CENTRAL PROVINCES MANGANESE ORE COMPANY LIMITED

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0074 CLC/B/040
Held at	: London Metropolitan Archives   Click here to find out how to view this collection at https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lma ›
Full title	: CENTRAL PROVINCES MANGANESE ORE COMPANY LIMITED
Date(s)	: 1898-1975
Level of description	: Collection
Extent	: 1298 production units.
Name of creator(s)	: Central Provinces Manganese Ore Co Ltd | 1924-1975

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

The company originated in an agreement for working manganese ore in the Central Provinces, India, 18 December 1899, between Patrick Macfadyen, Henry Gribble Turner and George Henry Glass. The partnership became known as the Central Provinces Prospecting Syndicate, with offices at 305 Winchester House, Old Broad Street, EC2, and was registered as a limited company of that name on 30 January 1908. The name was changed to the Central Provinces Manganese Ore Company on 15 May 1924. Its head office moved to 308 Winchester House in 1926, 120 Winchester House in 1954, 4-7 Chiswell Street EC1 in 1965, and 99-101 Regent Street W1 in 1974. In June 1962, all the company's mines except one (Balapur Hamesha, Dongri Buzurg) and its fixed assets and consumable stores were transferred, by agreement with the Government of India, to the newly-constituted Manganese Ore (India) Limited in return for 49% of the latter's share capital, the balance being held by the Indian Government and the Government of the states of Maharastra and Madhya Pradesh. The company's right to renew its options on its one remaining mine was refused by the former state in September 1971, but it eventually resumed work at the mine in accordance with a staying order of the High Court of Bombay.

In June 1973, the company's articles of association were amended to enable it to operate in general investment. Its quotation on the London Stock Exchange was cancelled in October 1975. Its holdings in Manganese Ore (India) Limited were purchased by the Government of India on 21 December 1977 and from that date the company has carried on investment business only. The company owned 50% of the share capital of the United Kingdom Ferro-manganese Company which it formed together with a group of English ferro-manganese makers in 1926 to buy, sell and refine various ores. Its office was at 328 Winchester House, EC2. It appears to have ceased trading in 1975.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

The records listed below are of the London office of the Central Provinces Manganese Ore Company. They include:

Ms. 15907-21: Foundation and constitution: initial activities, agreements, memoranda and articles of association, share capital, shareholders, allied companies etc;
Ms. 15922-7: Management: AGMs, powers of attorney, proprietors and board minutes;
Ms. 15928-40: Finance: accounts, ledgers, journals, cash books, assets, taxation;
Ms. 15941-71: Administration: office diaries, correspondence;
Ms. 15972-8: Prospecting licences;
Ms. 15979-97: Mining leases;
Ms. 15998-16040: Mines inspections, reports, plant and machinery etc;
Ms. 16041-54: Ore analysis, mining methods etc;
Ms. 16055-83: Marketing: sales, contracts, prices, freight, shipments, duties;
Ms. 16084-95: Photographs, maps, plans, drawings of mines and activities;
Ms. 16096-116: Personnel: records of directors, managers, engineers, mineworkers etc., salaries, contract labour, staff provident fund;
Ms. 16117-20: Property: India (except mines) and England;
Ms. 16121-31: Miscellaneous papers: the company, the industry, Indian affairs;
Ms. 16132-43: Manganese Ore (India) Limited: foundation, agreements, minutes, reports etc.

All the records are held off-site and therefore require 24 hours notice for access.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

Records arranged by MS number, assigned during cataloguing at the Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section.

Conditions governing access:

Access by appointment only. Please contact staff.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copyright to this collection rests with the depositor.

Finding aids:

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

The records were deposited at Guildhall Library by the Central Provinces Manganese Ore Company between 1973-75. The Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section merged with the London Metropolitan Archives in 2009.

Allied Materials

Related material:

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:

Rules or conventions:
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
November 2010 to January 2011.