Sir James Matheson 1st Baronet - His Tenure and Legacy (1844-1918) - 2 Minute Read
Sir James Matheson (1796-1878), a native of Sutherland, was the son of a Scottish trader in India. After attending the University of Edinburgh he also became a trader in India and in 1832 he co-founded the Jardine Matheson company in Canton (Guangzhou) with the aim of trading opium, tea and other goods with China.
Key areas of the business included carriage of opium from India to China, trading spices and sugar from the Philippines, and tea and silk from China. In addition, the business also acted as shipping and insurance agents, as well as operators of port facilities. Matheson was credited with the building of Hong Kong harbour.
To expand his business interests Matheson persuaded the British Government in 1839 to wage war on China which had rejected proposals to legalise opium. The drug had become a problem for the Chinese Government who tried to abolish the trade by confiscation and port blockade.
The British Government, although not officially denying China's right to control the import of the drug, objected to this arbitrary action and used its naval power to defeat the Chinese in this first Opium War of 1839-42. The subsequent Treaty of Nanking in 1842 allowed Jardine Matheson to expand its business empire from Canton to Hong Kong and mainland China.
In 1844 Matheson bought the Isle of Lewis for more than £500,000 from the bankrupt estate of the MacKenzies of Seaforth. Construction of the Castle, which was built on the site of the Seaforth Lodge, commenced in 1847 and took seven years to complete. During his period of ownership of the island Matheson provided employment, funded famine relief and engaged in many other social and economic projects to the benefit of the whole community, spending some £329,000 by 1850.
Following his death in 1878 his wife commissioned the Lady Matheson Memorial in the Castle Grounds in memory of her late husband. She acknowledged the importance of the opium trade to her husband's wealth by embellishing the monument pillars with poppy heads.
The organisation that Matheson co-founded has evolved into Jardine Matheson Holdings which now employs 390,000 staff with an annual turnover in excess of £35billion. It is among the top 200 public traded companies in the world with interests in retail, real estate, financial services, shipping and aviation, construction, auto and truck parts, and hotels.
Sir James Matheson (1796-1878), a native of Sutherland, was the son of a Scottish trader in India. After attending the University of Edinburgh he also became a trader in India and in 1832 he co-founded the Jardine Matheson company in Canton (Guangzhou) with the aim of trading opium, tea and other goods with China.
Key areas of the business included carriage of opium from India to China, trading spices and sugar from the Philippines, and tea and silk from China. In addition, the business also acted as shipping and insurance agents, as well as operators of port facilities. Matheson was credited with the building of Hong Kong harbour.
To expand his business interests Matheson persuaded the British Government in 1839 to wage war on China which had rejected proposals to legalise opium. The drug had become a problem for the Chinese Government who tried to abolish the trade by confiscation and port blockade.
The British Government, although not officially denying China's right to control the import of the drug, objected to this arbitrary action and used its naval power to defeat the Chinese in this first Opium War of 1839-42. The subsequent Treaty of Nanking in 1842 allowed Jardine Matheson to expand its business empire from Canton to Hong Kong and mainland China.
In 1844 Matheson bought the Isle of Lewis for more than £500,000 from the bankrupt estate of the MacKenzies of Seaforth. Construction of the Castle, which was built on the site of the Seaforth Lodge, commenced in 1847 and took seven years to complete. During his period of ownership of the island Matheson provided employment, funded famine relief and engaged in many other social and economic projects to the benefit of the whole community, spending some £329,000 by 1850.
Following his death in 1878 his wife commissioned the Lady Matheson Memorial in the Castle Grounds in memory of her late husband. She acknowledged the importance of the opium trade to her husband's wealth by embellishing the monument pillars with poppy heads.
The organisation that Matheson co-founded has evolved into Jardine Matheson Holdings which now employs 390,000 staff with an annual turnover in excess of £35billion. It is among the top 200 public traded companies in the world with interests in retail, real estate, financial services, shipping and aviation, construction, auto and truck parts, and hotels.