Cossart Gordon & Co. was founded in 1745 and is the oldest company in the Madeira wine trade. Francis Newton, a young Scot, sailed from Gravesend in Britain and arrived in Madeira on September 12, 1745, where he founded the company. He was joined by his younger brother Thomas from 1758 to 1763 and then by another Scot, Thomas Gordon of Balmaghie, also in 1758. Thomas Murdoch joined the firm of Newton, Gordon, Murdoch & Co. in 1791. was named.
