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 Then
there is the extraordinary generosity of leading archives, newspapers,
specialist journals all keen to share with us and help us bring Martins Bank
back to life across our 1224 pages. Our policy is that history should not be
for sale, and we have established links with almost 100 companies,
newspapers, groups and history societies, who are happy to contribute in
return either for a simple copyright notice, or to have their logo and web
site linked to us.
It
is also the contributions of the people who were there, and of those such as
Barclays Group Archives, who like ourselves preserve the records of Martins
Bank, for which we are so indebted.
This valuable mixture of input keeps our visitors coming back for more
and more nostalgia as they look at the way life was lived and worked between
1928 and 1969 – one of the most changeable periods in modern history. So it is definitely NOT just about a bank,
it is much more of a window on those times when the word BANK meant safety,
stability – reliability, and represented a place where your face was known
and your finances were kept in check by human beings whose only “excessive
bonus” was £10 at Christmas if they were lucky! We show how life was lived by the ordinary
people who worked for Martins – from being “mentioned in dispatches” in World
War 2, or achieving prominent local office, to the men and women of the
Bank’s Dramatic and operatic Societies letting their hair down, AND moving
with the times. The second decade of the 21ST Century has sounded the death knell of Branch
Banking, as we switch from needing human
contact to using our online devices to move money instantly to anywhere on
the planet. This makes remembering those who made all this possible an ever
more important duty, and one which we will always take seriously.
Martins Bank Archive exists to advance the education of
British social history related to aspects of banking practices and
technologies, and those who offered and used them in the 1960s. We identify and evaluate in particular,
records and artefacts relating to Martins Bank Limited, including its former
incarnations and its constituent banks, which will be of use to current and
future researchers, acquiring such items for the archive and organising
procedures and systems for their storage and preservation. Martins Bank Archive is a voluntary
venture, and does not profit or seek to profit in any way from the display or
other use of the images and other items in its possession, and every effort
is made to establish and declare their ownership. Contributors and copyright holders are
prominently acknowledged. Whilst
Martins Bank Archive has no connection with the day to day trading activities
of the Barclays Group of companies, we are grateful for the ongoing and
generous guidance, advice and support of BARCLAYS GROUP ARCHIVES in the building and shaping of this online social history. We
wouldn’t say we were “ahead of our time”, but this extract from the Editorial
of Martins Bank Magazine’s Summer 1963 Edition seems particularly pertinent
to our aims as an archive…
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 Somewhere,
a long way back, someone said 'Hats off to the past! Coats off to the
future!' and we doubt whether anyone could better that. Our Bank is still
small enough, thank heaven, for those in it to be seen and known personally
by a great many people, yet it is big enough to stand alone. Gresham's
grasshopper still has a proud place on our coat of arms and the liver bird
has never felt inclined to drop his seaweed in favour of the succulent
insect above his head. To do so would only dissolve a partnership
recognised and respected throughout the world. A hundred years hence
someone may turn these pages not only to see what has been said to-day but
to find out what the Bank was like and what was happening to those in it
during the 1960's. We like to think that in this magazine they will see us
as we are and, perhaps, sense that quality which embraces our strength, our
weaknesses, and all other characteristics and which can best be summed up
as 'something which money can't buy'. One important point might, however,
be overlooked because it was made by our Chairman in the Annual Report for
1962 from which we quote:—
'Martins Bank with its national network of
branches is in a strong position which, in the view
of your Board and Management, would not be
enhanced by a wider association.'
We hope
that those who come after will understand how, in the age of the rat-race,
the gimmick and the brash headline, that quietly restrained but immensely
heartening statement amounted almost to an understatement. Nevertheless it found instant and universal approval.
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How sad that a crystal ball was not available in 1962 to foretell
that in fewer than six years, Martins Bank would indeed have to be
“enhanced by a wider association”, spoken of by the Chairman of Martins
Bank, Sir Cuthbert Clegg (pictured, left), in a BBC Interview in October
1968:
“Though Martins
eventually will become a completely integrated Bank with Barclays its
identity will not disappear immediately. I feel sure that Martins' name
will never be lost sight of, because of the Bank's great history”.
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Hebden Bridge Branch
1893 to 06/04/2018
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Were
things always as “bad” as they are today?
 In the twenty-first century we are used to hearing horror
stories about our banks almost every day of the week. The term “Banker” is freely used to the
point where those on the front line of banking - the friendly and usually
grossly underpaid faces who deal with your day to day transactions - are not
distinguished from those who never even meet the public, and whose risk
taking, along with that of their bosses, has caused many of the problems we
read about. Was it always like this?
Well, of course not. The golden age of banking seems to end about the
time that Barclays takes over Martins Bank.
From that point on, competition is the new king. The hitherto simple waters of banking become
muddied – the nuts and bolts of running a bank become “products”, and
cashiers become “salespeople”.
