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When the Craven Bank amalgamates with the Bank of Liverpool in 1906, it
has more than one hundred years of Banking experience under its belt, serving
the people of the towns and villages in that part of Yorkshire known as
Craven. This includes the larger towns
such as Skipton and Settle, and there was a network of sub-branches and
agencies in the in the smaller towns and villages.
We are indebted to John Pearcy whose interest in the Craven Bank stems
from his family’s involvement with the original sub-branch at Hellifield,
which began life in 1887 with the Bank being in attendance at the village Cattle
Market on two days each week. By 1889, a permanent sub-branch was opened at 2
Craven Terrace. John told us : |
In
Service:- April 1889 until October 1955
Image (1930s) © Martins
Bank Archive Collections - John Pearcy |
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“I was interested to read
about the Hellifield branch on your site. Prior to the branch having its own
building, it operated out of the front room of my grandparent's house on main
road, originally the house address was Liverpool bank Hellifield, then as 2
Craven Terrace, and later it was just known as Bank house. It was the middle
of a terrace of 3 with the post office at the far end. The original
family tenants of 2 Craven Terrace were my great grandparents Robert and
Susannah Parker, my grandparents, John and Jane Pearcy lived there after
their marriage in 1915 and took over the tenancy in 1930 following Robert
Parker's death. Although my family lived in the property for at least 70 years it was
the property of the Hellifield auction mart company and the bank's opening
hours were on the cattle sale days also on those days the Midland bank also
operated out of a room at the village's temperance hotel. My grandmother lived in the house until her death in 1989, she
survived her husband and both her sons. The bank had moved out of the house when I was a youngster in the
1960s but I can remember the front room door had a substantial lock that had
a rather large key to open it, under the stairs was a very heavy metal safe
which I always assumed must have some connection to the bank, it was never
used by the family so maybe was left behind when the bank moved. I can
remember being taken by my mother to open my first bank account at the branch
in the late 1960s and was delighted to get an orange plastic grasshopper
money box - I wish I had kept that !”
In the mid-1950s,
Martins Bank found new premises for Hellifield sub-branch, and these were situated
just across the road from Bank House. Following the merger with Barclays in
1969, this newer office remained open until 1991 - giving a combined service
of one hundred and two years in Hellifield.
Our friends and colleagues at Barclays Group Archives sum up the story
of Hellifield sub-branch as follows:
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“The
branch at Hellifield had its beginnings in April 1887, when the Directors of
the Craven Bank agreed to have the Settle branch in attendance in the town on
the days of the cattle market. The bank eventually opened a sub-branch
at a dwelling house in 1889 which they rented from Hellifield Auction Mart Co
Ltd however it would appear no official agreement was made as to a tenancy
and it operated just one day a week, on Thursdays. By 1919 the bank still occupied
this room in a private residence situated at Craven Terrace, Hellifield. The
Bank of Liverpool took over the Craven Bank in 1906 at which time Hellifield
operated as a sub-branch to Settle. In 1954 the branch was open on Mondays
and Thursdays. Martins Bank Ltd, the successor of Bank of Liverpool,
purchased freehold of new premises in October 1955 of a dwelling house and
shop with a yard, and out-offices and side road adjoining Main Street,
Hellifield for £800. 
