John & Samuel Percival

This private bank was established in around 1796 by John Percival and his son, also John Percival, as J Percival & Son. Their main business was wholesale drapery and haberdashery. John (the elder) died two years later, at a time when the bank was facing insolvency, and Martin Lucas, his son-in-law, and proprietor of another bank in the town, was one of the trustees who managed the affairs of the bank. John Percival (the younger) was in sole control by 1797, the bank later trading as John Percival & John Percival jun. John Percival (the younger) died in around 1812 and the business was continued by John and Samuel Percival, sons of John (the younger), as John & Samuel Percival.

Branches were opened in Towcester in 1815, following the acquisition of the banking business of John Jenkinson from his executors, and in Wellingborough in about 1825. In 1836 John & Samuel Percival reconstructed their bank in Northampton as a joint stock bank, Northamptonshire Union Bank. The Towcester business remained a separate private bank, John & Samuel Percival, later Moxon & Percival.

Summary of our archive holdings

Our archival records of John & Samuel Percival have the reference code PER.

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

• customer account ledger 1814-7
• banknotes 1822
• papers re infringement of Bank of England’s monopoly 1836

Summary of archive holdings elsewhere

• Northamptonshire Archives: receipt re stock purchase in Northamptonshire Union Bank 1836 (Ref: O(N)/153)