It became the main carrier for freight and passengers in the Hebrides, with a co-ordinated network of shipping, road haulage and bus operations.

David Hutcheson was married to Margaret Dawson, who was born at her parents home 'Bonnytoun House' in Linlithgow.

In 2011 Glasgow historian Robert Pool added over 200 letters and documents to his collection relating to David Hutcheson and the Dawson family.

[4] The company rapidly became the main carrier on the West Highland routes, providing passenger and freight services to most islands.

As each opened, the company added the railheads at Oban, Mallaig, Kyle of Lochalsh and Strome Ferry.

MacBraynes remained in the hands of the family until 1928, when it was unable to support a bid for the renewal of the mail contract[6] and effectively became bankrupt.

No other operator was found for the contract and the company was reformed, with ownership divided between Coast Lines and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS).

In 1948 the shares in the company owned by the LMS Railway passed to the British Transport Commission, thus partially nationalising it.

The new owners provided capital to modernise the business, including setting up a substantial road haulage division to replace cargo shipping services at many of the smaller ports.

[8] In 1929 Link Line of Glasgow introduced a coach route from Glasgow to Tarbert (Kintyre) in competition with MacBrayne's steamer service, and MacBrayne quickly responded by introducing its own coach service, which would become one of the firm's principal routes.

Coaches were timed to connect at Tarbert with MacBrayne's steamer to Islay and McConnachie of Campbeltown's bus service to that town.

[9] This important route was jointly operated with Macrae & Dick of Inverness (a Highland Omnibuses predecessor).

Another acquisition on the mainland was Campbell of Glenshiel in 1960, with the route from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh and a connecting service from Shiel Bridge to Glenelg.

The largest bus depot was Fort William, and other larger facilities were at Ardrishaig, Glasgow, Inverness, Kinlochleven, and Portree.

[citation needed] In July 1969, Coast Line's 50% shareholding passed into state ownership, the company becoming a wholly nationalised subsidiary within the Scottish Transport Group.

[16] On 1 January 1973 the Scottish Transport Group's other shipping company, the Clyde-based Caledonian Steam Packet Company Ltd., acquired most of the ships and routes of David MacBrayne Ltd., and commenced joint Clyde and West Highland operations under the new name of Caledonian MacBrayne, with a combined headquarters at Gourock.

[22] She was an early steel-hulled 301-foot vessel, built by J & G Thomson in 1878, and was the largest and most luxurious Clyde steamer of the day; she operated the Glasgow to Ardrishaig service as part of MacBrayne's "Royal Route" to Oban.