Introduction to the 1993 Edition

Summary

Any list of the pioneers of West Africa's modern deep-sea trade would include John Holt. His was the career to which many nineteenth-century Britons aspired but few achieved. From modest beginnings in Lincolnshire to an apprenticeship in Liverpool was a useful first step, but since this required his family's financial support it was not the beginning of a traditional “rags to riches” story. Indeed, the terms of his indenture specified that his father, Thomas, had to “bind himself to find and provide for the said John Holt good and sufficient meat, drink, washing, lodging and all necessary and proper wearing apparel of all sorts suitable for such an apprentice during the aforesaid term of five years.” While William Laird was bound by these articles to pay a total of £160 in wages over the period, it is unclear if these represented the return of a premium paid by Thomas Holt or a genuine contribution to John's living expenses.

The firm of William and Hamilton Laird, which Holt joined in 1857, was founded originally to deal in coal. Links with the family shipbuilding firm helped to develop the bunkering side of the business; after their brother, Macgregor Laird, formed the African Steam Ship Company they were appointed its Liverpool agents. At first the line used London as its terminus, but when sailings were transferred to the Mersey in 1856 their responsibility grew rapidly. This was not only because of the additional effort required to ensure an efficient turnaround, which involved the agency in all aspects of staffing, victualling and repairs, but also because control of the company gradually fell into their hands. From John Holt's perspective this expansion came at an opportune moment, for it created the vacancy which he subsequently filled. Moreover, it also shifted the focus of the firm's activities toward West Africa and thus played a significant role in influencing his later career.

John Holt's decision to accept a position with James Lynslager on the island of Fernando Po has been discussed elsewhere. The diaries he kept provide a fascinating account of his life from 23 June 1862 to 19 December 1864, and from 30 January 1869 to 2 January 1872.