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Following on from Perry Gauci’s Journey into Genealogy podcast interview where we discussed English trade, banking and merchants in 17th-19th centuries this post contains the resources suggested.

Resources

• British Newspaper Archive (subscription required)
• London Gazette for bankruptcy notifications
• Wills and inventories – search on Ancestry/ National Probate Calendar Index/ Probate website
• Insurance records
• Trade directories at the University of Leicester and TNA guide https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/people-business-trades

Other Sources

Other useful sources of information include:

Courts

• Old Bailey Online
• Bankruptcy records in the London Gazette/TNA/BNA
• On FindMyPast
• On Ancestry

The National Archives (TNA)

• Bankruptcy proceeding papers – use this TNA Guide: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/bankrupts-insolvent-debtors
• Chancery Master Rose Exhibits
• High Court of Admiralty https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/high-court-admiralty-records
• Advice on collections held by other archives: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/business-history-records-held-by-other-archives

Banks

• Bank of England Archive
• Hoare’s Bank Museum and Archive
• Coutts Bank
• Child’s Bank (see Nat West below)
• Nat West and https://www.natwestgroup.com/heritage.html
• Lloyds with a listing of all the banks they have merged with over the years
• Barclays – some older archives here: https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/locations/5da31e9e-620b-3c75-a22d-733f397da4fc

Museums

• V&A Archives
• Maritime Museum at Greenwich

Libraries

British Library

Other

• Slave trade database https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/project/details
• 18th century books which have been digitised and show a list of subscribers within. Do a Google Search, some results may show books on jstor, internet archives, Google Books and more.
• City of London Livery Companies or Guilds
  • https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/apprentices-and-masters
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livery_company
• Apprenticeship records
  • https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/apprentices-and-masters
  • https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/guildhall-library/family-history/apprenticeship-records
  • https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/1851

Tips from Perry’s interview

1. Start off by confirming your ancestors vital information (birth, marriage and death records). Then what you know about their work/employment. Put together a timeline. Then search for them on Ancestry.com and Findmypast.com
2. Be imaginative/creative in your thinking when searching as you may find information in unexpected places.
3. For merchants – check port books. Collection E190 in TNA records amongst others. Guidance on this link: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/merchant-trade-records-port-books-1565-1799/#:~:text=Port%20books%20record%20customs%20duties,Wales%20between%201565%20and%201799.
4. Look for private collections from merchants (unusual but may exist)

Suggested reading

Anne L Murphy  “Virtuous Bankers: A Day in the Life of the Eighteenth-Century Bank of England” about the Bank of England. Available via Amazon: https://amzn.to/3XPzc8e (affiliate link).

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Links to the podcast episode are on the image below.

Perry Gauci can be contacted via his Lincoln College email: perry.gauci@lincoln.ox.ac.uk

Listen to the podcast interview here: journeysintogenealogy.co.uk