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J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 14:00
by DOC
John Claudius Beresford founded a bank in Dublin in 1793. Beresford was a leading member of the Orange Order and set up a lodge in Dublin in 1795. Beresford’s Bank became one of the major private banking houses in Dublin and became Benjamin Ball & Co. in 1810 when J.C. Beresford withdrew from the business. The bank went through several partnership changes as Beresford’s and Ball’s Bank.

A) J.C. Beresford, James Woodmason, Thomas Needham (1793-1794)
B) J.C. Beresford, Sir Thomas Lighton, James Woodmason, Thomas Needham (1794-1797)
C) J.C. Beresford & James Woodmason (1797-1798)
D) J.C. Beresford, James Woodmason & James Farrel (1798-1799)
E) J.C. Beresford & James Woodmason (1799-1808)
F) J.C. Beresford, Benjamin Ball, Mathew James Plunkett & Philip Doyne Jnr.(1808-1810)

Here is a 1 Guinea banknote from partnership E, dated 14th January 1807.

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 28 Mar 2021 23:33
by Mac
A 3 Guinea contemporary forgery from partnership C, dated 14th December 1802.
Beresford-3-Guinea-14th-Dec-1802-forgery.jpg
Beresford-3-Guinea-14th-Dec-1802-forgery.jpg (49.97 KiB) Viewed 6088 times

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 11 Apr 2021 12:32
by DOC
Here is an unissued £4 post bill from Partnership F (1808-1810).

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 25 Apr 2021 12:56
by DOC
Here is a 5 Guineas Post Bill issued by J.C. Beresford & Co. in 1807. This example was issued by Partnership E.

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 09 May 2021 20:32
by DOC
Here is a Type B £10 Post Bill issued by Beresford & Co. in 1794.

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 11 May 2021 12:56
by Mac
Nice - we are building up enough notes here to add a page on Beresford & Co. to the main web site.

Have any more notes of partnership F been seen?

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 13 May 2021 19:25
by DOC
PMI reports 30 Shillings and 1 Guinea notes for Partnership F but I have not seen examples of these notes.

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 16 May 2021 12:33
by DOC
Benjamin Ball took over Beresford’s Bank when John Claudius Beresford withdrew from the bank in about 1810. The bank of Ball & Co. lasted for many years, surviving several crises and was taken over by The Northern Banking Company Limited in 1888 when it established a branch in Dublin. The partnerships listed below are those which issued notes. James Benjamin Ball became the lead partner in 1826 taking over from his father, Benjamin. It is believed that Ball & Co. was the last private bank to issue notes in Ireland.

A) Benjamin Ball, Matthew James Plunkett, Philip Doyne Jnr (1810-1815)
B) Benjamin Ball, Matthew James Plunkett, Philip Doyne Jnr, Henry Samuel Close (1815-1826)
C) James Benjamin Ball, Matthew James Plunkett, Philip Doyne Jnr, Henry Samuel Close (1826-1824)
D) James Benjamin Ball, Philip Doyne Jnr, Henry Samuel Close (1834-1848)

Curiously, few notes of Ball & Co. have come to market in recent years although several denominations have been reported. Here is an unissued £3 Post Bill from about 1826. It is interesting to note that the currency is denominated in Pounds British which indicates it was printed after currency unification in 1826.

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 17 May 2021 17:43
by Mac
A nice well-printed design.

Would we regard Beresford's Bank and Ball's as two separate banks, or do they share enough overlap of partners and continuity to be regarded as the same bank? I'd go for the latter.

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 18 May 2021 18:56
by DOC
Yes, I think it makes sense to consider them as one entity. For indexing purposes, the bank title should probably read: Beresford & Co., Ball& Co.

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 21 May 2021 18:51
by Mac
Would you have a better image of the £4 note posted above, or another note of similar design?
(I'll take that hint and update the index shortly!)

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 23 May 2021 11:40
by DOC
Sorry, I don’t have a better image of this note design. The £4 Post Bill image is a low resolution scan from a 2006 Spink auction. I haven’t seen another example since then !

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 23 May 2021 12:48
by Mac
A pity, it's a very nice example, especially with the symbols along the left side likely representing the four partners.

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 30 May 2021 12:05
by DOC
Here is an unissued £40 Post Bill of James Benjamin & Co. dating from 1830-1834.

Re: J.C.Beresford & Co. Dublin 1793-1810

Posted: 04 Jun 2021 12:40
by Mac
I came across a reference to the The £4 Post Bill above being a proof on card, so the design may not have been used for issued notes.

I have not seen any issued notes from Ball's Bank other than the one illustrated in Irish Numismatics, pictured below, a One Guinea note dated 1813.
Balls-Bank-One-Guinea-1813.jpg
Balls-Bank-One-Guinea-1813.jpg (32.11 KiB) Viewed 5309 times