Alfred Yarrow
Encyclopedia
Sir Alfred Fernandez Yarrow, 1st Baronet, of Homestead
(13 January 1842 – 24 January 1932) was a British shipbuilder who started a shipbuilding
dynasty, Yarrow Shipbuilders
.
. He was part Spanish
Sephardi Jewish on his mother's side. He was educated at University College School
. After serving an apprenticeship in Stepney
, he opened a yard — Yarrow and Hedley (a partnership) — at Folly Wall, Poplar
on the Isle of Dogs
in 1865 to build steam river launches.
He ventured into military vessels from the early 1870s, building torpedo boat
s for the Argentine
and Japanese
navies, among other customers. Then in 1892 he built the first two destroyer
s for the Royal Navy
: Havock
and Hornet
of the Havock class
. He struck up a strong friendship and correspondence with Lord Fisher ("Jackie Fisher"), and subsequently Yarrow Shipbuilders became a lead contractor for the Royal Navy for smaller, but almost always fast, boats.
By this time, the Hedley partnership had been dissolved (1875), and the company was known as Yarrow & Co
, and around 1898 moved out of Folly shipyard
to the nearby London Yard
. It was to be a short-lived move, for less than 10 years later (1906–1908) Yarrow gradually moving his yard northwards to Scotstoun
on the banks of the River Clyde
on the west coast of Scotland
, closing the London shipyard in 1908. Yarrow Shipbuilders
was nationalised into British Shipbuilders by the Labour Government headed by Jim Callaghan and was subsequently privatised by Margaret Thatcher's government when the shipyard assets were purchased by GEC Marconi in 1985; in 1999 it became part of BAE Systems Marine
. An operation in Esquimalt
, Canada
was purchased in 1913, renamed Yarrows Ltd., and after the Second World War sold to Burrard Dry Dock
.
Long after Alfred Yarrow died the Shipyard remained famous throughout navies of the world for building smaller fast vessels. Alfred Yarrow's strong naval engineering capabilities and inventive mind were behind a number of inventions designed to drive ships ever faster
He lived in Greenwich, London for some years - occupying Woodlands House
in Mycenae Road, Westcombe Park
for some years from 1896.
Knighted in 1916, Sir Alfred displayed extensive philanthropic
tendencies throughout his later years, donating towards: a convalescent home on the Isle of Dogs for the benefit of children; residences for soldiers' widows in Hampstead Garden Suburb
(the Barnett Homestead
, Erskine Hill); a school, Bearwood College
, in Berkshire
; a home and hospital for children in Broadstairs
, Kent
; a scholarship at University College London
; a gallery at Oundle School
in Northamptonshire
; and medical research at the Royal London Hospital
, Whitechapel
, among other noble causes. He also left a bequest to the Institution of Civil Engineers
.
His first wife was Minnie Florence Franklin, daughter of Theodosia (née Balderson; daughter of Major G. R. Balderson) and Frank Franklin. His daughter Minnie Ethel Yarrow was invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
(OBE); she married on 18 December 1900 Bertrand Edward Dawson, 1st Baron Dawson of Penn and 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn
. He was succeeded by his son Sir Harold Edgar Yarrow, 2nd Baronet, of Homestead. His younger son, 2/Lt Eric Fernandez Yarrow, was killed in action, aged 20, in 1915, whilst serving with the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.
Homestead
-Property-related:*Homestead , a single building, or collection of buildings grouped together on a large agricultural holding*Homestead , a cluster of several single-family houses in southern Africa...
(13 January 1842 – 24 January 1932) was a British shipbuilder who started a shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
dynasty, Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
.
Life and career
Yarrow was born to humble origins in East LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He was part Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
Sephardi Jewish on his mother's side. He was educated at University College School
University College School
University College School, generally known as UCS, is an Independent school charity situated in Hampstead, north west London, England. The school was founded in 1830 by University College London and inherited many of that institution's progressive and secular views...
