An Example of Communal Currency: The facts about the Guernsey Market House — John Shaqi
An Example of Communal Currency: The facts about the Guernsey Market HouseHarris, Joseph Theodore
History
An Example of Communal Currency: The facts about the Guernsey Market House
Harris, Joseph Theodore
Finance -- Guernsey; Paper money -- Guernsey
This Act entitled "An Act to enable the Common Council of the Town of
Liverpool in the County of Lancaster on behalf of and on account of the
Corporation of the said Town to issue negotiable notes for a limited
time and to a limited amount," was passed after the Corporation of
Liverpool had failed to obtain a loan of £100,000 from the Bank of
England.
The £50 and £100 notes bore interest not exceeding the lawful rate and
at 12 months' date. The £5 and £ 10 notes were payable to bearer on
demand without interest. The total issue was at no time to exceed
£300,000. Returns had to be forwarded to the House of Commons from time
to time. From one of these returns we learn that the notes issued to
28th February, 1795, amounted to £140,390, based on security valued at
£155,907 16s. 6d. In a report forwarded 23rd April, 1794, it was stated
that £52,985 worth of notes were in circulation at that date.
Great care was taken in the issue of the notes. The Committee of the
Corporation that was responsible for the same met daily.
In order to give a wider utility to the notes, London correspondents
were appointed and a large number were made payable in London. This made
it possible for the Corporation itself to apply to the Committee for a
large loan of £50,000.
The security on which advances were made were very various. It included
cotton, timber, iron, hops, whale oil, bills of exchange, ships on the
stocks and the Alt rates.
* * * * *
For further particulars of this interesting incident, the reader is
referred to Sidney and Beatrice Webb's _English Local Government_: "The
Manor and the Borough," p. 485, and to E. C. K. Gonner's Article,
"Municipal Bank Notes in Liverpool, 1793-95," which appeared in the
_Economic Journal_, Vol. VI., 1896, pp. 484-487, to whom the writer is
largely indebted for the above facts.
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