George Young Blair JP (10 March 1824 – 22 September 1894) was a Scottish marine engineer, who specialised in the building of triple expansion engines at his factory Blair & Co., Ltd. in Stockton-on-Tees.[1][2]
George Young Blair | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 March 1824 |
| Died | 22 September 1894 (aged 70) Drumrauch Hall Hutton Rudby, Yorkshire |
| Occupation | Marine engineer |
| Spouse |
Margaret Borrie
(m. 1862; died 1888) |
| Children | 4 |
Early life edit
Blair was born at Drumrauch Farm, Pittenweem, Fife, near Dundee, Scotland on 10 March 1824.
Career edit
In 1855 George Blair was appointed manager of Fossick & Hackworth, becoming a partner in 1865. The firm was renamed Fossick, Blair & Co. on Hackworth's retirement, and when Fossick died in 1866 it became Blair & Co.[3]
Blair's management led to the firm's specialising in marine engines. The 700 employees grew to 2 000, and the works covered seven and a half acres. Blair produced the first compound steam engine built on the Tees in January 1869 and fitted it to the Glenmore built by Backhouse & Dixon. This was followed in 1884 by its first triple-expansion engine, fitted to the Burgos which had been built by Richardson, Duck and Company.
In 1887 Blair constructed massive sheerlegs next to the Tees. These were capable of lifting 100 tons of marine engine into new ships. By 1914 the yard had turned out some 1 400 marine engines, followed by 75 during World War I. After the War the firm was taken over by Gould Steamships and Industrials in 1919.[4]
Blair also served as a Justice of the Peace for County Durham.[5]
Personal life edit
On 4 September 1862 Blair married Margaret Borrie (1836–1888), daughter of Peter Borrie and Jean Simson, at St. Hilda's Church, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, North Riding, England. He constructed the family home, Drumrauch Hall, and bought Linden Grove, also at Hutton Rudby in Yorkshire. Together, George and Margaret were the parents of:[5]
- Peter Borrie Blair (1866–1891), who died in Stockton of typhoid.[5]
- Mary Young Blair (1867–1935), who married Percy Sadler, eldest son of industrialist Sir Samuel Sadler.[5]
- Florence Jean Blair (c. 1869–1917), who died unmarried.[5]
- Margaret Amy Blair (1870–1907), who married Smollett Clerk Thomson, a Scottish bank agent, in 1899.[5]
References edit
- ^ "George Young Blair & Drumrauch Hall - jakesbarn.co.uk". Archived from the original on 18 August 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
- ^ "Blair and Co - Graces Guide".
- ^ boilers, &c, Great Britain Admiralty Committee to inquire into the causes of the deterioration of (1877). Evidence, Addenda, and Appendices to the Reports of the Committee Appointed by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, to Inquire Into the Causes of the Deterioration of Boilers, &c., and to Propose Measures which Would Tend to Increase Their Durability ... H.M. Stationery Office. p. 474. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ "Blair & Co. Ltd". www.wrecksite.eu. The Wrecksite. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 1, page 437.
- ^ The Ironmonger: Builders Merchant and Hardwareman. 1895. p. 4. Retrieved 25 March 2024.