William Gray & Company
| Industry | Shipbuilding |
|---|---|
| Fate | Voluntary liquidation |
| Founded | 1863 |
| Defunct | 1962 |
| Headquarters | West Hartlepool, England |
|
Key people
|
John Punshon Denton Sir William Gray Sir William Cresswell Gray, Bt. Sir William Gray, Bt. |
William Gray & Company Ltd. was a British shipbuilding company located in West Hartlepool, County Durham, in North East England. Founded in 1863 by John Denton and William Gray as a partnership, it became a private and then a public limited company under the leadership of three generations of the Gray family until finally wound up in 1962.
In 1839 John Punshon Denton established a shipyard in Middleton, Hartlepool to build and repair wooden-hulled sailing ships. In 1863 Denton entered into a partnership with William Gray, a successful businessman with a chain of stores in Hartlepool, to form Denton, Gray and Company. The shipyard was modernised and extended, and began to build iron-hulled ships. Their first ship was launched on 23 January 1864. In 1865 Denton, Gray and Co. established a new partnership with the shipbuilders Richardson, Duck and Co. of , and marine engine builders T. Richardson and Sons called Richardson, Denton, Duck and Co. However, business was poor, and the partnership only completed only four ships before being dissolved in September 1866, when the companies returned to their original ownership and names. In 1867-68 Denton, Gray and Co. expanded their premises, taking over a neighbouring shipyard in 1868, which allowed them to diversify their business into ship repairs. In 1869 the company moved to a larger yard in West Hartlepool which covered eight acres, and employed up to 1,200 men.
The partnership ended on John Denton's death in 1871. By this time Denton and Grey were in dispute over which of their sons should be allowed to join as partners. The case had gone to court, but as the company had been founded with no formal signed contracts, the courts were unable to reach a decision. Eventually Denton's sons left the company, and in 1874 it was renamed William Gray & Company, and Gray took on his eldest son Matthew as partner.
The business flourished, and in 1878 Gray's held the British record for output, with 18 ships launched in a single year, and the company soon became West Hartlepool's largest producer of iron clipper barques, sailing ships and steamers. Now employing some 2,000 men, the company recorded the highest output of any British shipyard six times between 1878 and 1900.
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