. After serving an apprenticeship in Stepney
Stepney
Stepney is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in London's East End that grew out of a medieval village around St Dunstan's church and the 15th century ribbon development of Mile End Road...
, he opened a yard — Yarrow and Hedley (a partnership) — at Folly Wall, Poplar
Poplar, London
Poplar is a historic, mainly residential area of the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is about east of Charing Cross. Historically a hamlet in the parish of Stepney, Middlesex, in 1817 Poplar became a civil parish. In 1855 the Poplar District of the Metropolis was...
on the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is bounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames.-Etymology:...
in 1865 to build steam river launches.
He ventured into military vessels from the early 1870s, building torpedo boat
Torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval vessel designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs rammed enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes, and later designs launched self-propelled Whitehead torpedoes. They were created to counter battleships and other large, slow and...
s for the Argentine
Argentine Navy
The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
and Japanese
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
navies, among other customers. Then in 1892 he built the first two destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
: Havock
HMS Havock (1893)
HMS Havock was a Havock-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy built by the Yarrow shipyard. She was one of the very first destroyers ordered by the Royal Navy. She had a 240 tons displacement, a speed of 27 knots, and was armed with a single 12-pounder gun, three 6-pounders, and...
and Hornet
HMS Hornet (1893)
HMS Hornet was a Havock-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy.Built by Yarrow & Company, London, she was laid down in July 1892, launched on 23 December 1893 and completed in July 1894. She served all her service life in Home waters. She served for fifteen years before being sold...
of the Havock class
Havock class destroyer
The Havock class was a class of torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. The two ships, and , built in London in 1893 by Yarrow & Company, were the first TBDs to be completed for the Royal Navy, although the equivalent pair from J.I...
. He struck up a strong friendship and correspondence with Lord Fisher ("Jackie Fisher"), and subsequently Yarrow Shipbuilders became a lead contractor for the Royal Navy for smaller, but almost always fast, boats.
By this time, the Hedley partnership had been dissolved (1875), and the company was known as Yarrow & Co
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
, and around 1898 moved out of Folly shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
to the nearby London Yard
London Yard
London Yard was a shipyard in London, in use between around 1856 and 1908 by various shipbuilding companies, including Westwood, Baillie and Yarrow Shipbuilders.-Location:...
. It was to be a short-lived move, for less than 10 years later (1906–1908) Yarrow gradually moving his yard northwards to Scotstoun
Scotstoun
Scotstoun is a historic district of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Yoker and Knightswood to the west, Victoria Park, Broomhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde to the south...
on the banks of the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
on the west coast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, closing the London shipyard in 1908. Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Shipbuilders
Yarrow Limited , often styled as simply Yarrows, was a major shipbuilding firm based in the Scotstoun district of Glasgow on the River Clyde...
was nationalised into British Shipbuilders by the Labour Government headed by Jim Callaghan and was subsequently privatised by Margaret Thatcher's government when the shipyard assets were purchased by GEC Marconi in 1985; in 1999 it became part of BAE Systems Marine
BAE Systems Marine
BAE Systems Marine Ltd. was the shipbuilding subsidiary of BAE Systems, formed in 1999, which manufactured the full range of naval ships; nuclear submarines, frigates, destroyers, amphibious ships....
. An operation in Esquimalt
Esquimalt, British Columbia
The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the west by Esquimalt Harbour and Royal Roads, to the northwest by the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
was purchased in 1913, renamed Yarrows Ltd., and after the Second World War sold to Burrard Dry Dock
Burrard Dry Dock
Burrard Dry Dock Ltd. was a Canadian shipbuilding company headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia . Together with the neighboring North Van Ship Repair yard and the Yarrows Ltd...
.
