Miles, Cave, Baillie & Co

Miles, Cave, Baillie & Co (1750-1891), established in Bristol, was a past constituent of NatWest.

Brief history

This private bank was opened in 1750 as Tyndall, Elton, Lloyd, Miller, Knox & Hale by a partnership of Onesiphorus Tyndall, a West India merchant and drysalter; Isaac Elton; Harford Lloyd; William Miller, a grocer; Thomas Knox; and Matthew Hale, the managing partner. Originally called Bristol Bank, it became known as Bristol Old Bank from 1752. In 1776 the bank moved premises from 42 Broad Street to Clare Street and then, in 1798, to what became 35 Corn Street. From 1750 to 1826 there were many partnership changes.

The firm acquired fellow Bristol bank Cave, Ames & Cave in 1826. It ceased to issue banknotes in 1844.

In 1877 the bank acquired Miles, Miles, Harford, Miles & Miles, and was thereafter known as Miles, Cave, Baillie & Co. In 1891 it merged with Dimsdale, Fowler, Barnard & Dimsdales, Tugwell, Brymer & Co and Prescott, Cave, Buxton, Lode & Co to form Prescott, Dimsdale, Cave, Tugwell & Co.

Detailed list of name changes

  • Tyndall, Lloyd, Elton, Miller, Knox & Hale 1750-7
  • Lloyd, Elton, Miller, Tyndall, Knox & Hale 1757-62
  • Lloyd, Elton, Miller, Tyndall & Hale 1762-4
  • Lloyd, Elton, Miller, Tyndall, Gillam & Edye 1764-76
  • Miller, Tyndall, Elton, Gillam & Edye 1776-81
  • Tyndall, Elton, Gillam & Edye 1781-9
  • Tyndall, Elton, Edye & Edwards 1789-90
  • Tyndall, Elton, Edye, Edwards Edye & Skinner 1790-4
  • Elton, Edye, Edwards & Skinner 1794-5
  • Tyndall, Elton, Edye, Edwards Edye & Skinner 1795-1806
  • Tyndall, Elton, Edwards, Baillie & Skinner 1806-9
  • Elton, Edwards, Baillie, Tyndall & Skinner 1809-11
  • Elton, Edwards, Tyndall & Skinner 1811-12
  • Elton, Edwards, Baillies, Tyndall & Skinner 1812-15
  • Elton, Baillies, Tyndall, Palmer & Edwards 1815-26
  • Elton, Baillie, Ames, Baillie, Cave, Tyndall, Palmer & Edwards 1826-37
  • Baillie, Ames, Baillie, Cave, Tyndall, Palmer & Edwards 1837-41
  • Baillie, Ames, Baillie, Cave Palmer & Edwards 1841-6
  • Baillie, Ames & Co 1846-52
  • Baillie, Cave & Co 1852-77

Also known as Bristol Bank and as Bristol Old Bank

Published histories

  • C Cave, A History of Banking in Bristol from 1750 to 1899 (Bristol: privately published, 1899)

Summary of our archive holdings

Our archival records of Miles, Cave, Baillie & Co have the reference code MCB.

For help understanding words used here, check our glossary of banking record types (PDF 68 KB).

  • general ledgers 1772-1820
  • promissory note 1799
  • partnership agreements 1822
  • premises photograph c.1877
  • letter re Bank of England loan 1890
  • credit slip c.1890
  • cheques and cheque forms 1820-90

Summary of archive holdings elsewhere