As the market for the trading of the British state's debt developed during the eighteenth century, the Bank of England found itself in a difficult position. It was the self-styled guardian of public credit, an institution which stood aloof as mediator between the state and its creditors, and, at...

"In March 1784 a Committee of Inspection completed a yearlong examination of the Bank of England following calls for economic reform in the light of disruption in the Empire, recession at home, and a rising tide of public debt. Drawing on the minute books of this inspection and numerous other...

As the market for the trading of the British state's debt developed during the eighteenth century, the Bank of England found itself in a difficult position. It was the self-styled guardian of public credit, an institution which stood aloof as mediator between the state and its creditors, and, at...

The period between 1688 and 1702 witnessed remarkable changes in the nature of public and private investment in England. From 1688 a host of joint-stock companies emerged, offering investors the opportunity to commit their capital to projects ranging from the manufacture of paper to the search...

In 1965 Sidney Pollard published The Genesis of Modern Management, an extended discussion of the problems, during Britain's initial period of industrialisation, of the 'internal management' of the firm. But, in his focus on industry, Pollard ignored one of the largest, most significant and most...