repair activities maintained business until new orders revived by 1897. Although early adopters of screw propeller technology, Gourlay's became well-known for their paddle steamers. British railway companies emerged as important customers; between 1902 and 1908 they commissioned nine out of thirty vessels from Gourlay Brothers for Great Eastern, Great Central, and London and South Western Railways.

Labor unrest between 1902 and 1904—including extended strikes—caused significant production delays. In 1904 output was limited to one small ship and two tugs. That year marked incorporation as Gourlay Brothers & Company (Dundee) Ltd., with Charles Gershom Gourlay holding majority ownership alongside family members and James Lyon.

By 1905 modernization efforts culminated in electrifying the shipyard; production peaked at nearly 12,000 tons that year and surpassed 12,600 tons in 1906—the highest output in company history. However, output declined sharply to just over 6,200 tons in 1907 due to falling orders and financial pressures from modernization expenses combined with rising raw material costs which compressed profit margins.

Confronted with ongoing demand reduction and financial difficulties, Gourlay Brothers ceased trading on 8 June 1908. Equipment was sold at auction in May 1909; the company officially wound up on 23 June 1910 after having launched more than two hundred vessels during its operational lifespan.

Ships built

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Vessel	Yard Number	GRT	Proprietors	Vessel Type	Launch Date
Alma	1		Commissioned for Australian clients.	Three-masted iron schooner	29 November 1854
Pavo	2			Iron screw steamer	18 July 1855
London	3	785 tons	Dundee, Perth and London Shipping Company	Iron screw steamer	7 April 1856
Mexicana	4	300 tons	Liverpool-based owners	Fully rigged brig	15 October 1856
Hamburg	5	600 tons	Dundee and London Steam Shipping Company		8 June 1857
Ydun	8		Paterson of Randers, operating between Copenhagen and Jutland	Iron screw steamer	17 March 1859
Princess Alice		440 tons			30 March 1860
Mendoza	9				12 January 1861
Dalhousie	10				9 February 1861
Scotia	11	800 tons	Dundee, Perth and London Steam Shipping Company	Screw steamer	21 September 1861
Forfarshire	12				20 June 1861
Arauco	13	604 tons	Balfour, Williamson and Company, Liverpool	Iron screw steamer	29 March 1862
Scotia (II)	14		Dundee and London Shipping Company		9 October 1862
Rangatara	15	300 tons			21 January 1863
Shooey Leen	17			6 May 1863
Anglia	18		Dundee and London Steam Shipping Company	15 September 1863
Wangania	19	170 tons			30 July 1863
The Cohen		774 tons	Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company		12 December 1863
Tararua				1864
Grampian	20		Panama and New Zealand Mail Boat Company		21 April 1864
Stork	23	950 tons	General Steam Navigation Company, London		20 July 1864
Unknown Tug				12 October 1864
Hibernia	22	830 tons	Dundee, Perth, and London Shipping Company		12 January 1865
Dundee	25	1300 tons	Gilroy Brothers	Iron sailing ship	25 January 1865
Brage	27	209 tons		Iron hull	8 June 1865
Gallia	26	440.5 tons		Iron construction	10 August 1865
Vesper	29	476 tons		Iron hull	2 December 1865
Eider	28	581 tons			1 March 1866
Niord	31	247 tons		Launched in 1866
Granton	30	1000 tons		Built in 1866
Curfew	34		Launched in 1867
Mary	32		Built in 1867
Dundee				Built in 1867
Unknown	548 tons		Iron screw steamer	8 February 1868
Cambria	680 tons	Dundee, Perth and London Shipping Company	7 May 1868
Lebu	800 tons	Balfour, Williamson and Company, Liverpool	21 July 1868
La Escossesa	998 tons	Balfour, Williamson and Company, Liverpool	16 October 1868
Viking	860 tons	Consortium of Dundee merchants	Iron screw steamer	28 January 1869
Chacabuco	1008 tons	Balfour, Williamson and Company, Liverpool. Intended for Sydney voyages	Iron screw steamer	27 April 1869
Libra	617 tons	General Steam Navigation Company	Steamer	10 July 1869
Asturias	260 tons		Launched on September22,1869
Lota	762 tons	Balfour, Williamson and Company, Liverpool	Iron screw steamer	6 November1869
Maormer	881 tons		Launched February17,1870
Agrigento	995 tons		Built in1870
Virgo	1000 tons		Iron screw steamer	8 November1870
Jose A. Morene	535 tons		Launched May30,1870
Covadonga	590 tons		Iron screw steamer	24 September1870
Strathtay	1081 tons	William Thomson, Dundee		8 March1871
Thane	1074 tons	R. A. Mudie and Company, Dundee		22 April1871
Ariel	1107 tons	Blythe Brothers, London for London-Brazil trade		17 June1871
Chesapeake	1215 tons	J.A. Dunkerley, Hull	Iron screw steamer	8 April1872
Rainbow	1088 tons	General Steam Navigation Company	Iron screw steamer	28 October1871
Shannon	1210 tons	Dunkerley, Hull		19 August1871
