Consolidated Bank Ltd

Consolidated Bank Ltd (1863-1896) was a past constituent of NatWest.

This limited liability bank, the first in Manchester, was formed in 1863 by the amalgamation of Bank of Manchester and Heywood, Kennards & Co of London. It was based in both Manchester and London, with parity of shareholdings between the two and directors in both locations.

In 1863 the bank acquired Hankey & Co of London. It transferred its metropolitan office to Hankey & Co's premises in Fenchurch Street in 1864, and later to Threadneedle Street. A branch opened in Norwich in 1864.

In 1866 the bank acquired the business of Bank of London, but then encountered difficulties. Unprepared to cover Bank of London's acceptances, it temporarily stopped payment, but was able to reopen after 6 weeks.

The bank recovered during the 1870s. By 1877 its paid-up capital was £800,000, its reserves were £145,000 and it had branches in Salford, Hanging Ditch (Manchester) and Charing Cross (London). In 1874 the bank's Manchester head office moved to King Street.

From 1889 Consolidated Bank expanded its branch network, opening offices in Patricroft, Pendleton, Longsight, Leigh, Tyldesley, Redcliffe, Eccles, Knott Hill and Salford Cattle Market. The bank amalgamated with Parr's Banking Co & Alliance Bank in 1896.

Branches: at the time of the 1896 amalgamation, the bank was operating 14 branches.

Summary of our archive holdings

Our archival records of Consolidated Bank Ltd have the reference code CON.

For help understanding words used here, check our glossary of banking record types (PDF 68 KB).

Corporate records

• prospectus 1863
• deeds of settlement 1863-1892
• directors' meeting agenda books 1865-1896
• reports of half-yearly general meetings 1867-1894
• manager's letterbooks 1867-1897
• list of shareholders 1880
• competitors' comparative performance statistics 1885-1895
• correspondence re proposed mergers with other banks 1890-1892
• amalgamation papers 1892-1896
• papers re Baring Brothers & Co fund guarantee 1893
• resolutions re signatories n.d.

Financial records

• half-yearly accounts 1863-1896
• half-yearly returns showing assets and liabilities 1894-1896
• promissory notes 1866-1867
• doubtful debt half-yearly reports 1867-1895
• bill of exchange 1887
• bank and trade daily interest rates book 1891-1907
• auditor's securities report 1895

Legal records

• solicitor correspondence 1890

Customer records

• customer correspondence 1860-1907
• debit and credit forms 1860s-1870s
• cheques 1868, 1897

Staff records

• salary ledgers 1864-1893
• correspondence re pension scheme 1886-1895
• correspondence from branches re staff 1896

Property records

• correspondence re premises 1866-1900