Guernsey Banking Co Ltd

This joint stock bank was established in 1827 as Priaulx, Le Marchant, Rougier & Co by Thomas Priaulx, John Le Marchant and Hilary Rougier, all of whom were Guernsey merchants. The original capital was £40,000, of which £10,000 was paid up. The aim was to develop an existing informal banking business to draw and cash bills in London and Paris, discount promissory notes and make advances. It was the only bank on the island and was also known as Guernsey Banking Co.

Following the establishment of Guernsey Commercial Banking Co in 1835, it was known as Guernsey Old Bank. The bank operated from rented premises at 29 High Street, St Peter Port, which were purchased in 1851 and enlarged in 1900. The bank issued its own notes from 1827. An agency was opened in Alderney (1829) and branches were opened at St Sampsons (1887) and St Peter-in-the-Wood (1923). The bank assumed limited liability in 1898 as Guernsey Banking Co Ltd. The bank was acquired by National Provincial & Union Bank of England Ltd in 1924.

Branches: The bank opened 3 branches or agencies between 1835 and 1924. In 1924 2 branches and one agency were operating.

Published histories

• National Provincial Bank, Guernsey Old Bank 1827-1927 (Guernsey: privately printed by National Provincial Bank, 1927)

Summary of our archive holdings

Our archival records of Guernsey Banking Co have the reference code GBC.

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

Corporate records

• letterbooks 1827-38
• directors’ meeting minute books 1827-1924
• partnership agreement 1846
• memorandum and articles of association 1898
• share register 1898-1924
• directors’, general and committee meeting minute book 1898-1927
• share certificates book 1911-23
• list of shareholders 1911-24
• register of proprietors n.d.
• annual report 1923
• amalgamation papers 1924

Financial records

• waste books 1827-8
• journals incl. balance sheets 1827-34
• cash book 1827-35
• list of creditors 1836-42
• bills discounted register 1871-1924

Customer records

• customer account ledgers 1827-(1915)
• advances ledger 1892-(1915)

Note issue records

• banknote registers 1847-1918
• banknote pull 1923

Marketing records

• notice re German banknotes 1918
• presscuttings re centenary 1927