History
Sailing ships were still in use when the Clarksons story began in 1852. The business expanded rapidly, thanks to the dynamic leadership which has characterised Clarksons from then until the present day.
Becoming exclusive brokers to Esso in the USA in the 1920s helped establish Clarksons as the biggest tanker brokers in the world. We have since developed into a global conglomerate establishing a network of offices across five continents, providing an array of financial as well as port services, based on our core business of shipbroking and the provision of market intelligence - unrivalled in its scope - on the shipping and offshore industries.
Beginnings
The son of a prosperous lawyer, Horace Anderton Clarkson started the business with the help of a family legacy in 1852 but invited a former colleague to run Clarksons for him. Leon Benham was currently out of work and so hard up he had to walk the 150 miles from Cardiff to London to join his new partner, but he was the driving force behind the business for nearly 30 years.
Image: Horace Clarkson (left) and Leon Benham.