Abstract/Summary

The article examines the relationships between banks and manufacturing industry in mid-19th century in Sheffield, England. The occupations of bank directors and their participation in local industry are established through utilising surviving bank records, alongside trade directories and data collected on shareholders of Sheffield limited companies. The wider economic identities of bank directors are of particular interest. Their links with local industry are disclosed in detail by considering the accounts of specific manufacturing customers to explore local financial networks and their impact upon the lending policies of the three banks. The findings elucidate the extent to which Sheffield banks were part of a regional information network, which furnished the necessary knowledge concerning both investment opportunities and potential borrowers' creditworthiness. Extractive and manufacturing industry in Sheffield and its environs provided the area's banks with significant clienteles. Industrialization led to new financial demands being made upon local banking, whilst iron, steel and secondary metal manufacturing were very susceptible to cyclical forces which caused further approaches to local banks at certain times.