Timeline (2)
Early business - the Bank moves
The Court of Directors responsible for the management of the
Bank had as its first Governor Sir John Houblon, grandson of
a French Huguenot refugee and a prominent city merchant. (His
portrait appears on the reverse of the series E £50 note
issued in 1994.) The Bank's early years were dominated by the
Government's pressing demands for finance and the issue of a
new coinage. The Bank also embarked upon a conventional banking
business, accepting deposits and discounting bills. As evidence
of deposits placed with it the Bank issued banknotes, initially
in odd sums, with pounds, shilling and pence, but later in round
amounts.
The Bank's notes became a widely accepted currency; people seldom doubted that the "promise to pay" (which then referred to gold coin of the realm) would be honoured. The Bank's connection with Government, the scale of its private banking business, and its position at the heart of the growing financial system of the City of London, made the Bank the national treasure house and the leading commercial bank of the day.
In 1780 the Bank was threatened by a mob during the Gordon Riots, and the Government agreed to provide an overnight military guard or "picquet" for the Bank. This was not discontinued until 1973.
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