Berwick Salmon Fisheries Co Ltd

Elaine MacGillivray

(First published in Dunaskin News, December 2002)

With Christmas fast approaching we thought it appropriate to feature the records relating to one of Scotland’s favourite festive foods - salmon.

The Berwick Salmon Fisheries Co Ltd evolved, by way of a number of amalgamations between similar companies, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.  From the outset new partnerships were recurrently formed and the resultant companies carried on business in the shipping trade, salmon fisheries and leased fishing rights on the River Tweed.  The company had concentrated its business in salmon fisheries since the late 19th century and is one of the oldest surviving private limited companies in the UK.

Although small, the Berwick Salmon Fisheries Co Ltd archive contains a variety of records and consequently affords appeal to a broad range of researchers.  

There are annual accounts, extracts from minute books, records of stock movement, value and production levels, and records of the agreements made between the founding partners covering the the 16th century to 1964.  These records trace the economic and technological developments of the company and potentially reflect those of the Scottish fishing industry as a whole.  The records also illustrate the social and environmental factors that not only had an impact on the economics of the industry but also on the working and living conditions of its employees.  Those interested in the local geography may be enlightened by maps of the Berwick locality that date back to the early 19th century, and these are complemented by a General Survey of the “Queen’s Mail ‘Towne of Berwick’ ”, c1562.  The collection is animated by the inclusion of several photographs that serve to illustrate the working conditions within the industry during the early 20th century.

The records we have of Berwick Salmon Fisheries Co Ltd can be viewed within our online catalogue.  Further records of Berwick Salmon Fisheries Co Ltd are held at Berwick upon Tweed Record Office.