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British shipping companies (X-Z)

F. Yeoman
Yeoward Line
Yorkshire Steam Fishing Co.
Zapata Steam Shipping Co, Ltd.
Zillah Shipping Co. Ltd

See also:

F. Yeoman

image by Ivan Sache, 21 April 2021

Lloyds Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of "F. Yeoman" (#136, p. 43), a company based in West Hartlepool, as
white with a blue saltire and a red rectangle in the middle.
The next flag (#137) in Lloyd's is similar, but with a red saltire and a blue rectangle, as the house flag of "Joseph E. Murrell & Son", also registered in West Hartlepool. There is indeed a "Murrell and Yeoman" company mentioned in West Hartlepool.
Ivan Sache, 30 March 2008

Francis Yeoman (1849-1914) started out as a clerk in the firm of his uncle, Sherinton Foster, who, as well as being a shipbroker and shipowner was also a master mariner. Francis eventually became a partner and the company became Foster & Yeoman. On his uncle's death he took over the business. A partnership was then formed between Joseph Murrell (1837-1919) & Francis Yeoman in 1881. When the partnership was dissolved the company became J.H. Murrell & Co. then J.E. Murrell & Co. and lastly Murrell S.S. Co. Ltd.

http://www.hhtandn.org/venues/4477/jh-murrell-and-co
Hartlepool History Then and Now

Ivan Sache, 21 April 2021

Yeoward Line

image by Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021

The Yeoward Line, managed by Messrs. Yeoward Brothers, inaugurated their service in the year 1899, and were known world-wide for their passenger tourist traffic from Liverpool to Lisbon, Madeira and the Canary Islands.
The progress of the company had been phenomenal, they had developed the study of the comfort of their patrons to a fine art, whilst the inauguration of this line has also been the means of providing the home markets with large regular supplies of Canary bananas and other produce.
The success of this company is a good example of enterprise in Liverpool of the early twentieth century.

Yeoward Bros., of Liverpool, owned a fleet of three steamers that sailed every Wednesday from Liverpool for the Canaries. The outward route is by way of Lisbon, Santa Cruz de Teneriffe, or Las Palmas. and the journey occupies eight or nine days. The homeward journey direct to Liverpool occupies six or seven days.
Their fleet consisted of the S.S. "Ardeola", "Avetoro", and the "Avocet". (1908)

https://www.gjenvick.com/OceanTravel/SteamshipLines/YeowardLine.html
GG Archives

The service continued until 1954 when their last ship was scrapped. The company continued in the fruit trade, but used the Aznar Line of Spain as carrier.

https://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/yeoward.shtml
The Ships List

The flag is shown, with the letters without dots, on a poster kept at the National Museums Liverpool.
https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/artifact/yeoward-line
Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021

image by Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021

Yeoward Line originated in 1898 as Yeoward Brothers then in 1920 they formed Yeoward Line Ltd. for their ship owning which ceased around the mid 1950s. All sources agree that the yellow band was wider than the red ones whilst Talbot-Booth states that there were actual variations as to whether the letters had dots after them, no dots at all or a hyphen between them.
Neale Rosanoski, 7 February 2005

There seems to be no agreement as to how the letters are written: www.mysticseaport.org shows the flag with dots, no hyphen. On their timetable, the company shows "hovering dots". Merseyside Views shows no dots. The funnel on the Ships List shows just a letter Y.
Jan Mertens, 7 February 2005

Yorkshire Steam Fishing Co.

image by Ivan Sache, 1 May 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Yorkshire Steam Fishing Co. (#1476, p. 107), a Hull-based fishing company, as white with a blue border and a thin red saltire.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#72
Ivan Sache, 1 May 2021

Zapata Steam Shipping Co, Ltd.

(H. Cail & Co.)

image by Ivan Sache, 27 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Zapata Steam Shipping Co, Ltd. ((M. Cail & Co.)) (#756, p. 72) as red with the white letters "M.Z.".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/37/
Ivan Sache, 27 April 2021

Zillah Shipping Co. Ltd

William A. Savage

by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, the house flag of Zillah Shipping Co. Ltd, Liverpool. A blue, white blue tricolour with a red 'Z' in the centre. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn. A rope and toggle is attached.

The company originally comprised the fleet of William A. Savage & Co. Ltd of Liverpool. After being bought by Coast lines in 1949, a new company was set up under the name of Zillah Shipping Co. Ltd and Savage's 15 steam coasters were transferred to it. The steamers were replaced by motorships between 1954 and 1958. The company was sold outright to Coast Lines in 1967 and its fleet was sold or absorbed."
Jarig Bakker, 4 September 2004

by Jarig Bakker

Brown (1951) has for Zillah Shipping & Carrying Co., Ltd., Liverpool a houseflag with a white field charged with letters ZLTD in varying sizes and dots under the T and D.
Jarig Bakker, 4 September 2004

I may be wrong about some of the details as it is many years since I read the original article from which I now quote, but William A Savage, the original founder of the Zillah Line, came from a very prominent Nonconformist (i e, not affiliated with the Church of England) family in the Liverpool area; I can no longer recall to which denomination they belonged - Baptist, Methodist, Quaker, Congregationalist, etc. Most of the members of this denomination tended not only to intermarry with one another but also to give their children Biblical forenames, usually drawn from the Old Testament. William's parents were unusual in that they named him after the reigning sovereign (William IV), although his middle name was Biblical. Zillah was William's mother's name.
Ron Lahav, 5 September 2004

The same (white) house flag is shown in Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) (#1370, p. 102).
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#67
Ivan Sache, 30 April 2021