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G & J Burns : West Highland services

Glasgow ship owners J&G Burns (later G&J) entered the local shipping business on their native Clyde providing services to the West Highlands in 1835. They brought some degree of organisation and predictability to what had been erratic services by a range of local shipowners. Many of the ships were vested in the Glasgow & Liverpool Shipping Company, their main company which ran services between those two cities.  The Burns operation bought out their main rival, William Ainslie, in 1848 but only three years later decided to exit the business with a number of vessels being taken over by David Hutcheson who was their business manager for the area (and had been working with J&G Burns since they first opened their shipping agency in Glasgow almost thirty years earlier)

Clyde & Western Isles vessels : Scrapped or sold before sale of the business to David Hutcheson in 1851
(not including ships from the Glasgow Castles Company)

Inverness run :

Antelope (1835-1845)
Built in 1833 by R Barclay at Glasgow
Built for Burns and Martin's North British Steam Navigation Co
On the Belfast run in 1834 but transferred to the West Highland route operated by G&J Burns
Transferred to the Glasgow & Liverpool in 1844
Resold to Brownlow & Co at Hull in 1845.
Scrapped in 1856

Helen McGregor (1835-1848)
Built in 1835 by R Duncan at Greenock
82 ft
Steeple engine by Murdoch & Aitken at Glasgow
Built for R Young and Burns in 1835. Built for the Glasgow to Inverness run
Transferred to the Glasgow & Liverpool in 1844
Engine re-used in Lapwing (1848)


Inverness (1835-1846)
Built in 1832 by R Barclay at Glasgow
82.6 ft
Built for William Young & Co, Glasgow
Bought by Burns in 1835 and reengined
Glasgow & Liverpool  Steam Shipping Co  (Burns & Martin : Glasgow registry) in 1844
Sold to Derry owners in 1846 and scrapped in 1848

Rob Roy (1835-1850)
Built in 1834 by Robert Duncan at Greenock
Engine by Tod & MacGregor at Glasgow
Built for William Young of Glasgow, but the company was taken over by Burns in 1835
Transferred to the Glasgow & Liverpool in 1844
Scrapped in 1850



Staffa (1840-1844)
Built in 1832 by R Barclay at Glasgow.
81.8 ft  
Engine by David Napier.
ex- Staffa Steamboat Co (A McEachern & Co).
Bought by Robert Napier in 1835
In 1837 sailed to Tobermory (Skye) weekly. Glasgow agents were Thomson & McConnell
Bought by Clyde Steam Navigation Co (G&J Burns) in 1840
Sold to the City of Glasgow SB Co in 1844
Scrapped in 1848

Maid of Morven (1849-1850)
Built in 1826 by Wood & Barclay at Port Glasgow
85.4 ft
Engine by McArthur at Glasgow
Built for the Maid of Morvern Steamboat Co of Glasgow (A McEachern & Co)
In 1837 sailed to Tobermory (Skye) weekly. Glasgow agents were Thomson & McConnell
Various owners sailing from Glasgow to Fort William and Inverness with Wm Ainslie owning from 1846
Disposed of shortly after Burns took over Ainslie's business, having registered the ship with the Glasgow & Liverpool in 1849


Vessels disposed of in 1851 to David Hutchison


Pioneer (1844-1851)
Built in 1844 by Barr & MacNab at Paisley
159.8 ft : 197 GRT
Built for the Railway Steam Packet Co (connections with the Glasgow, Paisley & Greenock Railway) - (Burns & Smellie)
Bought by the Glasgow & Liverpool in 1847
Transferred to D Hutcheson in 1851

Dolphin (1844-1851)
Built in 1844 by Robert Napier at Govan
238 GRT
Built for G&J Burns
Sold in 1851 to David Hutcheson
Sold in 1862 for blockade running in the USA

Cygnet (1848-1851)
Built by J Reid & Co at Port Glasgow
77.5 ft : 101 GRT
Steeple engine by J&G Thomson of Glasgow
Glasgow & Liverpool  Steam Shipping Co  (Burns & Martin : Glasgow registry)
Sold to David Hutchison in 1851
Wrecked in 1882 in Loch Ailort

Plover (1848-1851)
Built by Thomas Wingate & Co at Glasgow
159.9 ft : 140 GRT
Glasgow & Liverpool  Steam Shipping Co  (Burns & Martin : Glasgow registry)
Sold to David Hutchison in 1851
Sold on through Wm Denny to the Lancashire & Furness Railway
Scrapped in 1862

Curlew (1849-1851)
Built in 1836 by David Napier at Glasgow
92.9 ft
Built for Loch Lomond Steamers as Lochlomond
Wm Ainslie was the owner from 1846, renmaing her Glengarry
Taken over by the the Glasgow & Liverpool in 1849 and renamed Curlew
Passed to David Hutcheson in 1851


Sales directly to new owners


Pilot (1844-1851)
Built in 1844 by Barr & MacNab at Paisley
137.4 ft : 141 GRT
Built for the Railway Steam Packet Co (connections with the Glasgow, Paisley & Greenock Railway) - (Burns & Smellie)
Registered with the Glasgow & Liverpool in 1847
Sold to Captain Gilliesin 1851 and in northern Ireland from 1853


Petrel (1845-1851)
Built in 1845 by Barr & Macnab at RenfrewOther vessels were disposed of elsewhere with shipbuilders Wm Denny acting as sales agents
165.5 ft : 162 GRT
Steeple 54 x 51 in. two funnels afte of the paddle shaft
Built for the Railway Steam Packet Co (connections with the Glasgow, Paisley & Greenock Railway) - (Burns & Smellie)
Registered with the Glasgow & Liverpool in 1847
Sold to Glasgow owners Anderson & Halley in 1851Other vessels were disposed of elsewhere with shipbuilders Wm Denny acting as sales agents


Other vessels were disposed of to shipbuilders Wm Denny who attempted to re-sell them :

Culloden (1845-1851)
Built by Caird & Co at Greenock
250 GRT
Steeple engine
Built for the Glasgow & Liverpool but transferred to the Glasgow Castles Steam Navigation Co
After coming into the hands of Wm Denny & Bros (via a London owner) she had a second life in Australia until wrecked in 1872

Thetis (1845-1851)
Built by Robert Napier at Glasgow
190.5 ft : 345 GRT
Glasgow & Liverpool  Steam Shipping Co  (Burns & Martin : Glasgow registry)
Sold in 1851 to Wm Denny & Bros and subsequently sold on to owners in Russia for service between St Petersburg and Riga
Stranded and lost in 1859

Queen of Beauty, later Merlin (1848-1851)
Built in 1844 by Thomas Wingate & Co at Glasgow
137.8 ft : 141 GRT
Engine ex-Leven of 1823 by R Napier replaced by Napier in 1850
Built for Glasgow owners but quicky in the hands of Wm Ainslie
Bought out by G&J Burns in 1848 and transferred to the Glasgow & Liverpool in 1850
In the hands of shipbuilder Wm Denny in 1851 and resold to Manchester owners and later overseas


Stork (1851)
Built by Wm Denny & Bros at Dumbarton
190.7 ft : 432 GRT
Engine by Caird & Co at Greenock
Glasgow & Liverpool  Steam Shipping Co  (Burns & Martin : Glasgow registry)
Sold to Wm Denny & Bros in 1851
Joined David Hutcheson's West Highland fleet in 1858, serving until 1861
Sold for use in Italy



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David Hutcheson
G&J Burns