Martins Bank

Martins Bank was a London private bank, trading for much of its time under the name of “The Grasshopper”, that could trace its origins back to the London goldsmiths. Martins agreed to its acquisition by the Bank of Liverpool in 1918. The Bank of Liverpool wanted Martins to give it a London presence and a seat on the London Clearing House; the Martins name was retained in the title of the enlarged bank which was known as The Bank of Liverpool and Martin's Limited. The title was shortened to Martins Bank Limited (without an apostrophe) in 1928 at the insistence of the directors of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Bank when it was bought by the Bank of Liverpool and Martins. The Head Office and managerial control remained firmly in Liverpool, cementing Martins' place as the only British national bank to have its Head Office outside London

History

The history of Martins Bank is intertwined with the Grasshopper, the sign under which the Bank traded and was known in its early years. Tradition has it that Thomas Gresham founded the bank in 1563. Although he is believed to be the first to use the sign of the Grasshopper in Lombard Street but does not appear to have had any connection with the Martins. Chandler states that there are differences of opinion as to when the Grasshopper became a bank and John Martin did not purchase the freehold of the Grasshopper until 1741.