Alethea Gallery

George Horsley was born on 22 June 1836, the eldest of three sons of Matthew Horsley. On leaving school he was apprenticed to E.S. Jobson and later became a partner in the company. The third partner was Ludwig August Stahle. George became an Alderman and was Mayor in 1875 and 1876. He was also Swedish Consul and a member of the Hartlepool's Shipowner Society along with William Maclean.

George married Alethia Ann Berry in 1866 and Matthew Henry, who became known as Harry, was born in June 1867.

On the death of Ebenezer Jobson in April 1877 at his home in Cliff Terrace George took over the company and it became George Horsley & Co. His son, Harry, eventually became a partner in his father’s company and by 1889 it had become George Horsley & Son. George died suddenly at his residence, Claremont House, in December 1895 leaving effects of £83,157.

Harry married Clara Maclean in April 1893. He died on 17 February 1925 at Sidmouth, Devon leaving effects of £274,009. Harry was interred at Stranton Grange Cemetery.

By 1900 the company had become the Horsley Line Ltd., with Harry as managing director. The company ceased trading in 1915.

The following information was compiled by Bert Spaldin and appeared in the 'Tees Packet' No.89, November 1986:
George Horsley was the son of Mathew Horsley, a local pilot who bought shares in sailing vessels and then branched out becoming a steamship owner, firstly in a partnership and then on his own. The company were also timber merchants, shipbrokers and coal exporters, and branches were opened at Hull, Manchester and Gothenburg.

Ebenezer Jobson formed a partnership with Ludwig August Stahle and George Horsley. The company appears to have owned eight ships. On Ebenezer's death George Horsley took over the company and it went from strength to strength.

Family History:

Ebenezer Septimius Jobson was born on 25 February 1825 at Elswick to parents Edward and Dorothy (nee Frost) Jobson. He started his working life as an apprentice to Peter Hansen & Son situated at the quayside in Newcastle-on-Tyne. In 1813 Ebenezer moved to Hartlepool to open a branch for that company and a few years later he set up his own business as a timber merchant, coal and general exporter and shipbroker.  He married Agnes Sophie Hansen at Stockton in 1855 and the couple had two children, Edward Charles and Henrietta Sophie. In 1858 Ebenezer became a member of Hartlepool Town Council and in 1859 was elected mayor.

Ebenezer died aged 52 at Hartlepool on 7th April 1877 leaving effects of under £25,000.

Ludwig August Stahle was born in Malmo, Sweden on 15 March 1838 to parents Maria Catharina (nee Mandorff) and Anders Petter Stahle. In 1857 he was in Germany and then must have returned to Sweden as he departed from there for England in 1863.

Ludwig married A.Ernestine Bohlin and was naturalised as a British subject in May 1871. The ship Petter Stahle was named after their son, Petter, born at Hartlepool in 1873.

Ludwig died aged 75 at Malmo in February 1914.