Alfred Waterhouse

Partnership Role

Nicholas Waterhouse & Sons
Other partner

Cotton Brokers

No notes


Firm Notes

  1. Nicholas Waterhouse served as apprentice to a Bolton fustian manufacturer; for a time worked in a Manchester cotton warehouse. Established the firm of Nicholas Waterhouse & Co. in 1790 at 16 Litherland Lane, Liverpool. 'The knowledge, expertise, and business networks he had established during his early career in cotton manufacturing allowed him to quickly establish operations in Liverpool, and to take advantage of the increase in volume needed to sustain a more specialised profession as a cotton broker.' And note that by 1800 the firm of Waterhouse & Sill had been established and between then and 1815 was also engaged in importing coffee, sugar and wine (and especially coffee from Demerara. The firm was also sending manufactured goods and plantation provisions to Demerara, suggesting that Waterhouse operated as a general merchant in Liverpool in the early C19th. Indeed, by 1813, Waterhouse appeared in Gore's Directory as a 'merchant', 'suggesting that his cotton brokerage, though substantial, was only part of his commercial activities' (Krichtal, p. 106).

  2. Partnership at Liverpool under firm of Nicholas Waterhouse & Sons dissolved by mutual consent so far as concerns Alfred Waterhouse, who retires from the firm 30/12/1843; sigend by Daniel, Alfred and Rogers Waterhouse and Thomas Bouch.

  3. Partnership under Nicholas Waterhouse & Sons dissolved as far as concerns James Cox and Henry Cox who withdrew 30/6/1855 (Daniel and Rogers Waterhouse; Thomas and John Bouch; James and Henry Cox).

  4. Dissolution as far as concerns Rogers Waterhouse 31/3/1864 signed by Rogers Waterhouse, Thomas Bouch, John Bouch and John D Waterhouse.

  5. Dissolution of partnership between Thomas, John and Thomas Wilkinson Bouch under  Nicholas Waterhouse & Sons by retirement of Thomas Bouch  31/12/1875

Firm Sources

  1. Alexey Krichtal, ‘Liverpool and the Raw Cotton Trade: A Study of the Port and its Merchant Community, 1770-1815’, (MA thesis, Victoria University of Wellington, 2013), p. 99. For discussion of the firm's activities before 1815 see pp. 99-102 and 105-6.

  2. London Gazette, 20301 2/1/1844 p. 9.

  3. London Gazette, 21741 6/7/1855 p. 2617.

  4. London Gazette, 22841 5/4/1864 p. 1926.

  5. London Gazette, 24282 7/1/1876 p. 74.