Lancaster Banking Co

This joint stock bank was established in 1826 with £300,000 capital in £100 shares. The five founding directors were Leonard Redmayne, George Barrow, John Armstrong junior, John Fearnside and James Crosfield. John Coulston was appointed as the bank’s first manager and the firm traded from the former premises of the failed private bank of Dilworth, Arthington & Birkett (est. c.1793) in Penny Street.

Branches were opened at Chorley and Kirkham but closed after only a few years. More permanent branches at Preston and Ulverston were opened by 1837.

In 1844 Lancaster Banking Co purchased the private bank of Gibson, Wilson & Gregson of Kirkby Lonsdale, and opened branches in Preston (Fishergate) and Barrow in Furness. The Lancaster office moved to Church Street in 1837, where purpose-built premises were opened in 1870. The bank continued to grow its branch network and assumed limited liability in 1896.

In 1907 the bank amalgamated with Manchester & Liverpool District Banking Co. At that time it was operating 18 branches and 38 sub-branches.

Published histories

• The story of Lancaster branch (London: privately published by National Westminster Bank, 2001)

Summary of our archive holdings

Our archival records of Lancaster Banking Co Ltd have the reference code LAN.

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

Corporate records

• directors' meeting rough minute book 1826-39
• manager's correspondence 1826-66
• deeds of settlement 1826, 1852, 1882
• directors' resolution and order books 1826-1909
• annual general meeting: report books 1828-1907, chairman’s notes 1900-1
• managers' memorandum books 1831-1908
• managers' letterbooks 1832-1908
• deed of covenant 1833, 1856
• lists of directors and proprietors 1838-1902
• shareholder circulars 1840-1
• management committee minute book 1862-6
• dividend and salaries register 1863-1918
• share allotment form 1873
• deed of accession 1875, 1881, 1890
• managers' diaries 1877-1907
• annual reports 1889-1907
• memoranda and articles of association 1890-1907
• manager's correspondence 1896-1902
• share ledger 1896-1908
• amalgamation papers, incl. agreements and presscuttings 1906-8

Financial records

• investment ledgers 1827-94
• investment journal 1835-76
• banker's draft 1845
• half-yearly balance books 1873-1900
• instructions re half-yearly balance 1895-1901
• letter re interest rates 1902
• bill of exchange n.d.
• terms of business n.d.

Customer records

• customer information book 1828-31
• security bond 1852
• petition for branch opening 1856
• cash receipt 1873
• cheque forms, cheques and cheque book 1892, 19th century
• applications for advances register 1906-1911

Head office branch records

• branch profits book 1899-1902
• branch inspector's papers 1901-3

Property records

• branch title deeds 1875, 1891
• architectural drawings, branches 1888, 1892
• letters re branch contractor tenders 1901

Staff records

• staff salary register 1862-(1915)

Property records

• plan of branch 1892

Note issue records

• mutilated note indemnities 1870-4
• banknotes 1852-1907

Marketing records

• presscutting, shareholder list 1879

Branch records

• selected records

Summary of archive holdings elsewhere

• Lancaster Central Library: Deeds of settlement 1826-96; list of directors, branches, agents 1832-85; extracts from annual reports 1869-1907; directors' reports 1892-1900
• Cumbria Archive Service: Ulverston branch: ledger c.1835-46; banknote 1907 (Ref: BDB 39, Z 1924)