Collection MS 389 - James Scott & Sons

James Scott & Sons Ltd, merchants, spinners and jute manufacturers, Dundee originated in 1797 when David Scott bought a property in Mid Wynd. He passed the business to his son David in 1820. The younger David was a victim of the cholera outbreak in 1849 so the business passed to his sons, James and and William, who carried the the business under their names until William retired in 1871. This left James Scott as the only owner of the business until he brought in his three eldest sons as partners.

The company then became known as James Scott & Sons, as listed in the 1878/9 Dundee Directory, until in 1905 it became James Scott & Sons Ltd. James Scott was a manufacture in Dundee's textile trade. He laid the foundations at the Mid Bank Wynd where he conducted a warping mill. In his later year James Scott also bought the Dura Works, from P and J Walker, and Hillbank Linen Works, from A. Low, two other large textile establishments in Dundee. In addition to this, James Scott helped established a strong trade with New York and the River Plate. He also frequently journeyed around Europe and 'was observant of the eye and receptive of the mind' James Scott died on the 26th January 1908 at his residence in Hyndford.