Soon after the foundation the branches of the Bank of England in 1694, an anonymous writer on financial matters suggested that the Bank should establish branches which would be able to remit "multitudes of sums, great and small, to and from place to place . . . without charges of carriage or dangers of Robberie" (Proposals for National Banks, 1696). The theme was taken up again in 1721 by a pamphleteer who advocated the opening of branches "in the trading places of the nation" whose managers would have authority "to lend a little". Such advice met with little response. Apart from introducing Bank Post Bills in 1724, in an attempt to reduce the risks to the mails of highway robbery, the Bank were little concerned during the eIghteenth century with developments in the financial system outside London and indeed were then frequently referred to as the 'Bank of London '.
Branches of the Bank of England
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