Selinunte	1290 tons	Constructed for Italian owners for Mediterranean routes		27 January1872
Kenilworth	2537 tons	Williamson, Milligan and Company, Liverpool		20 August1872
Malaga	1007 tons	Malcolm and Company, London for Mediterranean iron ore trade	Steamer	18 September1872
Pelayo	700 tons		Steamer	13 January1873
SS Abbotsford	56	2537 tons	Williamson, Milligan and Company of Liverpool		29 March1873
Taormina	60	1570 tons	Trinacria Steam Navigation Company	Schooner-rigged iron screw steamer	13 May1873
Butuam	61 463 t	Pickford of Manilla	Iron screw steamer || 7 August1873
Thibet	62 2600 t || Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company || Steamer || 29 August1874
Teheran	59 2690 t || For the Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company || Steamer || 20 March1874
Honfleur	64 || London, Brighton and South Coast Railway || Steamer || 1875
Piles	63 300 t || Gijon Steam Navigation Company || Steamer || 1 July1874
Zampa	66 || United Steam Ship Company of Copenhagen. Cattle carrier || Iron paddle steamer || 1875
Riberhuus	67 840 t || United Steam Ship Company of Copenhagen. Cattle carrier || Iron paddle steamer || 20 May1875
Strathearn	68 1160 t || William Thomson, Dundee || Iron vessel || 3 August1875
Tern	69 ||	Iron screw three-mast steamer || 16 August1875
Curlew	65 || R. A. Mudie || Screw steamer || 8 February1875
Condor	71  500 t  || General Steam Navigation Company, London   || Iron screw steamer   || 14 December1875
Hawk	72   ||   || Iron screw steamer   || 23 October1875
Oaklands	73  1000 t   ||   || Iron vessel   || 28 March1876
Gijon	70  736 t   || Senor Polo of Gijon   || Iron screw steamer   || 2 August1875
Stracathro	75  1200 t ||   Iron "clipper" ship || 21 August1876
Arthurstone	76 ||                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Iron clipper ship || 18 October1876
Aurora	77 ||                                                                                                                                                                                           Screw steamer || 25 July1876
Strathtay	78 || 1300 t || William Thomson of Dundee || Steamship || 13 January1877
Britannia	79 || 950 t || London Shipping Company || Iron screw steamer || 17 March1877
Template:SS\	80 || 300 t || Screw steamer || 2 March1877
Barcelona	81 || 1850 t || William Thomson, Dundee || Iron screw steamer || 21 March1878
John O’Groat	82 ||	Screw steamer || 28 May1877
Mayfield	83 ||	Screw steamer || 28 July1877
Curfew	84 || 800 t || R. A. Mudie and Sons, coal merchants, Dundee || Screw steamer || 8 September1877
Diamond	85 || 620 t || P.M. Duncan, coal merchant || Screw steamer || 25 October1877
Emerald	86 || 620 t || P.M. Duncan, coal merchant || Steamship || 6 December1877
Kestrel	87 || 950 t || General Steam Navigation Company, London || Iron screw steamer || 5 March1878
Loch Leven	88 || 560 t ||	Screw steamer || 20 April1878
Loch Awe	89 || 560 t || Ireland, Leitch and Company || Screw steamer || 3 July1878
Richmond	90 ||	George Nicoll, Sydney ||	8 June1878
Loch Earn	91 ||		Screw steamer || 26 September1878
Balmuir	92 || 1531 t || John Machan, Dundee || Iron screw steamer || 25 January1879
Lapwing	93 || 1214 t || General Steam Navigation Company, London || Iron screw steamer || 6 March1879
Amethyst	94 || 933 t || P.M. Duncan, Dundee || Iron screw steamer || 8 May1879
95 | 800 t | Pacific Steam Navigation Company, Liverpool | Iron screw steamer | 24 April1879
96 | 800 t | Pacific Steam Navigation Company, Liverpool | Iron screw steamer | 18 June1879
97 | 846 t | A. C. de Freitas and Company, Hamburg | Iron screw steamer | 22 July1879
98 | 362 t | G.B. Nicoll and Company, Sydney | Iron screw steamer | 4 September1879
99 | 949 t | Ireland, Leitch and Company, Dundee | Iron screw steamer | 13 January1880
100 | 947 t | Ireland, Leitch and Company, Dundee | Iron screw steamer | 25 February1880
101 | 1953 t | William Thomson, Dundee | Iron screw steamer | 27 April1880
102 | 339 t | G. and B. Nicoll, Sydney | Iron screw steamer | 10 February1880
103 | 1004 t | P.M. Duncan, Dundee | Iron screw steamer | 22 May1880
104 | 1004 t | George Armistead and Company, Dundee | Iron screw steamer | 22 June1880
105 | 1642 t | Ireland, Leitch and Company, Dundee | Steel screw steamer | 21 September1880
106 | 2360 t | David Bruce and Company, Dundee | Iron screw steamer | 17 November1880
107 | 3715 t | William Thomson, Dundee | Iron screw steamer | 28 April1881
108 | 3096 t | Williamson, Milligan and Company, Liverpool | Iron screw steamer | 28 July1881

References

• UK National Archives

External links

• Dundee City Council Archive: Catalogue of Gourlay Shipping