Here is an unusual Dublin note with Thomas Ffrench as lead partner. The note is unissued but probably dates from 1807-1808 during the early days of the Dublin Branch.
At first sight, the denomination is really strange: ONE POUND, FOURTEEN SHILLINGS & PENNY-HALFPENNY. However, not so strange when you realise it is 1 Guinea & Half although not mentioned as such on the note. Another unusual feature is the watermark. It is difficult to identify completely but looks like TUAM BANK which is interesting for a Dublin note
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Thomas Ffrench & Co. Dublin 1 Guinea & Half ca.1807-1808.jpg (96.05 KiB) Viewed 15891 times
That Tuam water mark is interesting.
I guess they were not too worried about what the water mark actually said.
Could there be varieties of Dublin on Tuam paper and Tuam on Dublin paper? Could be a lot more to collect with the Ffrench banks if there is a full range of cross-water mark varieties..
I think it suggests that Ffrench's Bank considered itself as one bank with branches in Tuam, Dublin & Galway. Worth keeping a look out for other watermarks to see if there are other examples of the cross-water mark variety !
Many notes of Ffrench’s Bank are outstanding due to bankruptcy but there are types not seen which should logically have been issued. An example is the £1 note of Charles Ffrench & Co. Dublin, Design B, with vignette of Ceres. It can be confirmed now that a £1 note was issued as there is an example in the British Museum.
This Thomas Ffrench & Co. 1 Guinea and Half note from 1808 features a different design compared to the one posted earlier and mentions the denomination in words. The lead partner is described as ‘The Right Hon. Lord Ffrench’ compared to ‘The Hon. Sir Thomas Ffrench Bart.’, reflecting his elevation in status. The note, which resides in the British Museum, is stamped as a forgery but is likely a faithful example of the design of genuine notes.
That forgery is very interesting. The design of the main denomination in words at the lower left is completely different to that of the 1 Guinea and Half note at the top of this thread.
There is a not unsimilar design One Pound note which was in dnw in 2009, pictured below. Perhaps earlier notes were experimenting with design elements before settling on the more common later design format for the main denomination in words box.
