Letter-books, sales-books and ledgers of and concerning Alexander Houston and Company, merchants, bankers, and shipowners in Glasgow.
Scope and Contents
Houston's acted as an ‘entrepôt’ importing sugar, rum, cotton and tobacco from the British West Indies and distributing them to merchants throughout Britain. The return trade consisted of provisions, largely herrings and plantation stores, drawn in from various parts of Britain and occasionally from Western Europe. The papers, especially the letter-books and sales-books, offer a detailed picture of the organisation and price structure of the trade.
Dates
- Creation: 1729-1798.
Conditions Governing Access
Normal access conditions apply.
Conditions Governing Use
Normal reproduction conditions apply, subject to any copyright restrictions.
Extent
8 Volumes
Language of Materials
Undetermined
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Presented, 1953, by Messrs Tods, Murray and Jamieson, Writers to the Signet, Edinburgh.
Separated Materials
See also MSS.8895-8898.
- Title
- National Library of Scotland Catalogue of Manuscripts
- Author
- National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division
- Description rules
- International Standard for Archival Description - General
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
0131 623 3700
manuscripts@nls.uk