| Admin History | In the course of the years preceding the case, the Bank had been acquiring property for the purpose of its premises on Threadneedle Street, on the grounds of a number of Acts of Parliament which contained special provisions with regards to payment of rates on the occupied territory of the Parish of St Christopher le Stock. At the date of these Acts of Parliament, the owners of the properties in the Parish of St Christopher le Stock were the Bank of England and the Gresham Trustees and provision was made for Bank and the Gresham Trustees to pay the rates of the parish in the same proportion as they paid the land taxes. A number of additional stakeholders subsequently came into the Parish, which were not contemplated when the Acts were passed, such as Underground Railways and Electric Works; in addition general Acts of Parliament dealing with rating have been passed.
The Bank of England Rating Appeal case raised the question of whether the Bank was liable to be charged rates in the same way as an ordinary ratepayer, or whether it was to be rated under special provisions contained in a number of Acts dating from 1763 to 1839; the case concersn in particular the Poor Rate and the General Rate.
Parties involved in the case are as follows:
Appellants: the Governor and Company of the Bank of England
Defendants: The Common Council of the City of London and the Overseers of the Parish of the City of London; the Major and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London and the wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Mercers of the City of London; the Gresham Trustees; the Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation; Mr. FJ Clerke; Messrs PJ Sambrook; RT Sambrook; WR Sambrook & Son.
Freshfields acted as the appellants' solicitors; The City Solicitors represented the Common Council of the City of London and the Overseers of the Parish of the City of London; Stow, Preston and Lyttelton acted as the solicitors for the Gresham Respondents.
The case was heard during the Quarter Sessions in the High Court of Justice, King's Bench division.
Items with original reference 77/17.02-07 were not delivered to the archive, however there are entries for such items in the list in 13A84/8/20. |