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Charles Ford was a shipbroker, merchant and shipowner. He was in partnership with William Thompson under the name Thompson, Ford & Co., until the company was dissolved in January 1896. They owned the steamers Conniscliffe and Sandal which were both built at Hartlepool.

Having offices at 68 Church Street, West Hartlepool, besides larger steamships C.H. Ford owned and managed steam trawlers all built by Edward Bros, North Shields. Four of these were the Annie, Marion, Calabria and Catania. The two former were sold in 1899 and the two latter were sold to Dutch owners in 1903 and registry was transferred to Holland. In 1896 Ford purchased a one third share in the barque Mathilda which had been built in Sundsvall in 1873. The other two thirds were owned by the skipper Johan Peter Lundgren. In 1889 Charles purchased the 269g wood brig Lizzie & Edith which had been built in Italy in 1872. On a voyage from Sunderland for Southampton with a cargo of coal & a crew of eight she stranded off Eccles, Palling, Norfolk in a force 9 ENE gale on 13 February 1900. Four lives were lost.

Janne Svensson of Sweden became acquainted with the shipbroker Ford and they went into business together. Starting in 1898 they had nine steamers in their fleet. To reduce operating costs the ships were ‘flagged’ out to Landskrona, Sweden where J.P. Jönsson officially stood as the owner. This explains why the ship’s flag used by Ford and Jönsson are the same. Names used by the company included Rederi A/B Lizzie, Rederi A/B Groveland and Rederi A/B Grovehurst. The company's board included, amongst others; Janne’s brothers Nils Petter and Janne Lundh, and Christian Larsson from Arild.

The company’s first ship was the Hartlepool built Lizzie. She was sold in 1901 and replaced by a steamer of the same name. The second Lizzie was built in Norway in 1901. She was sold in 1915 and was wrecked in 1933.

The company also had two ships named Arthur both built at Hartlepool. The first Arthur was owned between 1899 and 1906. The second was purchased in 1908.

In 1905 they purchased the steamer Arab which had been built at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1901. she was sold in 1914 and was lost to a torpedo in 1917. In 1913 the steamer Tudhoe was purchased from Furness, Withy & Co. She had been built at Sunderland in 1906. She was sold in 1915 and was eventually broken up in 1957.

When WW1 breaks out in the summer of 1914, because the company’s ships routes were mainly between England and Sweden, Ford decided there would be difficulties maintaining trade so decided to sell the vessels. This was done by the following year.

Family History:

Charles Henry Ford was born at Hartlepool in July 1862 to parents Peter and Mary Ann (nee Curbut) Ford. When he was 18 he was living at Stranton with his widowed mother and was working as a clerk. He married Elizabeth Roberts at Stockton in 1890. In 1891 they had a son, Reginald, who, sadly, only lived for 3 months. In June 1893 their son Arthur Llewelyn Ford was born. Charles became Vice-Consul for the Netherlands. In 1911 the family were living at Wooler Road, West Hartlepool. In about 1919 Charles purchased the 216 bedroom Grand Hotel in Harrogate from Lord Furness.

Arthur L. Ford, Charles’s son, joined the King’s Liverpool Regiment and was killed in action on 27^th September 1915 in France at the age of 22.

Charles died aged 59 at the Imperial Nursing Home, Harrogate on 29^th September 1921 leaving effects of £174,259. He was interred at Harlow Cemetery, Harrogate.

A shipping company which was formed through a long connection of family shipowners which included William, Richard, Joseph Benjamin Lister and William Scott Merryweather. William Merryweather was an auctioneer and purchased shares in his first sailing vessel soon after the Victoria Dock opened in Hartlepool in 1840. His son, Joseph Benjamin Lister Merryweather formed a partnership with Robert Coverdale & Charles Scotson Todd in 1873. On 31 August 1878 the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent and Joseph and his son, William Scott, became partners. Their first ship was the Sarah Ann named after Joseph’s wife.  

William added ships to the company after his father’s death. The last ship was sold in 1915 and he carried on a business as a shipbroker.

Family History:

Richard Merryweather was born in 1815 at Welbury, Yorkshire to parents William and Elizabeth. He became an auctioneer and in the late 1850s and early 1860s had shares in sailing vessels. Richard was married to Elizabeth Mould at Buckingham in 1841. By 1851 the couple were living at Southgate, Hartlepool and by 1861 at Cleveland, House, High Street, Hartlepool with their five children.  Richard died on 3 October 1891 aged 76 at Hartlepool leaving effects of £72.

William Merryweather was born in April 1791 at Welbury, Yorkshire to parents Richard and Margaret (nee Snaith). He married Elizabeth (nee Lister) in October 1813 at Welbury. Elizabeth died in 1854. William was remarried in February 1860 to Eleanor Forster. He died in February 1866 and is buried in St Hilda’s Churchyard alongside his first wife. On his death his effects were less than £1,500.

William and Elizabeth’s first son, also William, was born at Welbury in 1815. He became a porter merchant and then a shipowner. In June 1844 he married Margaret Ann Hauxwell at Hartlepool. William died in July 1853 at Stockton-on-Tees.

Joseph Benjamin Lister Merryweather was born to William and Elizabeth in 1836 at Hartlepool. In June 1859 he married Sarah Ann Scott at Wakefield. By 1881 the family were living at Alverthorpe, Wakefield. Joseph died on 22 December 1902 at Welbury Grange near Northallerton leaving effects of £38,173.

William Scott Merryweather was born in January 1860 at Hartlepool to Joseph and Sarah. He married Emily Elizabeth Wattley in 1885. At this time he was living at ‘Ethelbert’, Victoria Road. He was a member of the Town Council for many years and a J.P. By 1911 he was living at ‘Wrenwood’, Park Avenue, West Hartlepool. William died in July 1930 at Welbury leaving just £40 to his widow.

Official No. 81517: Code Letters TLNW.

Owners: 1880 J Merryweather & Co, West Hartlepool: 1894 Thompson, Ford & Co, West Hartlepool: 1895 A/S Sandal (Alf Monsen) Tonsberg: 1897 TS Blues & Co, South Shields: 1905 GP Cutting & Co, South Shields.

Masters: 1881-83 G Kennedy: 1883-91 WH Bulmer: 1892-95 J Peterson: 1896-98 OJ Olsen: 1899-1903 JA Nelson: 1905-06 J Taylor.

In May 1887 bound from Sunderland for Pillau she put into Copenhagen for repair after having gone ashore.