Sir Rowland Frederick William Hodge (1859-1950), 1st Baronet
Shipbuilder and company director of Eltringhams
Born 15 Sep 1859, in Sunderland, son of John Rowland Hodge (1819-1868) (a former master mariner, now master of pilots) and his wife Emily.
Baptised 4 Jan 1860 at St Andrew’s, Newcastle.[1]
1870-1874 Education at Royal Asylum of St Anne’s Society, Streatham. [2] Subsequently had a private tutor, but there is a gap in our knowledge until 1883.
1881 Census – Visitor at 3 Westbourne Road, Sydenham. Clerk.
1883-1884 Shipbuilding apprentice, Schlesinger, Davis and Co, Wallsend. [3]
1883-1884 2 years experience at John Elder and Co., Govan. [4]
1884-1889 General Manager, Schlesinger, Davis and Co, Wallsend. [5]
1889-1898 General Manager, C. S. Swan and Hunter.[6]
1891 Census – Resided 2 Station Road, Wallsend, Northumberland. Shipbuilder’s manager (employee).
1895 Married 21 year old Mabel Thorpe at Christ Church, Folkstone, Kent, in 21 Mar 1895.[7]
1898 Acquired the yard of Edwards Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. at Howden and created a new company, Northumberland Shipbuilding Co, with George Straker Falch Edwards as chairman and himself as Managing Director. The other directors were John Cory of Cardiff, J. J. Forster (John James Forster, ship broker and ship owner of Newcastle assumed) and Richard Holman of London (ship owner).[8]
1899 Initial director, Colinton Steam Shipping Company Ltd. (ship owners)[9]
1901 Census – Resided Henshelwood House, 18 Tankerville Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Shipbuilder, employer.
1901 Northumberland Shipbuilding Company was acquired by Sir Christopher Furness. The new private company’s sole proprietors were Sir Christopher Furness, Mr John Storey Barwick, of Sunderland, and Mr Rowland Hodge, who continued as managing director.[10]
1906 Elected Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. [11]
1911 Census – Resided Coxlodge Hall, Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Shipbuilder (employer)
1917 A syndicate including Rowland Hodge and H M Grayson (of H. and C. Grayson, ship repairers, Birkenhead), bought J. T. Eltringham and Co Ltd. Rowland Hodge was elected chairman.[12]
1919 Retired as MD of Northumberland Shipbuilding Co and was succeeded by Alexander M Kennedy.[13]
1920 A director of Colombian Oilfields Company, and was elected director of the Colombian Mining and Exploration Company.[14]
1921 Rowland Frederick William Hodge, Esq., founder of Northumberland Shipbuilding Company; Chairman of Eltringhams Ltd., created Baronet for public service, particularly in connection with shipbuilding.[15]
1921 Census – Baronet. Resided Chipstead Place, Sevenoaks, Kent. Retired shipbuilder. Chipstead place was described as a Queen Anne style mansion.
1923 Death of Lady Mabel Hodge, 10 Aug 1923 at Chipstead Place, Sevenoaks.[16] The following year Sir Rowland sold Chipstead Place, with its 282 acre estate and all its contents.
<1925->1935 Resided “Wentworth”, Ditton Hill, Surrey.[17] He also had a home in London.
1927 [18]Sir Rowland Frederic W. Hodge, Bart., chairman of Eltringhams Limited, Willington Quay-on-Tyne , Northumberland, is also on the board of:-
Alldays Commercial Motors, Limited ( chairman )
Canning Town Glass Works, Limited (chairman)
Chipstead Trust, Limited
Colonial and Foreign Glass Industries, Limited (chairman)
Securities Realization Company, Limited
Taranto Tramways and Electric Supply Company, Limited
1928 Appointed to the Board of Clyno Engineering Company (1922) Ltd., as part of a refinancing package by the London and Palatine Trust Ltd.[19]
1929 Vice chairman, Antrim Electricity Supply Company.[20]
1930 Owner of the New Burlington Club, London.[21]
1930 Married Vera, Countess Cathcart (37), at Prince's-row register office, St George’s, Hanover Square on 30 Sep 1930.[22] He was described in the press as a millionaire shipping magnate.
1934 Lady Vera Estelle Hodge unsuccessfully petitioned for divorce.[23] The marriage broke up anyway (indeed it was reported that the marriage had only lasted 3 weeks) and he left her one farthing in his will. After his death, she made an unsuccessful challenge to his will.
1939 Register - Resided “Chipstead”, Churt, Surrey. Director of shipbuilding company and glass making company.
Died 23 Sep 1950 at his home, “Chipstead”, Churt, Surrey, aged 91.
Sir Rowland was recorded between 1898 and 1939 as a Member of the Institution of Naval Architects, but full dates not found.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ ICE Membership Application , 1939 Register and Parish Register
- ↑ ICE Membership Application and 1871 Census
- ↑ ICE Membership Application
- ↑ ICE Membership Application
- ↑ ICE Membership Application
- ↑ ICE Membership Application
- ↑ Newcastle Daily Chronicle - 29 Mar 1895
- ↑ Lloyd's List - Saturday 28 May 1898 and Fairplay - 26 May 1898
- ↑ Financial News - 17 Jul 1899
- ↑ Shields Daily Gazette - 9 May 1901 and Newcastle Evening Chronicle - 29 May 1901
- ↑ ICE Membership Application
- ↑ Lloyd's List - 6 Dec 1917
- ↑ Newcastle Daily Chronicle - 3 Feb 1919
- ↑ Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer - 7 Jul 1920
- ↑ The London Gazette - 1 January 1921
- ↑ Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Advertiser - 17 Aug 1923
- ↑ Electoral Roll
- ↑ The Directory of Directors 1927
- ↑ Birmingham Daily Gazette - 12 Oct 1928
- ↑ Ballymena Observer - 30 Aug 1929
- ↑ Evening News (London) - 27 Sep 1930
- ↑ Daily Mirror - 1 Oct 1930
- ↑ Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough - 27 Nov 1934