Erskine Beveridge

Who was Erskine Beveridge?

Erskine Beveridge FRSE FSA was a Scottish textile manufacturer, historian and antiquary. He was the owner of Erskine Beveridge & Co. Ltd., which had been founded by his father in 1832 and was the largest linen manufacturer in Dunfermline, Fife. He travelled extensively in Scotland, taking numerous photographs and publishing several scholarly books on Scottish history and archaeology.

He was born in Dunfermline, the eldest of four children of Erskine Beveridge and his second wife, Maria Elizabeth Wilson. He was educated at the Free Abbey School in Dunfermline, the Edinburgh Institution, and the University of Edinburgh. His father died when the younger Erskine was twelve years old, and in 1874 the family firm passed from the management of a trustee to the joint control of Erskine junior, a brother, and a half-brother. By 1888, Erskine junior was in full control of the business following his half-brother's death and his brother's withdrawal.

The company grew rapidly with the robust world demand for high-quality linens. Notably, Beveridge tapped the large North American market and eventually opened a New York warehouse. By 1903, Erskine Beveridge & Co.