Shilson, Coode & Co

This private bank was established in about 1793 as Coode & Co. The founding partners, Charles Rashleigh and Edward Coode, were attorneys, and the solicitors' practice Rashleigh, Coode & Kempthorne was run conjointly with the banking business. Indeed, the partnership was not described as a bank until the 1820s. It was known as Coode & Sons by 1829.

In 1840 William Shilson, attorney, joined the partnership and the firm was restyled Coode, Sons & Shilson. It was known as Coode, Shilson & Co by 1859, Shilson, Coode & Co by 1865, Coode, Coode & Shilson by 1887 and Shilson, Coode & Co by 1902; it was also known as St Austell Bank. In 1898 the bank moved to new purpose-built premises. In 1920, when the bank merged with National Provincial & Union Bank of England of London, the firm had assets of around £211,000 and its partners – DH Shilson, WM Coode, PM Coode and AP Coode - were still operating as both solicitors and bankers.

Summary of our archive holdings

Our archival records of Shilson, Coode & Co have the reference code SHI.

• auditor's report on past 10 years, 1920