 Competition does not, however, seem to be the fault of any
one particular bank. It gathers
momentum amongst them all, as those in charge realise that money doesn’t only
make more money when it is invested or loaned. The same money can produce an income if you
class looking after it in ever more convoluted ways as a service, and
make charges for that service. The
days of the bank manager knowing his customers’ strengths and weaknesses are
soon numbered, as computers make it possible to replace more and more tasks
previously undertaken by real people; and so we reach today’s permanently confused
and confusing banking market, where no-one really seems to know what
direction they are going in, previously sound knowledge of local
businesses and financial trends has been lost along with many of those
businesses themselves, and much of what Martins Bank stands for in the 1960s
has been wiped away…
  Fifty years since
Martins was absorbed into Barclays, we should not forget the contribution
made by this amazing financial institution, and Martins Bank Archive is proud
to offer its collections and this website as both a social history and a
permanent reminder, with more than twelve hundred pages of information,
packed with memories and images of Martins down the years. As the first major national bank to be based outside London, first with
mobile branches, first with computers, first to operate a cash machine that
uses a plastic card and PIN, first to recognise and properly use the full
power of branding in the swinging 60s, Martins really is a first among banks
– a 1960s icon!
 By the end of its days
as the largest of the “Small Six” Banks, Martins has operated at almost 1000
branch and office addresses in England and Wales, and with over 700 still
open by 1969, not to mention district departments and subsidiary companies,
Martins’ presence is strong, particularly throughout the North of England
where it seems that almost every town and village has its own Branch.
Many of Martins’ new 1960s buildings are beautifully designed with sumptuous
interiors, and stand alongside the more traditional bank branches as
testament to the bank that always goes to extremes to be helpful.
To navigate the site
please choose from the various on screen menus and
use your browser’s forward and back buttons. Martins Bank Archive is a voluntary venture, not for profit, and aims
simply to act as a historical record that is accessible to all. We always need images of Martins Bank
Branches - especially covering the period 1950 to 1969 (just before the bank
was taken over by Barclays).
Exterior AND interior
shots, pictures of staff and especially images of everyday artefacts such as
cheques, paying in slips and product leaflets are particularly welcome. We will be happy to include
acknowledgements and where appropriate links to the external web sites of
those who provide items, memories and/or help. Our Staff Database contains
several hundred thousand entries that enable us to piece back together the
career details of those who worked for the Bank between 1946 and 1969. Don’t forget to visit our micro site – LEWIS’S BANK ARCHIVE, which tells the
fascinating story of Lewis’s Bank, a unique and major force in Department
Store Banking from 1928 to the mid 1980s.
Finally, our MOST WANTED feature gives details of
those items and images we are keen to trace.
We will also be delighted to read your personal memories of Martins on
our FACEBOOK® page. If you worked for Martins Bank, and we do
not have a picture of you, we will be pleased to include any relevant
pictures that you may possess. We hope you enjoy your visit to Martins
Bank, and that you will want to visit our 1200+ pages again and again…
“The Song is Ended, but the Melody Lingers on…”
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Left to Right: Burnley, Heaton Chapel,
Blackpool Whitegate Drive, Leeds Vicar
Lane, and Scarborough South Cliff.
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A huge resource…
 Martins Bank Archive offers a huge resource of
information about the Bank, its history, products, ideas and staff, over
nearly 1200 online pages. The online
section of Martins Bank Archive has become a valuable resource to people
tracing their family tree. We have
thousands of images of Martins Bank Staff, many of whom are now aged between
58 and 90+. The bulk of enquiries
received by the archive are from people who would like career details or
copies of images either of themselves, or their loved ones who worked for the
bank and are now no longer with us. We
have two staff databases: The first of
these is now complete, and covers
the period 1946 to 1969. It contains more than a quarter of a million entries
and cross-references for staff at all stages of career from New Entrant to
Retirement. Marriages and Deaths are
also recorded for this period. The
bulk of this information is scanned directly from the 96 issues of Martins Magazine,
and is as complete as it can be. We
cannot guarantee to be able to produce FULL
career records for every member of the staff. The
second Staff database is still being built from available sources, and covers
as much pre 1946 information as we can find.
In addition to career information, we can, from the main database, can
supply details of obituary notices printed in the Bank Magazine, and the text
of articles written about staff. These
have already proved useful to a number of people wanting to add information
about the working lives of members of their family tree.
Smile, please!
 Please note that the images on the website have
been specially processed to ensure that they will not enlarge without
distorting. If you would like a copy
of a particular image, please get in touch with us at gutinfo@btinternet.com. A
large number of our own photographs of Martins’ branches and staff are
available – these come from Martins Bank Magazine, and have been in the
public domain for between 41 and 65 years.
Please note however, that we do not supply copies of any of the
pictures featured on the website that are
attributed “image © Barclays Ref:” without the permission of Barclays Group
Archives. These items are on loan to
us, and if copied, will infringe Barclays’ copyright, which could result in
legal action against those who copy them.
