Customer ledger, 18th century

Customer ledgers recorded all incomings and outgoings on every account.  They date back to the bank's earliest days and until 1962 were entirely handwritten by the Books Department clerks.

In the 18th century, before the introduction of regular statements, customers were expected periodically to inspect and sign their account.  Today the ledgers, over 2,000 in total, provide an invaluable source of information for historians from all over the world.