stephen anthony hill-28072009

437 Pages·2012·21.06 MB·English

SIR JAMES MAITLAND
AND
THE HOWIETOUN FISHERY
hen Anthony Hill
Step
Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
July 1995
Department of History
University of Stirling
i
ABSTRACT
For several millennia man has in some way farmed his waters by
holding fish captive in ponds. Not until the second half of the nineteenth
century, however, as a result of a general concern in the industrialised nations
that fishery stocks were declining, were serious attempts made to breed fish
artificially. The most concerted of these attempts in Britain effectively began
in 1873 when Sir James Maitland (1848-1897), a Scottish landowner,
commenced experiments which evolved into the construction of the world's
largest salmonoid piscicultural establishment. This operation, the Howietoun
Fishery, sold its produce nationally on the open market, a new departure in
pisciculture. It also advanced the piscicultural process scientifically in
selectively breeding fish superior to nature's own.
Maitland's work was not, in itself, particularly successful commercially.
This was not, however, the result of commercial failure on his behalf but
rather a reflection of his desire to develop pisciculture for the public good in
an attempt to restock impoverished fisheries and to disseminate knowledge
in the hope that others would be encouraged to imitate his example on a more
commercial basis.
Maitland's piscicultural work was highly important to the development
of what has today become a significant global industry, though his
contribution has not hitherto been recognised. The thesis intends to set out
Maitland's piscicultural advances and their significance. It offers a detailed
analysis of Maitland's entrepreneurship and casts its net wider to draw in
some discussion of his work away from Howietoun, particularly on his
membership of the Fishery Board for Scotland where it examines the debate
over state support for nineteenth century British science. The thesis concludes
with an analysis of the development of Howietoun in the seventy years after
its founder's death. In addition to Maitland's own writings, the thesis uses
evidence from Howietoun's general records, Maitland's family papers, Fishery
Board for Scotland material, and a very wide variety of published sources.
ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
So many friends and colleagues have in some way assisted in the
preparation of this thesis that it would be impossible to mention them all here.
Some have been acknowledged in footnotes to the text indicating their input
at a particular juncture, but, whether mentioned or not, i am deeply indebted
to them all.
The University of Stirling, through the Howietoun Fishery, provided me
with a scholarship to fund my researches for which i am deeply gratefuL. It
also provided me with the excellent supervision of Professor George Peden
and Dr Neil Tranter who never failed to offer sound advice, trenchant criticism,
and constant support and encouragement. Dr Derek Robertson of the
Howietoun Fishery has been a similar source of advice and encouragement.
In collecting material, I have relied heavily upon the services of Gordon
Willis, Arts Librarian at Stirling, and the staff of the Scottish Record Office and
Central Region Archives. Hugh Peebles of Stirling's Department of
Accountancy was invaluable in guiding me through the rigours of nineteenth
century book-keeping. Linda Cameron of Stirling's Inter-:Library Loans Office
willingly handled a huge number of requests whilst Jan Milne and Sue Rae of
Offce enthusiastically handled some of
Robert Gordon's Inter-Library Loans
the most obscure requests with which they have ever had to deaL.
Dr David Kennedy, Principal of The Robert Gordon University, has been
a constant source of encouragement and support over the last year of
preparing the thesis, allowing me generous periods of absence from work.
Fiona Sturgeon has gone far beyond the call of duty in making up for such
absences. Neil Robinson has been a source of constant support and has
helped in the final preparation of the text.
Finally, i must thank Niki for her fortitude which has been greatly tested
by many things, not least this thesis.
ii
CONTENTS
Page
Abstract i
Acknowledgements ii
List of Tables v
List of Charts viii
ix
List of Illustrations
Chapter One
Introduction ..
1
Chapter Two
Historical Foundations and Motivating Influences 23
Chapter Three
Fish Culture at Howietoun 68
Chapter Four
The Business of Fish Culture, 1873-1885 121
Chapter Five
Howietoun Under Threat
- The Falkirk Water Bill Case, 1886 139
Chapter Six
The Business of Fish Culture, 1886-1897 164
Chapter Seven
Maitland without Howietoun and Howietoun
214
without Maitland
Chapter Eight
Maitland, Fish and the State
- State Support for Nineteenth Century Science:
Fish Culture and the Fishery Board for
Scotland, 1882-1892 237
Chapter Nine
Maitland's Legacy .. 278
iv
Page
Chapter Ten
Howietoun after Maitland, 1897-1967 324
Conclusion .. 371
Appendix I
The Lauderdale Peerage Case, 1885 378
Appendix 11
The Recalculation of Howietoun's Financial
Data into Constant Terms 383
Primary Source Bibliography 390
Secondary Source Bibliography .. 399
v
LIST OF TABLES
Page.
