George Ireland (businessman)

For other people of this name, see George Ireland (disambiguation).

George Ireland (12 June 1801 – 9 February 1879) was a businessman and one of the founders of Ireland Fraser & Co. Today, known as Ireland Blyth Limited, it is the 2nd largest business group in Mauritius.[1]

Ireland was born on 12 June 1801 to The Rev. Dr. Walter Foggo Ireland and his first wife, Jane Alves.[2] His father was a Church of Scotland minister at the North Leith Parish Church within the Presbytery of Edinburgh.[3]

Ireland Fraser & Co. was founded on 1 July 1850 by George Ireland, Hugh Hunter and James Fraser.[4] The company provided shipping, insurance and general agent services for Mauritius' sugar trade.[5] The original name was Hunter Ireland & Co., but when Hugh Hunter left the company in 1860, the name was changed to Ireland Fraser & Co.[4] The company became Ireland Fraser & Co. Ltd. in 1927.[4]

On 9 October 1856 at St. Paul Church of England, Princes Park, Liverpool, England, Ireland married Emily Hartshorne, the daughter of Hugh Hartshorne, a Barrister from Halifax, Nova Scotia.[6] The couple had two sons, George Hugh Ireland, who joined Ireland Fraser & Co. in 1877 and who became partner in 1879,[5] and Frederick Schomberg Ireland, a lawyer.

Ireland's grandson, John Frederick Ireland, played cricket and made 28 first-class appearances between 1908 and 1912.[7]

Ireland retired from Ireland Fraser & Co. on 30 June 1878,[5] and dying at Blackheath Park, Kent, England on 9 February 1879.[3]

## References

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1. ^ "IBL 2015 Annual Report" (PDF). IBL Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
2. ^ George, Ireland (12 June 1801). "Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950". Retrieved 28 April 2018. "FHL Film Number: 1067766; Reference ID: 2:18T0LS7"
3. ^ a b "The Dundee Courier". Dundee, Angus, Scotland. 14 February 1879. "Deaths - At Blackheath Park, Kent, on the 9th inst., George Ireland, of Messrs. Ireland, Fraser, & Co., Mauritius, and eldest son of the late Rev. W. F. Ireland, D.D., minister of the parish of North Leith."
4. ^ a b c Marcelle Lagesse (1982). Blyth Brothers and Company Limited, 1830-1980. Mauritius: M. Coquet. p. 142. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
5. ^ a b c Allister Macmillan (2000). Mauritius Illustrated: Historical and Descriptive, Commercial and Industrial Facts, Figures, & Resources. Maurititus: Asian Educational Services. ISBN 9788120615083. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
6. ^ "Liverpool, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1921". United States. p. 106. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
7. ^ "ESPN cricinfo". ESPN cricinfo. Retrieved 1 April 2018.