Martins Bank

Martins Bank
	File:Martins Bank Grasshopper Logo.svg The Grasshopper emblem, historically associated with the bank
Company type	Private bank (until 1891), then Limited company
Industry	Banking and financial services
Founded	1563
Defunct	1969
Fate	Acquired by Barclays Bank
Headquarters	Liverpool, United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom
Key people	Edward Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby; The Hon. Sir David Bowes-Lyon; Colonel Robert Buxton DSO MA-Oxon; Donald Lynch (Chief Inspector during WWII)
Products	Banking services
Number of employees	Not specified
Parent	Barclays Bank (from 1969)

Martins Bank was a private banking institution based in London, recognized by its emblem "The Grasshopper," with roots extending back to Thomas Gresham and the London goldsmith tradition. The bank adopted the name Martin's Bank starting in 1890. In 1918, it was acquired by the Bank of Liverpool, which aimed to establish a presence in London and secure membership in the London Bankers' Clearing House. Following this acquisition, the combined entity was called Bank of Liverpool and Martins Limited. After taking over the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank in 1928, the name was simplified to Martins Bank Limited. Although headquartered in Liverpool, it was unique among English national banks for being located outside London. Barclays purchased Martins Bank in 1969.

History

The emblematic Grasshopper, associated with Martins Bank, is historically connected to Thomas Gresham, whose family crest featured this insect. While Gresham is credited with displaying this symbol on a goldsmith’s shop situated in Lombard Street, London, ownership of the Grasshopper sign passed to the Martin family in 1741. The Martin family were prominent members of London's Goldsmiths Company, with Richard Martin serving as Master of the Mint and also as Lord Mayor of London. Throughout its history, the bank operated under several partnerships, including Martins, Stone and Blackwell, and by 1844, Martin and Company.

Unlike joint-stock banks that expanded broadly, Martins maintained a more conservative growth strategy, typically operating a single office along with occasional branches located where partners lived. Following the collapse of Barings Bank in 1890, Martins transitioned into a limited company in 1891 and adopted a more aggressive expansion policy centered on merging with other private banks. By 1914, recognizing the necessity for growth beyond London, Martins agreed to be acquired by the Bank of Liverpool, established in 1831. The merger completed in 1918 preserved the Martins name due to its esteemed reputation and its seat within the clearing house.

After acquiring Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank in 1928, the institution became known as Martins Bank Limited. At that time, it operated approximately 560 branches and featured a logo that combined the grasshopper from Sir Thomas Gresham’s crest with the Liver bird emblem representing the Bank of Liverpool; this design was officially registered with the College of Heralds.

Among its notable directors were Edward Stanley, 18th Earl of Derby; The Hon. Sir David Bowes-Lyon; and Colonel Robert Buxton DSO MA-Oxon.

Between 1958 and 1967, Martins owned Lewis's Bank, which ran branches within Lewis's Department Stores as well as Selfridges in London; this subsidiary was sold to Lloyds Bank in 1967.

In 1932, Martins relocated its headquarters to a newly constructed classical revival building at 4 Water Street, Liverpool. This building was designed by Herbert James Rowse.

Barclays Bank acquired Martins in 1969; following this takeover, roughly 700 branches were rebranded under Barclays. Immediately after acquisition, about thirty branches were closed while ten were converted into sub-branches, including newly established locations such as Eaton and Norwich. The iconic grasshopper logo continued to appear on bank statements and cheques into the early 1980s before being fully phased out under Barclays’ branding.

Martins Bank Archive

Established in 1989, the Martins Bank Archive has been dedicated to collecting photographs and memorabilia related to Martins Bank. Online access commenced in 2009, with inquiries and contributions managed through its website. Since 2011, it has published the newsletter for the Grasshopper Pensioners' Club—a group comprising former Martins employees—supported partially by membership subscriptions and Barclays funding. Although independently operated, the archive works closely with Barclays and contains thousands of images depicting bank branches from the 1930s up until 1969. As of June 2013, its website includes over 1,100 pages documenting more than 900 branches.

The archive maintains an extensive staff database featuring upwards of 100,000 records primarily spanning from 1946 to 1969. This database records employment milestones such as transfers, promotions, retirements, and deaths. It also assists genealogical research by providing limited data going back to the late nineteenth century. Additionally, a separate collection exists within the archive specifically for Lewis's Bank (1958–1967), which includes its own staff records.

Liverpool Headquarters

The Liverpool Headquarters, a Grade II* listed structure crafted by Herbert Rowse and inaugurated in 1932, is widely regarded as Rowse’s finest work and stands as one of the most distinguished interwar classical edifices in the United Kingdom. During the Second World War, under the secretive Operation Fish, the United Kingdom’s gold reserves were covertly relocated from the Bank of England to the vaults of Martins Bank in Liverpool. This critical mission was managed by Donald Lynch, Martins' Chief Inspector, who held the designations FIOB RBA. The operation's story was later depicted in the motion picture The Bullion Boys.

Cultural References

In the 1971 movie Dad's Army, a fictional branch of Martins Bank was portrayed at Walmington-on-Sea; filming took place at the Crown pub located in Chalfont St Giles.

Martins Bank collaborated with Kiddicraft Toy Company and Metcalfe Models to create branded merchandise, including miniature cheque and deposit books, as well as cardboard kits designed for model railway hobbyists. In 1968, shortly before its integration into Barclays Group, Martins released a commemorative yellow transparent plastic grasshopper money box aimed at children opening savings accounts, which came with a matching gilt brooch.

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