Sutherland, B.J., & Co Ltd

The records consist of the only continuous sequence of the Directors' and General minute books, 1909 to 1954. Of the account books there are ledgers, 1919 to 1954; and cash books and journals, 1946 to 1954. From the early 1950s, however, the records are very detailed. Each of the last seven vessels has a complete dossier of receipted accounts as well as a voyage book. There are also oil conversion accounts for two ships, 1949 and 1953; cargo claims and average settlements, 1945 to 1954; reconditioning claims, Ministry of War Transport, 1943 to 1945; insurance policies, 1941 to 1955; two pocket books of fleet particulars, giving the shipowner the details necessary for making quick decisions on the profitability of accepting a chartering offer; three volumes on cargoes loaded, 1919 to 1953; position books, 1935 to 1954, which set out the ships' itineraries; correspondence, 1948 to 1954; detailed analyses of trading results on various ships, 1923 to 1953; sales contracts relating to the final disposal of the fleet, 1953 to 1954. In addition, there are nineteen log books of the Radfield, 1941 to 1945, which was not a Sutherland ship, but managed for the Ministry of Transport by another Tyneside firm. Finally, there are also private papers, including ledgers of the elder Benjamin Sutherland, 1877 to 1891; of Sir Arthur Sutherland, 1906 to 1953; and papers relating to the estate of Sir Arthur's brother, Benjamin, who died in 1909.