The Bowring Company in one form or another dates back to the early 19th century and was principally concerned with shipping and is regarded as the first company to have shipped barrelled oil into the UK. The more familiar name of the company is C.T. Bowring & Co who were one of the first companies to own tanker steamers
Two early artifacts from the Bowring company, a late 19th century cup and saucer from the Red Cross Line and an enamel advertising sign circa 1910
for the shipment of petroleum oil. They formed various companies including the Red Cross Line in 1886, the English & American Shipping Co. Ltd in 1888, and a subsidiary company of the Red Cross Line - the Bear Creek Oil & Shipping Co. Ltd. These companies transported both passengers and freight, including oil, and had routes between Liverpool, New York, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and St. John's, Newfoundland. The first world war, and a drop in passenger trade saw these companies come under pressure. The English & American Shipping Co Ltd was liquidated in 1919 when a new company was formed "The Bowring Steamship Co" which concentrated on oil tankering and other freight business. The Red Cross Line was eventually sold in 1929 with its remaining ships being transferred to the Bermuda & West Indies SS Co.
Another wholly owned Bowring company, the Bowring Petroleum Co Ltd, was registered in 1900 for the purpose of wholesale distribution of petroleum products in the UK including the company's own brand of motor spirit derived from Mexican oil "Mex Motor Spirit".
Bowring's had yet another company, the Producers Petroleum Co Ltd, which was formed in 1908 and which later changed its name to the "All's Well" Oil Co Ltd. This company had a range of high-grade lubricating oils marketed under the Bowring Petroleum name together with brands of Bearcreek and Empire Lamp Oils.
 Advertisement of 1909 |
 Advertisement of 1917 |
 Advertisement of 1919 |
Bowring's had wider interests and in particular the Mexican Eagle Oil Co Ltd, which had been formed in 1908 by Weetman Dickinson Pearson - 1st Viscount Cowdray GCVO, and this company's wholly owned subsidiary the Eagle Oil Transport Co Ltd which had been formed in 1912. Eagle Oil Transport had a fleet of 37 tanker steamers that were on permanent charter to its parent company to distribute their oil products around the world. In 1919 the Royal Dutch - Shell Co took a controlling interest in the Mexican Eagle Oil Co and from then on it was known in the UK as Shell-Mex.
Prior to this in 1915 the Shell Marketing Co Ltd had been formed following the seizure of the German controlled British Petroleum Co Ltd who had been the marketing agency for Shell products in Great Britain. From 1917 the new marketing company took full responsibility for the distribution and marketing of all Shell's products in the UK.
Map of operations of the Mexican Eagle Oil Co Ltd
In 1920 the Anglo-Mexican Petroleum Co Ltd, that had been formed in 1912 and in which Shell had an interest, acquired the kerosene and spirit side of Bowring's which in 1921 was merged with the Shell Marketing Co Ltd to formally become Shell-Mex Ltd with the "Mex Motor Spirit" brand of Bowring's becoming "Mex" (later Shellmex) the commercial brand of Shell.
The merger brought about other changes too. Bowring's UK lubricant operations changed their name and became the Lubricants Producers Ltd whose main business remained as wholesale distributors of lubricating oils. This lubricating oils side of the business was in turn merged with that of Shell Marketing Co Ltd and the whole oils business was put under the banner of the Lubricants Producers. Although the overall corporate structure of the organisation was complicated marketing was far more straightforward with the company's spirit and oils business being known simply as "Shell Motor Spirit & Oils".
The last major change for the company came in 1931 when depressed market conditions forced Shell-Mex Ltd and British Petroleum to come together in a new marketing business called Shell-Mex and B.P. Ltd. Shell and BP owned 40% each of the new company and the Mexican Eagle Group 20% but in 1959
Shell's holding increased to 60% when it took full control of the Eagle
Group. In 1976, after a relationship lasting 45 years, Shell-Mex & BP Ltd was no more as the two founding companies went their own ways.
As a closing footnote:
The contribution of Bowring to the UK petroleum market cannot be under estimated. The names of Shell and Shell-Mex Ltd, whilst being more familiar, owe a lot to Bowring for the successes they achieved. The story of Bowring continued right up to 1980, and beyond, when they were bought by the Marsh & McLennan Investment Companies .
