The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

Banknotes issued by Irish Private Banks ca1700–ca1833
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The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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Hugh Montgomery established The Northern Bank on 1st June 1809 with partners John Hamilton, James Orr and John Sloan. John Hamilton had been a partner in the earlier Belfast-based private bank of John Ewing & Co. The Bank went through two partnership changes with James Orr taking over as lead partner upon the retirement of Hugh Montgomery in 1820. The Bank would eventually become The Northern Banking Company in 1824, the first joint stock bank in Ireland.

The following 3 partnerships are known:

A) Hugh Montgomery, John Hamilton, James Orr, John Sloan (1809-1820)
B) James Orr, John Sloan, John McCance, Hugh Montgomery Jnr. (1820-1824)
C) James Orr, John McCance, Hugh Montgomery Jnr., John McNeile (1824)

An example of a £1 note from the first partnership is illustrated.
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Northern Bank Hugh Montgomory & Co. 1 Pound 1st March 1819.jpg
Northern Bank Hugh Montgomory & Co. 1 Pound 1st March 1819.jpg (161.08 KiB) Viewed 7734 times
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

Post by Mac »

An attractive note design.
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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Here is a later type £1 issued by The Northern Bank with James Orr as lead partner. The design is similar to that of the 1819 £1. An interesting aspect is the cancellation stamp, ‘PAID JAN 15 1875’. This suggests that The Northern Banking Company (Joint Stock Bank), honoured the notes of the original private bank long after its dissolution. It may also explain why these notes are rare as there was ample time to cash them in.
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Northern Bank 1 Pound James Orr & Co. 25th Oct. 1823.jpg
Northern Bank 1 Pound James Orr & Co. 25th Oct. 1823.jpg (157.86 KiB) Viewed 7552 times
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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It makes sense that the new joint stock Northern Bank would honour the notes issued by its descendants if the original company was not wound up, but merged into the new bank. Good for confidence in the new bank too.
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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Attached is an example of a 30 Shillings note issued by the first partnership in 1813. The Bank name is in a curved arc at the top of the note. There appears to be two designs for the first partnership, this being the first type. The second type has the Bank title arranged in a linear fashion.
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Northern Bank Montgomery & Co. 30 Shillings 10th May 1813.jpg
Northern Bank Montgomery & Co. 30 Shillings 10th May 1813.jpg (129.86 KiB) Viewed 7216 times
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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The bills issued by banks which survived to become joint stock banks interest me greatly. Thanks for posting them.
I guess the economy in the North was in better shape with stronger banks, Northern Bank, Belfast Bank.
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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Yes, the banks in the North at the time benefited from a strong industrial economy and were also managed prudently.

Here is a Type C, 30 Shillings note, issued by the last partnership. The year is difficult to read with the bank stamp obscuring it. However, the year should be 1824 based on the partners listed.
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Northern Bank James Orr & Co. 30 Shillings 20th Nov. 1824.jpg
Northern Bank James Orr & Co. 30 Shillings 20th Nov. 1824.jpg (178.34 KiB) Viewed 6970 times
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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Here is a Type A, £2 note, issued in 1813 with Hugh Montgomery as lead partner. This early design has the Bank Title in a curved arc. This is the highest known surviving denomination for this bank although it is likely that higher denominations were issued.
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Northern Bank Montgomory & Co. 2 Pounds Dec 1813.jpg
Northern Bank Montgomory & Co. 2 Pounds Dec 1813.jpg (189.89 KiB) Viewed 6786 times
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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Here is an unissued 30 Shillings note of the Northern Bank with James Orr as senior partner, dating from 1820-1824. This is a third design type seen to date for the 30 shillings notes of this bank.
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Northern Bank James Orr & Co. 30 Shillings ca.1820-1824.jpg
Northern Bank James Orr & Co. 30 Shillings ca.1820-1824.jpg (121.39 KiB) Viewed 3291 times
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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That's a nice design, and one I have not come across before. I will have to modify the Montgomery's page in the Private banks section to include it!
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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A lot remains to be learned about the private banks, with previously unknown designs still surfacing like this one, from well-known banks. Maybe the modern Northern Bank archive has records somewhere on these earlier issues of its ancestor bank. A dusty box sealed for a hundred years!
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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This attractive example of an unissued Northern Bank 25 Shillings note appeared recently at Spink. It was produced for the partnership of James Orr & Co. between1820 and 1824.
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Northern Bank James Orr & Co. 25 Shillings Unissued ca.1820-1824.jpg
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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That's a nice design – I will add it to the bank's page shortly!
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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This Northern Bank £4 proof note also appeared recently for sale at Spink. It was produced for the partnership of James Orr & Co. between 1820 and 1824. The denomination is unusual particularly for the Belfast based private banks.
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Northern Bank James Orr & C. 4 Pounds Proof ca.1820-1824.jpg
Northern Bank James Orr & C. 4 Pounds Proof ca.1820-1824.jpg (146.62 KiB) Viewed 1137 times
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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This Northern Bank, James Orr & Co., £20 proof note, also appeared recently for sale at Spink. This is a high denomination note for the private bank era and the first example observed for this bank. It dates from the period 1820-1824.
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Northern Bank James Orr & Co. 20 Pounds Proof ca. 1820-1824.jpg
Northern Bank James Orr & Co. 20 Pounds Proof ca. 1820-1824.jpg (56.74 KiB) Viewed 949 times
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Re: The Northern Bank: Hugh Montgomery & Co. 1809-1824

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A nice addition to the known denominations.
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