# Christy Brothers and Company Limited

Christy Brothers and Company Limited was a UK electricity engineering company which provided equipment, staffing and management to a number of electricity undertakings, worked as subsidiary companies, in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Suffolk.

## Background

Christy Brothers was founded in 1883 as an electrical engineering and contracting firm. The company started to provide electric lighting of towns and villages from about 1900. It acquired a controlling interest in eight electric power companies.
The constituent companies:
* North Somerset Electric Supply Company Limited, originally founded as the Clevedon and District Electric Supply Company Limited on 29 September 1911, changed its name to the Clevedon Portishead and District Electric Supply Company Limited.
* West Devon Electric Supply Company Limited was registered on 23 December 1931, and formed to acquire and take over the various small undertakings in West Devon. Shares were offered to the value of £250,000 in November 1933.
* Culm Valley Electric Supply Company Limited (Devon).
* Bude Electric Supply Company Limited, registered 7 October 1907, formed to adopt an agreement with Christy Brothers to carry on the business of electricity supplier in Bude, Cornwall.
* Burnham and District Electric Supply Company Limited, registered 17 July 1913, formed to carry on the business of electricity supplier around Burnham, Somerset.
* Aldeburgh Electric Supply Company Limited, registered 18 July 1911, formed to carry on the business of electricity supplier, Electric Lighting Order 1911 transferred supply responsibilities to Christy Brothers in Aldeburgh, Suffolk.
* Holsworthy Gas and Electric Supply Company Limited, registered 11 February 1910 to assume responsibility from the Holsworthy Gas company and for electricity from W.H. Harkell of Holsworthy, Devon.
* Mid Somerset Electric Supply Company Limited

## Operations

The generating capacity of the plant at each company was as follows.
Generating capacity 1937 :
| Company | Generating plant kW |
| North Somerset | None |
| West Devon | 3 × 225 water, 2 × 500 oil, 3 × 650 water 2 × 350 water, 1 × 75 oil, 1 × 100 oil |
| Culm Valley | 1 × 12 water, 1 × 18 water |
| Bude | 1 × 170 oil, 2 × 150 oil |
| Burnham | None |
| Aldeburgh | 2 × 100 oil |
| Holsworthy | None |
| Mid Somerset | None |
Note: oil is oil-fired plant, water is water powered (hydro-electric)
The principal operating parameters of the constituent companies in 1937 is shown in the table.
Electricity supply 1937 :
| Company | Electricity MWh | Electricity MWh | Electricity MWh | Connections kW | No. of Consumers |
| Company | Generated | Purchased | Sold | Connections kW | No. of Consumers |
| North Somerset | 0 | 34,207 | 29,586 | - | 20,835 |
| West Devon | 5,305 | 132 | 4,625 | 10,778 | 4,801 |
| Culm Valley | 175 | 1,481 | 1,403 | 3,108 | 1,967 |
| Bude | 132 | 919 | 858 | 2,863 | 1,358 |
| Burnham | 0 | 1,197 | 1,043 | - | 1,236 |
| Aldeburgh | 200 | 308 | 348 | 1,486 | 615 |
| Holsworthy | 0 | 237 | 227 | 900 | 308 |
| Mid Somerset | 0 | 797 | 713 | - | 1,125 |
The principal operating parameters of the constituent companies in 1947 is shown in the table.
Electricity supply 1947 :
| Company | Electricity MWh | Electricity MWh | Electricity MWh | Connections kW | No. of Consumers |
| Company | Generated | Purchased | Sold | Connections kW | No. of Consumers |
| North Somerset | 0 | 109,554 | 96,563 | 31,459 | 30,962 |
| West Devon | 9,720 | 7,025 | 13,991 | 5,190 | 7,782 |
| Culm Valley | 172 | 8,437 | 7,906 | 2,616 | 3,015 |
| Bude | 91 | 2,008 | 1,915 | 800 | 1,745 |
| Burnham | 0 | 1,918 | 1,797 | - | 1,445 |
| Aldeburgh | 62 | 878 | 809 | 367 | 704 |
| Holsworthy | 0 | 809 | 777 | 350 | 479 |
| Mid Somerset | 0 | 3,155 | 2,952 | - | 1,336 |

## Finances

The annual turnover and profit of Christy Brothers 1926-32 was as shown.
| Year | Turnover £ | Profit £ |
| 1926 | 126,720 | 9,668 |
| 1927 | 169,823 | 12,826 |
| 1928 | 138,581 | 17,187 |
| 1929 | 148,731 | 15,233 |
| 1930 | 163,332 | 14,233 |
| 1931 | 196,575 | 17,130 |
| 1932 | 239,069 | 29,755 |
In March 1933 Christy company offered £225,000 worth of shares on the Stock Exchange.

## Directors

The company directors in 1933 were:
* Frank Christy (chairman, joint managing director)
* Leonard Fell Christy (joint managing director)
* Charles Ernest Smith (director since 1913)
* Henry Joseph Aylott (director since 1924)
* Geoffrey Christy (from 1933)
The company's registered address was 171 Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex.

## Abolition

The Christy Brothers and Company Limited and all its constituent companies were abolished on 31 March 1948 when the British Electricity Industry was nationalised. The generating plant and transmission systems devolved to the British Electricity Authority and the distribution systems to the appropriate geographical Electricity Board, for example the Eastern Electricity Board, the Southern Electricity Board, etc.
The company was one of five electricity undertakings that operated over large geographical areas. Its assets were divided between two or more Area Electricity Boards. The five companies were:
* British Power & Light Corporation Limited
* Christy Brothers and Company Limited
* Edmundsons Electricity Corporation Limited
* Electrical Finance and Securities Company Limited
* Midland Counties Electric Supply Company Limited, see Midland Electric Light and Power Company Limited