Muirfield Gallery

In 1889/1900 the partnership of Maclean, Doughty & Co., was dissolved with Henry Doughty taking four steamers with him. He formed Doughty & Co,. in 1900 and changed the name to Doughty Shipping Co. Ltd. in 1901. Doughty also managed ships for the British Government during WW1. The company lost four steamers during WW1 and went out of business in 1919.

Family History:

Henry Doughty was born in 1859 at Middlesbrough. In the early 1890’s he volunteered and became captain in the 4^th Battalion of the Durham Light Infantry and reached the rank of major. In 1881 Henry was living at Stranton and was listed as a commercial clerk in a shipping office. By 1891 He was living at Seaton Carew. In April 1908 he was given command of the newly organised Durham Royal Garrison Artillery and retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in May 1909. Henry joined the Board of Directors of Hartlepool Gas and Water Company in 1916.  He moved to Harrogate, probably after 1919.

Henry died on 13 July 1927 at Harrogate and was interred at Harlow Cemetery. In his will, apart from £12,000 in bequests, the majority of £315,855 was given to various charities.

This section will, in time, contain the stories of more than 450 merchant ships built or owned in the Hartlepools, and which were lost during the First World War. As an illustration of the truly global nature of shipbuilding, these ships were owned by companies from 22 different countries, including more than 30 sailing under the German flag at the outbreak of war.

Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, Friday, October 20^th, 1916:
FIRE ON BOARD WEST HARTLEPOOL STEAMER. London, Thursday Night. The s.s. Muirfield, which is on fire in her cargo cotton, has been considerably detained on the voyage, and the outbreak is quite possibly due spontaneous combustion, which likely occur in cotton-laden ships in such circumstances. The fire is believed to be in hand. The Muirfield is of 3,086 tons gross register, owned Messrs. Doughty and Co., of West Hartlepool, and including cargo interests, she is worth approximately a quarter of a million sterling. Casualties of this class, even if they do not result in actual total loss, bring extremely heavy claims on underwriters, and the holding up of tonnage during repairs is also serious.