Northamptonshire Union Bank Ltd

Northamptonshire Union Bank Ltd (1836-1920) was a past constituent of NatWest.

This joint stock bank was established in 1836 in Northampton as Northamptonshire Union Bank, a reconstruction of the private banking business of John & Samuel Percival. It had a capital of £537,000 and was initially managed by John and Samuel Percival. The original bank's Northampton and Wellingborough branches became part of Northamptonshire Union Bank, but the Towcester business remained a separate private bank to avoid compromising the new bank's ability to issue banknotes. In 1839 the bank acquired Hall & Co of Daventry. The bank assumed limited liability in 1880 as Northamptonshire Union Bank Ltd.

In 1881 the business and premises of Birmingham, Dudley & District Banking Co at Oundle and Thrapston were purchased as branches. In 1885 the bank relinquished its right to issue notes and in 1887 Moxon & Percival of Towcester was acquired and incorporated. By 1920 the bank had 25 branches and sub-branches, including Northampton, Bedford, Daventry, Kettering, Leicester, Market Harborough, Oundle, Raunds, Rugby, Rushden, Thrapston, Towcester and Wellingborough. In 1920 the bank was acquired by National Provincial & Union Bank of England Ltd.

Summary of our archive holdings

Our archival records of Northamptonshire Union Bank Ltd have the reference code NOR.

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

Corporate records

• deeds of settlement 1836-99
• annual general meeting minute books 1837-1920
• papers re mergers: Hall & Co 1840, unknown bank 1914
• half-yearly reports 1846-1907
• directors' meeting minute books 1849-1921
• directors' committee meeting minute books 1856-81
• memorandum book of trustees 1860-80
• certificate of incorporation 1880
• shareholder circulars 1880, 1899, 1920
• correspondence n.d., 1886, 1918-9
• drafts of chairmen's speeches to shareholder meetings 1914-20
• amalgamation papers 1920-6
• liquidation papers 1926-31

Financial records

• expenses account books 1836-1920
• half-yearly account books 1836-1920
• statistics book 1866-1920
• half-yearly reports 1889-1919
• banker’s drafts 1900, 1912
• general ledger 1919-20

Customer records

• papers re securities 1840, 1854-1919
• correspondence 1885
• cheques and cheque forms n.d., 1900
• debit slips 1900
• deposit receipt 1902
• customer account pass books 1902-21
• safe custody receipt 1904
• credit slips c.1910

Staff records

• staff fidelity bonds 1863-(1915)
• declarations of secrecy 1880
• service agreement 1890
• salary book 1895-(1915)
• staff insurance policy 1907

Property records

• correspondence, title deeds, architectural drawings and bill of quantities re branches 1860-85, 1900, 1920s

Note issue records

• banknotes 1836-87

Branch records

• selected records

Summary of archive holdings elsewhere

• Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service: Bedford branch: signature books c.1890-1920; customer account passbooks n.d. (Ref: Z 419/1-2).
• Northamptonshire Archives: Title deeds, 41 The Drapery c.1836-60 (Ref: ZB 514); annual general meeting circular 1844 (Ref: O(N)/245).