Harrison, Gwendolyn Amy

Person

Harrison, Gwendolyn Amy

Gwendolyn Amy Harrison (also known as Gwendolyn Amy Lithgow and Lady Lithgow) was born 1897 in Helensburgh, the daughter of John Robinson Harrison a Clyde ship-owner.

Harrison studied drawing and painting as a day student at The Glasgow School of Art during the session 1914-1915.

Whilst studying at The Glasgow School of Art, Harrison lived at Croft House (known now as The Long Croft) at 41 George Street Helensburgh. The house was built in 1901 by well known artist and architect Alexander Nisbet Paterson where he had previously lived with his wife Margaret (Maggie) Hamilton also a well-known artist who was influential to the arts and crafts movement and the sister of James Whitelaw Hamilton, one of the first Glagsow boys.

Gwendolyn Harrison married Sir James Lithgow a Scottish industrialist on 11th September 1924 at St Mary's Church Wreay Carlisle. It is possible that Gwendolyn came to known James through her father John as he had previously ordered ships from his future son in law.

Sir James Lithgow was a Scottish Industrialist who played a major role in British shipbuilding and steelmaking in the 1930s. Lithgow's father was a partner in the shipbuilding firm Russel and co and with his brother Henry, they reconstructed the partnership Russel and co into a private limited company Lithgow ltd. The two brothers decided that in the event of war, James would take on military service whilst Henry would continue to run the shipyard. James Lithgow served in WW1 and was a lieutenant. In 1917 he was appointed the Director of Merchant Shipbuilding and his responsibility was to ensure that production targets were met. James re-joined his brother in the business in 1919.

In 1924 the couple built a Victorian mansion, Gleddoch House in Langbank after their marriage, a few miles from their shipyards in Port Glasgow. Today Gleddoch House is luxury hotel, golf course, restaurant, spa, sports complex and wedding venue known as 'Gleddoch House Hotel and Golf Club.' The couple had three children, Margaret, Ann and a son, William, who would later inherit the family company.

Henry Lithgow died in 1948 leaving the running of the company to his brother. The company also faced heavy demands for replacing lost ships following the end of the war. His brother's death clearly affected James greatly as just four months after Henry's death, he suffered a thrombosis and stroke which he never fully recovered from. James Lithgow died in 1952 at Gleddoch House, Langbank.

After James Lithgow's death, Gwendolyn Harrison acted as chairman of the company until 1959. This was due to her son William Lithgow requiring more experience before assuming control of the family firm. When Harrison took over as chairman of Lithgow group, it comprised of some twenty-six companies. She had no experience in running of such a large company and therefore greatly relied upon her husband's advisors and the other more experienced managers in order to run the enterprise. However, it is clear that Harrison was not merely a figurehead of the company as she had strong opinions on how the firm was run. She ordered several resignations including: Sir John Duncanson, deputy chairman of Lithgow's Limited, Jackson Millar the chairman of Fairfield, and Lord Elgin, the Govan firm's vice chairman, who had all been appointed by her husband, Sir James Lithgow. Harrison also improved the lives of those working in the shipyards, at a meeting regarding the reconstruction of the yard; she proposed that adequate facilities for lavatories and wash rooms should be provided before the company would be required to do so. Harrison's son, Sir William Lithgow became the chair of the company by 1960 after his mother's resignation.

In the 1960s, The Lithgow Group led by William Lithgow, merged with Scott's shipbuilding of Greenock, this became Scott Lithgow in 1970. From 1980 the company was nationalised by the government under the control of the British Shipbuilders Corporation by The Aircraft and Shipbuilding Industries Act 1977.

Gwendolyn Amy Harrison died in 1975 at the age of 78.

Sources

http://www.thepeerage.com/p49939.htm#i499390

https://www.theglasgowacademy.org.uk/media/3156/1924-1925.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_William_Lithgow,_2nd_Baronet

http://www.inverclydeshipbuilding.co.uk/home/inverclyde-shipyards/lithgows

http://westminsterresearch.wmin.ac.uk/8549/1/Murphy_VOL1.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_James_Lithgow,_1st_Baronet

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