Bank of Liverpool Millom the Green

The Bank of Liverpool opens two agencies at Millom in 1903, one at SILECROFT, the other at The Green. Both are run by an agent, Miss Mary Clark. This is a throwback to earlier banking times when an agent will agree to run a branch but not as a permanent employee of the bank that engaged them. Often they can negotiate terms that included use of the Bank House, or they might even be required to provide their own security as a kind of insurance against losses or theft. They may not necessarily be paid a wage, being sometimes offered shares in the bank, or to be paid in some way commensurate with the profitability (or not) of the agency they operate on the Bank’s Behalf.

In Service: 1903 until 1908

The sub-branches and agencies to Millom Branch are listed in the 1903 annual results of the Bank of Liverpool.

This extract is from the Millom Gazette of 22 July.

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. Image reproduced with kind permission of The British Newspaper Archive

Millom For new agencies to be opened as late as the twentieth century is a little unusual, as by this time most banks are keen to show off bricks and mortar to potential customers, rather than using someone’s front parlour to transact business, as was previously commonplace. Of the two agencies at Millom, The Green lasts only five years, closing in 1908, whilst Silecroft fares better, becoming a slightly more permanent fixture and a sub branch of Martins until 1939.