The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-23
C0utts' Has Just Absorbed Another Ancient "City"
 Institution
FOUNDED BY A SCOTT
 IN THE 18th CENTURY
A Brother Became Partner and Att tracted Most of Depositors. Used Extensively by Peers
 and Royalty

London, August 22.-(Special.0-Ye an- other chapter has been opened in the TO- mantle story of the oldest and probably most remarkable bank in the world, the renowned Coutts which has just absorbed another ancient. and also, in its way. famous City institution. the wealthy house of Robarts, Lubbock Co.,, of which the late Lord Avebury was a mem ber.
 In former days, before the merciless hand of progress Gas represented by the Strand improvement scheme) swept them away. the dingy, squat, mysterious look ing premises of Coutts bank on the em- bankment side of Londons famous artery, irresistibly suggested the history of this famous house. Today, however, nothing could be more modern than the home of Coutts' on the other side of the Strand, just below Adelaide street and the trav- cling American to whom its mere name means nothing probably passes it's DOT tals without so much as an inkling of the romantic history of the house, which was founded away back in 1892, whose patrons since then have included practically all the kings and most of the famous men of England. and whose wonderful under ground strong rooms are piled ulBn Wltn caskets containing the secret documents of living and dead celebrities and with the unclaimed deposits or hundreds of long dead patrons.
 Founded in Eighteenth Century
 It was James Coutts', one of the sons of lord provost and banker of Edin- burg, who, one day in the eighteenth cen tury, took the coach to London and opened a modest banking establishment in the n probability, to what an important tree his little acorn would grow. In his day one ledger suffced for the names of all the banks clients, from to z, albeit many of them were distinguished as shall be shown. At that time, too, the build ing's windows afforded clear views of the green country for miles around; today the most one could see from the windows of the new Coutts' would be the other side of the street, and perhaps on a foggy day, not even that The firms checks, by the way. still bear the legend: "At the Three Crowns in the Strand, next door to the Globe Tavern, A. D., 1892"
 It is really to James Coutts' brother Thomas, who followed his kinsman to London and became his partner, that the bank owes it's brilliant career. Thomas brought all Scots gait and caution from the northern capital and to these he added a conspicuous honesty and charm of manner which made clients of the best class flock to him. As a specimen of his astuteness, a tale is told of how, when he was entertaining some brother bankers at dinner, one of them mentioned cas- ually that a certain great lord had ap- piled to him for loan of $150OO0 and al his security was not satIsfa ctory, the loan was refused. Thomas listened saying not a word, but after his guest had departed, he drove to his lordship's house. arranged an interview with him for the following morning and handed over thirty a1OOO notes in exchange for his L O. U The banker"s confidence, moreover, was not misplaced, for the nobleman became his best client and few weeks later paid H,oo0.00O into the bank.
 Was Original in Everything
 He was original in everythine was Thomas Coutts and when he wanted a wife. he turned his back on all the spIen- did alliances he might have made and married his brothers maid-of-all work fresh from the soap suds. The three daughters of this union however be- came respectively the Countess of GuiI- ford, the Marchioness of Butte, and Lady Francis Burdett and It was the daugh- Ter of this last marriage and the grand daughter of the pretty buxum hand mai den who became known the world over as the philanthropic Baroness Burdette- Coutts.
 Nothing pleased Thomas Coutts het- ter than some out of the way adventure and he loved to court odd experiences by going about. millionaire though he was, in the shabbiest of clothes One day he was walking along the Strand with his hands behind his back when wealthy passerby. struck his forlorn poverty stricken appearance quietly slipped a guinea into one of his up- turned palms. Coutts, with profuse thanks. pocketed the coin. and was able to show 1t the selfsame evening to his unknown benefactor. who had