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Martins Bank’s Branch at Market Place Dewsbury is an original branch of
the West Riding Union Bank Limited, registered in 1881, subsumed by the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank in 1902, which in turn merges with the Bank of
Liverpool and Martins in 1928. The branch is pictured here, circa
1967, and the first of our three features comes from Martins Bank Magazine’s
1959 visit to the branch. There is a further (shorter) visit in 1966, along
with a brief mention of the citizenship activities of one of the members of
the Branch Staff, Cynthia Bottomley… |
In Service: opened 1818 and still in service Image © Bamforth & Co Ltd, Holmfirth Yorks and
successors, ca. 1967 |
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Here, underneath this little stone, Lies Robert, Earl of
Huntingdon. Never archer as he so good, And people called him Robin Hood. Such outlaws as he and his men, Will England never see again. Died
24th December, 1247 Dewsbury's main concern, however, is with the rag and
shoddy section of the woollen trade. Despite the changing fortunes of the
industry there is still a living to be made out of wool and our branch in
Dewsbury maintains a staff of sixteen. The town looks very old and, in fact,
there is almost no modern building in it, except of a residential character.
The mills are in the streets, just as are the warehouses in a city like
Liverpool, and one's first impression is of a forest of ugly chimneys. There
is a difference, nowadays, in that the chimneys are not permitted to belch
smoke indiscriminately. There are certain permitted hours and on the day of
our visit, August 6th, there was hardly a curl of smoke to be seen, so that
at first we thought the town must be on holiday and the mills closed. What a
pity they didn't get round to this clean air idea years ago! |
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Dewsbury
branch (left to right): H S
Bottomley Miss M Milnes P Mallinson
W Hampshire (Sub-Manager]
B Sykes Mrs M
Stewart Mr G K Dyson (Manager) C Mitchell
Miss M Sykes R G Overend
(Accountant) J Hickling Miss
C M Richardson D Lockwood
Miss H M Bairstow P G Bruce
Miss M W Gladman and H
Robinson. Miss Pollard was on holiday at the time the photograph was taken and
so also was Mr Tomlinson. |
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The building must be about a hundred years old and shortly
after the amalgamation with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank, the Bank of
Liverpool's branch a few streets away was closed and the business transferred
to the Lancashire and Yorkshire office. The business has a very old
foundation, as can be seen from the Bank's Historical Tree, coming in through
Ben Wilson and the West Riding Union Banking Co. Ltd. The Sub Manager is Mr.
W. Hampshire who, apart from a spell as Pro Manager at Spring Gardens, has spent
the whole of his business life at Dewsbury. He was appointed Sub Manager in
1946 and is shortly due to retire. The Accountant is Mr. R. G. Overend who
has served at Batley, Cleckheaton, Heckmond-wike, Huddersfield and Mirfield
before his appointment to Dewsbury in 1955. There is a strong and very comely
team of girls at Dewsbury, six out of a total staff of sixteen, and, as
various speakers at staff dinners are fond of saying, they certainly do bring
brightness and colour into the branch! The principal cashier, Mr. H. S.
Bottomley, has been at Dewsbury for 31 years: records such as this one, under
modern conditions, are becoming rarer. Before we left we had the pleasure of
making a presentation, on behalf of the subscribers, of a wedding gift to Mr.
Brian Sykes, this being the first time in 14 years that anything like that
has happened to us when visiting a branch. It was a most happy occasion, a
most happy visit, and the family spirit was noticeably predominant at this
extremely well run branch. |
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Dewsbury Branch Interior - pictured in
1938 Image © Barclays Ref 0030-0825-0005 |
1966 - The new interior of Dewsbury Branch Image © Barclays Ref 0030-0825-0005 |
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In the
picture…
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Miss Cynthia Bottomley of our Dewsbury Branch was honoured
by the St John Ambulance Brigade when she was presented with the Grand Prior
Badge, the brigade’s highest award in the cadet section. |
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Not a lot of difference to be seen here,
apart from the name above the door – in 1922 on the left, Dewsbury is a
Branch of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank. Then on the right, in 1938, as a
Branch of Martins Bank… |
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Image © Martins Bank Archive Collections
- W N Townson Bequest |
Image © Barclays Ref 0030/0825/0005 |
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