Enquire within…
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Our Branches Database is a
full listing of more than 990 buildings that were used as branches or offices
of Martins Bank, including Sorting Code and/or National Numbers, address and
(former) county, and last known telephone number. Currently some of the dates that branches
opened have been taken from a listing originally donated to Barclays Group
Archives, and cannot be confirmed by them as completely accurate. However, the Branch Listings Database is
currently being populated by the most accurate dates of opening available to
Barclays. There is also a full list of managers, pro managers, sub branches,
self accounting sub branches and main/parent branches as at 01 January
1969. We are building a separate
listing of district office departments and Martins Bank’s Subsidiary
Companies. including Sorting Codes where applicable, address and (former)
county and last known telephone number.
We hold more than 5000 images
- a precious but growing number of them in colour -  including branch interiors
and exteriors, departments and offices and/or staff who worked in them, a
large collection of branch staff group and individual photos. The physical archive is growing all the
time, and we are always grateful to receive items on loan, donated, or
bequeathed. We have a number of full sets of Martins Bank Magazine, as well
as Martins Bank Book of Instructions, wartime Head Office circulars, Head
Office Integration Circulars, cheques vouchers and other from individual
branches. There are also Martins’
Giveaways such as money boxes (3 varieties), miniature cheque and paying in
books (2 types), and Martins books of matches. We have some training guides and procedure
manuals, share certificates, and Martins Bank staff association leaflets and
guides. There is a representative sample of customer product leaflets from
the 1950s and the 1960s, and a large collection of original newspaper
advertisements. Please be aware that
items such as personal letters, which have been donated to but which do not
appear within the online part of the archive, will not be made available for
viewing without the express permission of the donor. Please note that images
credited as follows: “Image © Barclays Ref 0030/1628” are the property of
Barclays. They can be download from Barclays Group Archives’ own site free
for personal use only. Images credited as follows: “Image © Martins Bank
Archive Collection” belong either to Martins Bank Archive, or to the company
or individual that donated the original image or its likeness. Whilst we can
make most of these images available free for personal use, the owner’s
permission may also need to be sought.
Digging deep…
  Martins
Bank Archive is not solely concerned with celebrating and highlighting the
amazing history of our Bank. Any large
business concern really is nothing without its army of devoted and
hardworking staff, and we are very keen that former colleagues and those
related to them, can have access whatever career information we can find for
them. To enable this to happen, we
embarked last year on Martins Staff Database, which has already produced
career information both for family tree researchers, and many Martins
Colleagues who are still enjoying their well-earned retirement.
First AND Second Base…
More
than half a million pieces of information are now held in the first of two
main databases, and this information is regularly sorted and sifted on
request, to produce career records that cover many stages of employment from
New Entrant to Inter-Branch/Department Transfers, Marriages, Promotion to the
Appointed Staff, and retirement. The
fullest records are currently from the years 1946 to 1969, but a separate
collection is already gathering available staff information that goes back,
in some cases, to the 1880s.
Your help is always priceless…
We
love to hear from the relatives of staff who started work before 1946, within
Martins, or one of the many Banks that have come together over the years to
build the Bank. Photographs of any
member of our staff, especially pictures taken during their career, put faces
to names, and help fill in important parts of the jigsaw. It is important to note that the
information in the 1946-69 database is compiled almost exclusively from published
records. The second database is more
complex, as it includes information passed on by relatives, and a large
collection of Martins Bank’s own staff circulars. Martins Staff Database is
not available online, but we do always welcome your enquiries about Martins’
Staff and of course donations of information and pictures. If we can help you, or you can help us, we
would love to hear from you at the usual address – gutinfo@btinternet.com
.
And finally…
  Martins is at the forefront of so much change in
the 1960s, but not even they could have envisaged what we have today thanks
to the internet - being able to think
of any question, type it in to a home computer and immediately be faced with
millionsa of answers. Whilst the internet has naturally become everyone’s
resource of choice, and has helped fill in the gaps, we are also grateful for
the generous assistance of a huge number of organisations and companies, who,
whilst we do NOT carry advertising, are given appropriate accreditation
throughout this site. Martins own printed
legacy, from its staff magazines and special souvenir publications to the
books “Four Centuries of Banking” – has been its own invaluable source of
reference, including the unique snapshot of banking life provided within the
pages of Martins Bank Magazine. Personal memory – a scarce commodity decades
on – is also a unique way to help us tell the story of the bank that at the
height of its popularity and prosperity disappeared from UK life
forever. This is why we will be
delighted to feature your images and items from the period, along with your
memories to share with others. Finally, the Online Archive in particular,
benefits from the extreme generosity of the Barclays Group in making
available thousands of images, and hundred of hours of enthusiastic help and
guidance, for which we remain eternally grateful.
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