Bank of England first book of subscriptions

The Bank of England was founded in 1694, as a way to overcome a governmental cash-flow crisis. It was established as a ‘joint-stock company’, owned by its investors. This book contains the names of its first investors.

The Bank lent the money investors deposited to the government. Investors were paid interest raised from taxes.

This book lists the investments from 1,520 subscribers worth a total of £1.2 million. Investments ranged between £10 and a £10,000 investment from the King and Queen, William III and Mary II. The Bank remained a joint-stock company until it was nationalised in 1946.