The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-06-30
ANCIENT C0UTTS BANK.
IT WAS ESTABLISHED NEARLY TWO
HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
Queen Ammo Lodged Some OF Her super
fIuons Cash IN n, ne r<i Alexander
Pope. ritz Tox. Sir Walter Scott. Thack-
sxay. Dickens aud Others Of Note.

a.
Icry, there is a long and somewhat
grimy looking building, with iron rail-
ings running from one end to the
other. Foreigners and country cousins
on visit 10 London stare at it and ask,
"What is IL" There is nothing on the
face Of it to show. There is little mar
row door. but no namo on IT, several
windows. but they show nothing except
n want Of washing A constant stream
Of people may be seen passing in and
out. like so many bees hurrying in and
out Of a hive, and generally there are
two or three carriages waiting. II might
be taken for n workhousc, only as rule
the visitors 10 those establishments are
not carriagS people, nor arc ingress and
cgrcss quite so free as appears TO be the
case here. Il might be-anything; for,
Is the Bluccoat school boy said TO pa
tronizing old gentleman, in reply TO the
query. "Well. my little man, what might
your name be-" "My name might be
Bcelzebub, but it isn't" If, TO solve the
difficulty, the aforesaid foreigners or
country cousins were 10 ask the nearest
policeman, "What is that building'' he
would reply, "Coutts' bank"
They might then beinformed that they
were looking at one Of, if not the Oldest
and richest banks in England, bank
which was old before joint stock banks
were thought Of. Tho oldest joint stock
bank with the exception Of tho Bank of
England cannot boast a longer existence
than sixty years. Coutts bank, origi-
nally founded in 1892. will, in thrcoyc
from the present date, have completed
200 years Of official life 1t speaks won
dcrs for the ability and integrity which
have from time totimc been brought 70
bear upon the management Of the insti-
tuition. that after two centuries Of cease
less activity, il not only continues 10 cx-
ist. but that It's prosperity and rcnown
continue 10 increase.
Despite its somewhat meager external
appearance the interior embraces "a see
rios Of spacious and even handsome
offices. and the ever growing require
mcnts Of the business have caused the
bank to stretch itself out ut the rear,
night and left. into the Adelphi and the
adjacent ncighborhood. 1t has in par
ticular absorbed house in James street.
Adelphi. where Lord Bgaconsiiold and
his father once resided. The lease is
still oxtaut rs which the house was con-
yoyed from Mr. Isaac Disracli 10 Mr.
Thomas Coutis. Another interesting
document in the possession of Messrs.
Coutts s. Co. is the marriage certificate
Of George " and the unfortunate Mrs
Titz-Herbort. The underground prem
isos for tho storage and safe custody Of
plate checks. icwelry and valuables Of
various descriptions, run along the cn-
tire extent Of the ground occupied 10y
the bank, and 20 down so many flights
below the surface that it j. calculated 10
give one a very fair notion Of tho bot
somless pit.
just inside the door, by the portor's
lodge. stands stalwart gentleman in
blue. brave in buttons. heroic in helmet
and terrible with tunchcon, in short, q
policeman. ready i0atiend TO any chance
visitors with larconious tendencies for
bank notes or who may wish TO "try il
on" with forged check. Happily his
services are not often required, although
there are certain "cheyalicrs d'industrie'
who make a speciality of watching peo-
Die who leave banks with notes or gold
and kindly cndeavor 20 save them the
trouble of carrying them all tho way
home.
Stepping on through the swinging
doors we find ourselves in what is tech
nicallv called 1.-THE shop" Thisisa large
and lofty apartment, where the pay
mcnt Of checks, bills and other nego-
table documents takes place. On the
right is the counter where busy cashiers
daily pay away and receive hundreds Of
thousands of pounds-so vast are the
proportions modern banking has as.
umcd Going straight ON we cross a
bridge which connects the Strand with
the Adelphi premises. Here we see
spacious room Of more handsome pro-
portions than "the' shop" we have just
left
Tho partners sit here, and all around
are doors leading TO different depart
monts where the inner work Of the bank
is done. At the end, is the "bank par
lor," that important feature of al bank
ing establishments, where anxious GUS
TONERS are, for example. informed that
they can be accommodated with a loan
of ego 600. or. under more happy cir
cumstanccs. inform an official of their
wish to lodge that sum.
The bank parlors for there are more
than onc) contain portraits Of some Of
the former partners, tho older ones be-
inc easily distinguished by their peculiar
coiilure- or the want of it-men never
seemed 10 brush their hair in those days
There is also a portrait Of the Baroness
Burlett- Coutts. who has been connected
with the fortunes Of tho house for moro
than fifty years.
Perhaps the most famous of the part
ners was Thomas COuus, who entered
the house in the year 1861. lnChambors'
journal we read that Thomas Coutts
became the first banker in London.
Great from his wealth and munlficence,
mincling in the highest circles, and yet
never forgetting Edinburgh, which he
visited on one occasion with Sir Walter
Scott, his friend and kinsman, when he
was complimenicd with the freedom OF
the CITY" Mr.. Coutts had three daugh-
tiers. The first married the Earl of Guild
ford, the second the Marquis Of Butte, and
the third SIR Francis Burdett The
daughter Of Sir Francis Burdett was Gre
atod a peercss in 1871 with the title of
Baroness Burdoit-Coutts
There is also a portrait Of Mr.. George
Robinson. who recently died at the al
vance, age of "a. after no less than seven
" years Of active service. He entered
the office rs a clerk in 1915. was eventu-
ally taken into partnership. and con-
tinued until almost the close of his life
10 take an active part in the manage
ment of the banks affairs Dulce ct de-
corum est pro ratria viyere. might well
have been his motto
In bvcone DAYS every house had its