The type of bound book ledger illustrated here was used by the Bank in the first few years of its existence, and was a development of the system used by the Birmingham Corporation Savings Bank. In 1924, the long and labour intensive task of transferring over 130,000 accounts from this type of ledger book (at nearly thirty branches) to a more flexible system of loose-leaf ledgers was commenced. The transfer of Springfield's accounts appears to have taken place by early 1929. Other examples of early bound ledgers are illustrated for:

 

Aston branch - Accounts numbered 6,001 to 8,000;

 

Aston Cross branch - Accounts numbered 1 to 2,000.

 

Examples extracted from Springfield's ledger are illustrated below.

A/c No: 2001 - the first account in the new ledger, opened on October 22nd 1923, was transferred from Head Office - account number 19208.

 

The format of these bound ledgers was five account columns per page. Accounts pre-numbered 2001 to 2005 (on the first page of the ledger) were all opened on the same date. Page 2 had three pre-numbered columns (2006 to 2008) and three unheaded columns for use with continuation transactions when a column was full; this has incurred with A/c 2004.

 

A/c No: 2004 has been examined by a member of staff of the Auditors - Agar, Bates, Neal & Co. The auditor has compared the depositors' passbook with the ledger and confirmed that they agree with a rubber stamp.

 

A/c No: 2004 is a Joint Account that is referenced to the account mandate by the number 71. Presumably that mandate specifies that all withdrawals are to be made on Both Signatures. A/c No: 2023 is marked to indicate that payments can be made on Either Signature. 

A/c Nos: 2063 & 2064 - two Society Accounts opened by the Springfield Women's Adult School. As with Joint Accounts, the ledger columns are rubber stamped to indicate their status.

A/c Nos: 2058 & 2082 - two Joint Accounts stamped "HEAD OFFICE HOSPITALS SCHEME ACCOUNT", indicating that the depositors made payments to the Birmingham Hospitals Contributory Scheme. A/c No: 2082 was created as a Joint Account by amalgamating the two separate accounts of the depositors. It was not until 1968 that an existing account could be redesignated as a joint account without the need to close the single account.

 

An example of creating a Joint Account from a single account is illustrated below.

 

 

(right) by a series of deposits this depositor has increased their balance by £48 - 10 - 0d. All the deposits have been made at another branch - all except one made at Head Office, have been made at Sparkbrook branch. The clerks posting the transactions have annotated the source of the deposit, eg:

 

"c/a per Spkbk" which means 'Credit Advice per Sparkbrook branch'. Many of the deposits have two dates - the date of the actual deposit and the date the advice reached Springfield branch.

A/c No: 2109 - Elizabeth Hickin has purchased a house with the aid of a loan from the Bank. Her savings accounts has been stamped "MORTGAGE GRANTED" as it was a condition of the loan that a savings account must be kept open during the life of the mortgage. When Head Office informed the branch that the loan had been repaid, the savings account was amended accordingly.

 

(above right) a substantial balance is transferred to Sparkhill branch on the day that new branch is opened

A/c Nos: 2138 & 2139; 2150 & 2151 - mysteriously, the Springfield ledger has some pre-numbered columns that have not been utilised. Adding to the mystery is the fact that A/c 2138 has an initial deposit dated 1926, but A/c 2150 has an earlier date. Why have the columns designated from 2139 to 2150 not been used? And why have the accounts prior to and after these blank columns not been used in chronological order?

(above left) after the depositor's passbook has been reported lost, a period of over three months has elapsed before a replacement was issued.

 

(above right) most of the deposits to this account are by way of cheque, and the depositor has usually rounded up the deposit to the next Pound. The amount of the cheque has been noted so that payment against the cheque will not be made until it has cleared.

A/c No: 2330 - a Minor's Account (ie a child under the age of 7). Doreen was just over one year old when the account was opened.

 

A/c No: 2785 - a Society Account used for the savings of the employees of the Rudge Whitworth Bearings Work. The works probably closed for the traditional annual holiday period of end July/early August - and the workers have saved almost £778 to pay for their holidays.

(above) this account records the death of the depositor on May 26th 1924. The balance of £33 - 3 - 8d is augmented by the contents of the depositor's Home Safe (£6 - 13 - 0d) and Interest to close the account (5/9d). The account also records that the branch has forwarded Form SB 18 to Head Office to obtain sanction for payment to the deceased's father. At this date, the Bank's forms were prefixed SB (Savings Bank) but were later amended to MB (Municipal Bank).

A/c No: 2922 - an account in the sole name of Reginald Playdon was opened on May 2nd 1924 by transferring the balance and interest of his account (No: G 1003) from Sparkbrook. On May 26th the balance and interest are transferred again - this time to a new account in the joint names of Reginald Playdon and Adelaide Playdon. Adelaide then appears to have contributed £1 to the account.

(above) two accounts with 'pen and ink' blemishes.

 

A large blot is close to a rubber stamp applied by one of the Bank's branch inspectors (D W S Woodcock) who has confirmed that the ledger balance agrees with the passbook balance.

 

A smudge on a 1/-d entry makes it appear to be 7/-d; a clarification has been noted in the adjacent column.