Table 4.1
Howietoun Fishery Income, Expenditure and
Profit (E), 1875-1885 123
Table 4.2
Howietoun Fishery Construction Capital Account
(E), 1874-1885 126
Table 4.3
Howietoun Fishery Estates Advance Account
(E), 1874-1885 126
Table 4.4
Howietoun Fishery Profit Expressed as a Percentage
of Turnover and of Capital Employed (E/%), 1879-1885 .. 128
Table 4.5
Howietoun Fishery Income and its Trend using a
3- Year Average (E), 1879-1885 131
Table 4.6
Howietoun Fishery Expenditure Accounts: Miscellaneous,
Labour, Management, Advertising, and Interest (E),
1875-1885 .. 133
Table 4.7
The Effect of Interest Payments on Howietoun Fishery
Profits (E), 1879-1885 133
Table 6.1
Howietoun Fishery Income, Expenditure and
Profit (E), 1875-1897 166
Table 6.2
Howietoun Fishery Construction Capital Account
(E), 1874-1893 169
Table 6.3
Howietoun Fishery Estates Advance Account
(E), 1874-1893 170
vi
Page
Table 6.4
Howietoun Fishery Profit Expressed as a Percentage
of Turnover and of Capital Employed (E/%), 1879-1897 .. 171
Table 6.5
Howietoun Fishery Income and its Trend using a'
3-Year Average (£), 1879-1897 174
Table 6.6
Howietoun Fishery Expenditure Accounts: Miscellaneous,
Labour, Management, Advertising, and Interest (E),
1875-1897 .. 178
Table 6.7
The Effect of Interest Payments on Howietoun Fishery
Profits (£), 1879-1892 182
Table 6.8
Howietoun Fishery Pre-Interest Profit Expressed as a
Percentage of Turnover (£/%), 1879-1892 202
Table 9.1
Howietoun's Stocking of Loch Leven, 1875-1885 .. 293
Table 10.1
Howietoun Fishery Expenditure, Income, Profit
and Profitability (£/%), 1898-1913 334
Table 10.2
Howietoun Fishery/Howietoun and Northern Fisheries
Company Income and its Trend using a 3- Year Average
337
(E in Current Prices), 1879-1972
Table 10.3
Howietoun Fishery/Howietoun and Northern Fisheries
Company Income and its Trend using a 3- Year Average
(EJn Constant Prices), 1879-1972 341
Table 10.4
Howietoun and Northern Fisheries Company Profit and
Profitability (£/% in Current and Constant Prices),
1917-1963 .. 344
vii
Page
Table 10.3A (Appendix 11)
Howietoun Fishery/Howietoun and Northern Fisheries
Company Income (£), 1879-1972. Recalculated into
385
Constant (1891) Prices. ..
Table 10.4A
Howietoun Fishery/Howietoun and Northern Fisheries
Company Profits (£), 1879-1963. Recalculated into
388
Constant (1891) Prices. ..
viii
LIST OF CHARTS
Page'
Chart 4.1
Howietoun Fishery Income and its Trend
using a 3- Year Average (E), 1879-1885 131
Chart 6.1
Howietoun Fishery Income and its Trend
using a 3- Year Average (£), 1879-1897 174
Chart 10.1
Trend of Howietoun Fishery/Howietoun and
Northern Fisheries Company Income using a
3-Year Average (£ in Current Prices), 1879-1972 .. 338
Chart 10.2
Trend of Howietoun Fishery/Howietoun and
Northern Fisheries Company Income using a
3-Year Average (£ in Constant Prices), 1891-1972.. 342
Chart 10.3
Howietoun Fishery/Howietoun and Northern
Fisheries Company Profits (£ in Constant Prices),
1879-1963 .. 345