Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1902-2005 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
96 production units.
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Daniel and Smith Harrison and Joseph Crosfield entered into partnership in January 1844 to trade as tea and coffee merchants at 6 Temple Street, Liverpool, under the style Harrisons and Crosfield. The partnership moved in July 1854 to 3 Great Tower Street, London, becoming from the 1860s one of the largest tea traders in Britain. In the 1890s the company admitted a number of new partners (Charles Heath Clark, George Croll, Arthur Lampard and Eric Miller) and changed the direction of its business. The company took on the blending and packing of teas, and imports from Ceylon were stored in a warehouse on Ceylon Wharf, Bankside in Southwark. The company was also increasingly involved in rubber and plantation estates in the mid-20th century, and acquired shareholdings, often acting as agents and secretaries, in a number of plantation companies. By the late 20th century, Harrisons and Crosfield managed nearly half a million acres of tropical crops in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Southern India, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The firm became a limited company under the style Harrisons and Crosfield Limited in May 1908.
Much of the company's interest in tea was disposed of in 1916 on the formation of Twining, Crosfield and Company Limited. As well as diversifying into rubber plantation Harrisons and Crosfield Limited had interests in timber (through its stake in British Borneo Timber Limited, later called Sabah Timber Company), and especially from the 1950s, palm oil, speciality chemicals and other estates agency work, including the related business from insurance and shipping. From the late 1960s the company again changed direction moving to consolidate its interests in a number of divisions, including the "Harcros" group of timber merchants and building suppliers, chemicals, animal feeds and other agricultural products. Most of the interests Harrisons and Crosfield had in individual plantation companies were merged into larger companies (e.g. London Sumatra Plantations) in the 1960s and afterwards, and those companies have subsequently been sold. The firm became a public limited company in 1982. In late 1997 the firm started the disposal of all its timber and building supplies and food and agriculture divisions, to concentrate on speciality chemicals. From January 1998 the firm has been known as Elementis Plc.
Harrisons and Crosfield were appointed as secretaries and/or agents to almost all of the plantation companies in which it had a shareholding. The secretarial function was performed in London and included the provision of full management support to the boards of individual plantation companies and the administration of share registers. The overseas branches of Harrisons and Crosfield (e.g. Harrisons and Crosfield (Malaya) Limited) acted as agents.
Repository
Archival history
GB 0074 CLC/B/112-010 1902-2005 Collection 96 production units. Harrisons and Crosfield Ltd , traders in tea, coffee, rubber, timber, chemicals, and other agricultural products
Daniel and Smith Harrison and Joseph Crosfield entered into partnership in January 1844 to trade as tea and coffee merchants at 6 Temple Street, Liverpool, under the style Harrisons and Crosfield. The partnership moved in July 1854 to 3 Great Tower Street, London, becoming from the 1860s one of the largest tea traders in Britain. In the 1890s the company admitted a number of new partners (Charles Heath Clark, George Croll, Arthur Lampard and Eric Miller) and changed the direction of its business. The company took on the blending and packing of teas, and imports from Ceylon were stored in a warehouse on Ceylon Wharf, Bankside in Southwark. The company was also increasingly involved in rubber and plantation estates in the mid-20th century, and acquired shareholdings, often acting as agents and secretaries, in a number of plantation companies. By the late 20th century, Harrisons and Crosfield managed nearly half a million acres of tropical crops in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Southern India, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The firm became a limited company under the style Harrisons and Crosfield Limited in May 1908.
Much of the company's interest in tea was disposed of in 1916 on the formation of Twining, Crosfield and Company Limited. As well as diversifying into rubber plantation Harrisons and Crosfield Limited had interests in timber (through its stake in British Borneo Timber Limited, later called Sabah Timber Company), and especially from the 1950s, palm oil, speciality chemicals and other estates agency work, including the related business from insurance and shipping. From the late 1960s the company again changed direction moving to consolidate its interests in a number of divisions, including the "Harcros" group of timber merchants and building suppliers, chemicals, animal feeds and other agricultural products. Most of the interests Harrisons and Crosfield had in individual plantation companies were merged into larger companies (e.g. London Sumatra Plantations) in the 1960s and afterwards, and those companies have subsequently been sold. The firm became a public limited company in 1982. In late 1997 the firm started the disposal of all its timber and building supplies and food and agriculture divisions, to concentrate on speciality chemicals. From January 1998 the firm has been known as Elementis Plc.
Harrisons and Crosfield were appointed as secretaries and/or agents to almost all of the plantation companies in which it had a shareholding. The secretarial function was performed in London and included the provision of full management support to the boards of individual plantation companies and the administration of share registers. The overseas branches of Harrisons and Crosfield (e.g. Harrisons and Crosfield (Malaya) Limited) acted as agents.
The records of Harrisons and Crosfield and its subsidiary and secretarial companies were transferred to Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section between 1990 and 1998. The records were presented as a gift to the Library, except the minute books of some subsidiary companies which are held as a deposit. The Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section merged with the London Metropolitan Archives in 2009.
