It is worth saying more about the firm through which Chas
gained work. I will try to be brief, but I highly recommend M G Manton’s
thesis, The Rise of the British Managing
Agencies in North Eastern India 1836-1918, [1] for more about
the firm and others operating in India.
Founded by a family of corn merchants, who moved from Leith to Liverpool, the Gladstones had established themselves through trading with both the West and East Indies. They owned 6 ships which they licensed to the East India Company, and they soon sent their own man to India to scout out future possibilities for themselves. Unfortunately the junior partner George Grant had to return to the UK due to ill health and this led to a cousin of John Gladstone’s wife, F.M. Gillanders continuing the work in India and giving his name to the firm (both in the UK and India) which claimed to be the oldest merchant house in Calcutta, having been founded in 1819.[2]
During this time the brothers John and Robert Gladstone were not partners in the Indian firm but were financing it from Britain. In 1824, family friend Thomas Ogilvy, joined the Indian firm, followed two years later by David Gladstone, the youngest brother and first Gladstone to become a partner in India. Nearly 10 years later, on the retirement of the latter, Captain George Clerk Arbuthnot joined, and the firm became known as Gillanders, Arbuthnot & Company Limited, a name which has been retained in subsequent partnership changes.[3]
In 1840 a family dispute between the brothers John and Robert, resulted in the former setting up in competition and insisting the latter relocate their offices elsewhere in Calcutta. Generally the brothers remained on amicable terms, but as with all ambitious families, they had their disagreements.[4] By the time we first hear that Chas is in India, Gillanders, Arbuthnot & Co. had laid the foundation stone of their new office building in Calcutta,[5] on the 10 February 1909.
Seven years after first moving offices, India experienced the fall out of the financial crisis which had seriously affected the UK economy. A rush for investment in railways, the Irish Potato Famine and then speculation in the cotton business, meant many merchant houses were not paid, and subsequently many went out of business.[6] Gillanders weathered the crisis and went on to extend their business from shipping, consignment and banking (an “agency house”) to that of a Managing Agency, with a tea garden agency in 1866.[7]
In 1862 the firm had been appointed Financial Agents for the Indian Branch Railway and in 1880 they were appointed agents for Darjeeling Steam Tramway (precursor to Darjeeling Himalayan Railway).[8] These appointments were important in aiding the development of the tea industry, providing valuable infrastructure beyond that provided by river. By 1909, J.S. Gladstone writes in his history of the firm, that they were acting as agents for 25 tea gardens,[9] one of which was the Jutlibari Tea Company Ltd; others included the Gairkhata Tea Company Ltd and the Lackatoorah Tea Company Ltd as well as Garopara, all of which have a connection to the Blakes. Two other Indian subsidiaries of the UK firm had links to William Benson, with Aenakhall managing the Luckynugger tea estate and James Finlay & Co managing Bora Jalingah. It is worth noting that 1909 is also the year that Chas arrives in India, and that his work to open up Jutlibari has not yet begun.
In 1935 Gillanders was incorporated as a private limited company described in their Memorandum as working for the firm in undivided British India and Burmah [sic] as Bankers, Financiers, Property Managers, and Managing Agents of several companies apart from a wide range of other trading activities.[10]
In 1947 the company goes public and issues shares.[11] In 1972, 1974 and 1976, the company amalgamates with some of its wholly owned subsidiaries, including the Gairkhata Tea Company Ltd.[12]
In 1988 the final member of the Gladstone dynasty sold his shares to G.D. Kothari, who was already involved with the company. Stephen Gladstone retained an interest in the firm for 10 years after that, but when this ended so did the link between the family and the firm.[13]
In 2004 there was a successful court petition by the Jutlibari Tea Company and Gillanders for the two to amalgamate, [14] and I recently made a further discovery of a company called the Jutlibari Tea and Plantations LLP which was incorporated as a limited liability partnership in 2020 in Shillong; [15] there have also been further announcements regarding Gillanders in 2025.[16] I will need to do some further research into these and make any updates in the future.
[1] Manton, M.G. (2008). The rise of the British managing agencies in north eastern India 1836-1918. [MPhil thesis, SOAS University of London]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.25501/SOAS.00028816 (Accessed 8 December 2025).
[2] ibid, p30.
[3] Gladstone,
J.S. (1910). History of Gillanders, Arbuthnot & Co and Ogilvy,
Gillanders & Co.
[4] ibid,
[5] ibid, p37.
[6] ibid, p34.
[7] Ibid, p30.
[8] ibid, p31.
[9] Gladstone, J.S. (1910). History of Gillanders, Arbuthnot & Co and Ogilvy, Gillanders & Co.
[10] Gillanders Arbuthnot and Company. Information Memorandum. Available at: https://www.bseindia.com/BSEdata/ipo_downloads/GACL.pdf (Accessed 04 January 2026).
[11] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/gillanders-arbuthnot-company-ltd/infocompanyhistory/companyid-13728.cms (Accessed 05 January 2026).
[12] Ibid.
[13] Gladstone, J.S. (1910). History of Gillanders, Arbuthnot & Co and Ogilvy, Gillanders & Co.
[14] Gillanders Arbuthnot and Company. Memorandum and Articles of Association. Available at: https://www.gillandersarbuthnot.com/pdf/2025/moa-aoa.pdf (Accessed 04 January 2026).
[15] https://www.zaubacorp.com/JUTLIBARI-TEA-AND-PLANTATIONS-LLP-AAR-8698 (Accessed 04 January 2026).
[16] https://www.telegraphindia.com/business/gd-kothari-group-in-merger-mode/cid/873294#goog_rewarded (Accessed 04 January 2026).
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