Robin Brothers

This private bank was formed in St Helier, Jersey, in 1808, as Janvrin, Durell, Mallet, De Veulle & Poingdestre; it was also known as Jersey Commercial Bank. The firm had 19 owning partners, including Charles Durell and Jean Simonet who were also the bank’s joint agents in Jersey. The business was soon well respected on the island and thrived. Over the years the partners changed and from 1817 the bank was styled Janvrin, Durell, De Veulle & Co and from 1853 Janvrin, Durell & Co.

In 1865 an agreement was signed to dissolve the partnership, although this did not happen until 1877. It was at that time that a connection began with the Robin family, owners of the merchant house of Charles Robin & Co. In 1877 Charles William Robin, who had inherited the shares of his father-in-law, John Janvrin, became the bank’s liquidator. When Charles Robin died in 1879, his sons, Charles Janvrin Robin, Philip Robin and Snowdon Robin, continued to run the bank without a partnership agreement under the title of Robin Brothers.

In 1908 the remaining partners, Charles and Snowdon Robin, sold the bank to Parr’s Bank Ltd of Warrington and London. Thereafter the Jersey business operated as a branch of Parr’s Bank.

Summary of our archive holdings

Our archival records of Robin Brothers have the reference code ROB.

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

• banknotes 1817-53
• stationery invoice 1864
• papers of Charles W Robin, partner 1865-74
• receipts for securities book 1888-1908
• balance sheet book 1898-1907
• amalgamation papers 1909