11-728 Sedbergh School

Where the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire and Westmorland converge, the Bank of Liverpool inherits in 1893, a cluster of beautifully appointed branches and agencies across the dales and fells. Sedbergh is a remote and beautiful part of Yorkshire, and here, the Kendal Bank’s long association with the famous Sedbergh School, means there is a Branch of the Bank in one of the school buildings from the middle 1800s until 1953, when Martins Bank moves the business to nearby purpose built premises. A clue as to how a bank in a school came to be, is given in this short extract from Martins Bank Magazine’s visit to the new Branch in 1968:

In Service: Pre 1893 until 1953

A Celebration: Sedbergh Jubilee 1935 – Martins Bank at Evans house (right &)

Image - Martins Bank Archive Collections - © Courtesy Sedbergh and District History Society

1968 04 MBM.jpg …and what of its famous school? This too is blended into the landscape, its buildings widely dispersed and woven into the fabric of Sedbergh. Founded in 1525 it has become one of the most important schools in the north of England. It is perhaps significant that the school and Martins, both with four centuries of tradition, should have an association going back many years through the early Kendal bankers, Maude Wilson & Crewdson. And before our present office was built some fifteen years ago the branch was located in Evans House, one of the school buildings.

Evans House Sedbergh (Left) ca. 1950

Image © Francis Frith Ltd Ref: S88028

Displayed with the kind permission of Francis Frith Ltd

We are indebted to the Sedbergh and District History Society for the image of Martins Bank at Evans House in 1935 (above), and to Sedbergh School AND to Francis Frith Ltd, for the image (left) which also shows the Branch at Evans House – to the left of the picture – as it was in 1953.# Our own Archive has the cheque below, which was in use towards the end of Martins Bank’s time at Sedbergh School…

Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections



*Mr H Parker* *Joined the Bank here* *1907 to 1908*	*Mr G W Iveson* *Joined the Bank here* *1915 to 1916*	*Mr C Haworth* *Joined the Bank here* *1918*	*Mr W R Gordon* *On the Staff* *1919*	*Mr E Herd* *Manager* *1935 to 1954*	*Mr G A Bateson* *On the Staff* *1938 to 1939*



*Mr J R Williams* *On the Staff* *1939 to 1941*	*Mr F R Alston* *On the Staff* *1943 to 1957*	*Mr G R Dolman* *On the Staff* *1950 to 1954*