Papers relating to staffing at Harrisons and Crosfield Limited, including lists of staff; correspondence; papers relating to recruitment and training; papers relating to staffing such as holiday and training arrangements, staff who were held as prisoners of war, and disputes; and financial records relating to staff pensions and benefit schemes.
Files containing personal information about staff have a 70-year closure period.
Records arranged by MS number, assigned during cataloguing at the Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section.
Restricted access: please see staff.
Copyright to this collection rests with the depositor.
English
Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm
As well as the lists of staff and related papers in this section, there are staff files in the branch and subsidiary company records. The schedules at the beginning of the staff files of the Calcutta, Quilon, Batavia, Medan, Colombo branches, and Harrisons and Crosfield (Borneo) Ltd and Harrisons and Crosfield (Malaya) Ltd have been photocopied and are available for public consultation (CLC/B/112/MS37336A).
Records containing staff lists can also be found in the directors' papers: lists of London staff, 1911 (CLC/B/112/MS37330), and a volume of signatures of employees, including branch and subsidiary company staff, 1949 (CLC/B/112/MS37332/3).
See also the recollections and historical notes by some members of staff concerning the history of the Company, [1911-86?] (CLC/B/112/MS37389-90), photographs of London staff, [1913-48?] (CLC/B/112/MS37401-2), group photograph of the board of Harrisons Ramsey Proprietary,1919, and group photographs of staff at Kuala Lumpur and Medan, [1900-57] (CLC/B/112/MS37403).
See also the Company's monthly News Bulletin 1958-65 which includes appointments, retirements, visits, holidays and obituaries (CLC/B/112/MS37398).
The Harrisons and Crosfield Ltd collection has been divided into 167 sub-fonds; CLC/B/112-001 to CLC/B/112-167. 001 to 016 are records relating to Harrisons and Crosfield (such as operational records, staff records, property records and so on), and 017 to 167 are the records of subsidiaries, plantations and associated organisations.
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
November 2010 to January 2011. Harrisons and Crosfield Ltd , traders in tea , coffee , rubber , timber , chemicals , and other agricultural products Mercantile personnel Wars (events) World wars (events) World War Two (1939-1945) Information sources People Business records Documents People by occupation Personnel Industrial personnel International conflicts War victims Prisoners of War Civilian prisoners of war Government Public administration Health services administration Organization and administration Personnel management Recruitment Australia Oceania Indonesia South East Asia Malaysia Sri Lanka South Asia Canada North America India USA City of London London England UK Western Europe Europe
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
The records of Harrisons and Crosfield and its subsidiary and secretarial companies were transferred to Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section between 1990 and 1998. The records were presented as a gift to the Library, except the minute books of some subsidiary companies which are held as a deposit. The Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section merged with the London Metropolitan Archives in 2009.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Papers relating to staffing at Harrisons and Crosfield Limited, including lists of staff; correspondence; papers relating to recruitment and training; papers relating to staffing such as holiday and training arrangements, staff who were held as prisoners of war, and disputes; and financial records relating to staff pensions and benefit schemes.
Files containing personal information about staff have a 70-year closure period.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Records arranged by MS number, assigned during cataloguing at the Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Restricted access: please see staff.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright to this collection rests with the depositor.
Language of material
- English
Script of material
- Latin
Language and script notes
English
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
As well as the lists of staff and related papers in this section, there are staff files in the branch and subsidiary company records. The schedules at the beginning of the staff files of the Calcutta, Quilon, Batavia, Medan, Colombo branches, and Harrisons and Crosfield (Borneo) Ltd and Harrisons and Crosfield (Malaya) Ltd have been photocopied and are available for public consultation (CLC/B/112/MS37336A).
Records containing staff lists can also be found in the directors' papers: lists of London staff, 1911 (CLC/B/112/MS37330), and a volume of signatures of employees, including branch and subsidiary company staff, 1949 (CLC/B/112/MS37332/3).
See also the recollections and historical notes by some members of staff concerning the history of the Company, [1911-86?] (CLC/B/112/MS37389-90), photographs of London staff, [1913-48?] (CLC/B/112/MS37401-2), group photograph of the board of Harrisons Ramsey Proprietary,1919, and group photographs of staff at Kuala Lumpur and Medan, [1900-57] (CLC/B/112/MS37403).
See also the Company's monthly News Bulletin 1958-65 which includes appointments, retirements, visits, holidays and obituaries (CLC/B/112/MS37398).
The Harrisons and Crosfield Ltd collection has been divided into 167 sub-fonds; CLC/B/112-001 to CLC/B/112-167. 001 to 016 are records relating to Harrisons and Crosfield (such as operational records, staff records, property records and so on), and 017 to 167 are the records of subsidiaries, plantations and associated organisations.
Finding aids
Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Language(s)
- English