James Taylor & Sons

James Taylor & Sons (c.1846-79), established in Bakewell, was a past constituent of NatWest.

This private bank was established in Bakewell by 1846 as James Taylor Esq, as an adjunct to the linen drapery business of Johnson & Taylor. The drapery business pre-dated 1809, when James Taylor and his brother-in-law Robert Johnson went into partnership, and it is not known how early the related banking business was conducted.

James Taylor was an anti-bullionist and wrote extensively on currency issues. In 1835 Johnson died and James Taylor took over the drapery business. He took Jonathan Wilson into partnership in 1844, and the firm became known as Taylor & Wilson. In 1846 the drapery and banking businesses were split and thereafter the bank operated independently as James Taylor Esq.

In about 1854 Taylor took his son James into partnership in the bank, which became James Taylor & Son. Taylor senior died in 1863 and the business was continued by his son as James Taylor & Sons. In 1879 the bank was acquired by Crompton & Evans’ Union Bank of Derby.

Summary of our archive holdings

Our archival records of James Taylor & Sons have the reference code TAY.

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

• drapery business: cash account ledger 1797-1809, bill book 1808-13