The Glen shipping line started in 1867 with a single sailing ship operated by Alan C. Gow that plied the route from Glasgow to Liverpool, Cape Horn and Chile. Following the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, the company decided to focus instead on the Indian and Far Eastern routes. The Shire Line ventured into the easterly shipping routes when the company was formed in 1860 by the London-based D.J. Jenkins & Company. In 1912, both lines were merged by their new owner, Royal Mail, and subsequently renamed the Glen & Shire Line in 1920. This new shipping entity was later acquired by Alfred Holt & Company, owners of the Blue Funnel Line, in 1935. The fleet of ships was incorporated into the larger Holt family of vessels.