Long after Alfred Yarrow died the Shipyard remained famous throughout navies of the world for building smaller fast vessels. Alfred Yarrow's strong naval engineering capabilities and inventive mind were behind a number of inventions designed to drive ships ever faster
He lived in Greenwich, London for some years - occupying Woodlands House
Woodlands House
Woodlands House is a grade II listed Georgian villa, next door to Mycenae House, Mycenae Road, in the Westcombe Park area of the London Borough of Greenwich.-History:...
in Mycenae Road, Westcombe Park
Westcombe Park
This article is about the London district. See Westcombe Park rugby club for details of the rugby club - now based in Orpington.Westcombe Park is a largely residential area in Blackheath in the London Borough of Greenwich, south-east London, England....
for some years from 1896.
Knighted in 1916, Sir Alfred displayed extensive philanthropic
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
tendencies throughout his later years, donating towards: a convalescent home on the Isle of Dogs for the benefit of children; residences for soldiers' widows in Hampstead Garden Suburb
Hampstead Garden Suburb
-Notable Residents :*Theo Adams*Martin Bell*Sir Victor Blank*Katie Boyle*Constantine, the last King of Greece*Greg Davies*Richard & Judy Finnigan*David Matthews*Michael Ridpath*Claudia Roden*Jonathan Ross*Sir Donald Sinden*Marc Sinden...
(the Barnett Homestead
Barnett Homestead
The Barnett Homestead is a grade II listed building in Erskine Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, in north London. Designed by architect John Soutar, the building comprises 12 apartments intended for soldiers' widows and their children, and its construction was funded by ship-builder and philanthropist...
, Erskine Hill); a school, Bearwood College
Bearwood College
Bearwood College is a secondary co-educational independent school located at Bearwood House at Sindlesham, near Wokingham, in the English county of Berkshire. Before the 1990s, it was the Royal Merchant Navy School.-History of the house:...
, in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
; a home and hospital for children in Broadstairs
Broadstairs
Broadstairs is a coastal town on the Isle of Thanet in the Thanet district of east Kent, England, about south-east of London. It is part of the civil parish of Broadstairs and St Peter's, which includes St. Peter's and had a population in 2001 of about 24,000. Situated between Margate and...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
; a scholarship at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
; a gallery at Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
; and medical research at the Royal London Hospital
Royal London Hospital
The Royal London Hospital was founded in September 1740 and was originally named The London Infirmary. The name changed to The London Hospital in 1748 and then to The Royal London Hospital on its 250th anniversary in 1990. The first patients were treated at a house in Featherstone Street,...
, Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
, among other noble causes. He also left a bequest to the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
.
His first wife was Minnie Florence Franklin, daughter of Theodosia (née Balderson; daughter of Major G. R. Balderson) and Frank Franklin. His daughter Minnie Ethel Yarrow was invested as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE); she married on 18 December 1900 Bertrand Edward Dawson, 1st Baron Dawson of Penn and 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn
Bertrand Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn
Bertrand Edward Dawson, 1st Viscount Dawson of Penn, GCVO, KCB, KCMG, PC, FRCP was a physician to the British Royal Family and President of the Royal College of Physicians.-Early life and education:...
. He was succeeded by his son Sir Harold Edgar Yarrow, 2nd Baronet, of Homestead. His younger son, 2/Lt Eric Fernandez Yarrow, was killed in action, aged 20, in 1915, whilst serving with the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.
Further reading
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
- Lady Yarrow): Alfred Yarrow His Life & Works. London: Edward Arnold, 1923.
- L. G. Pine, The New Extinct Peerage 1884-1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms (London, U.K.: Heraldry Today, 1972), page 99.
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
- The Yarrow Gallery at Oundle School, Northamptonshire, England
- The Shipbuilding industry: a guide to historical records by L. A. Ritchie, Manchester University Press, 1992, ISBN 0-7190-3805-7
- 2/Lt Eric Fernandez Yarrow, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - http://www.oundleschool.org.uk/arts/yarrow/history.php
- http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=160092