Accounting and Financial Records

MS 3147/1

Accounting and Financial Records

1777 - 1874

Despite the wide covering dates, survival of the financial and accounting records is piecemeal. Of the first books opened in 1777, only the Ledger remains.

Survival of the top level accounting records, such as Ledgers and Journals, is poor. The period with the most comprehensive coverage is from October 1810 when John Southern, the head of the Drawing Office, was admitted to the partnership, to 1848 when James Watt Jr. died. The business Ledgers and Journals are complete for this period, and the Foundry Ledger and its corresponding Journals survive from 1810 to 1840. When James Watt Jr. died in 1848, and the firm changed its name to James Watt & Co., a new set of account books was opened. None of the top level Ledgers and Journals from this period have survived, but the Scroll Ledgers and one Accounts Ledger do run into the James Watt & Co. period. Likewise day books, which recorded sales, have not survived in great numbers. One series of day books, the Engine Day Books, which do give a comprehensive picture of the firm’s sales, has survived from 1792 to 1848 with some gaps. However no day books for the James Watt & Co. period after 1848 remain.

Various lower level financial records have survived, including examples of the Cash Books kept by the Head Clerks at Soho Manufactory and Soho Foundry. However the only complete series is a series of Cash Creditor books from Soho Foundry, running from 1797 to 1841. Hardly any of these records cover the James Watt & Co. period from 1848 onwards.

Almost all the financial records that survive are books of some description. Very few bundles of loose papers have survived, the major exceptions being the Property Tax papers, the bundles of papers relating to the disputes with Harborne Parish over the Poor Law rates between 1799 and 1802, and the bundles of accounts of copper bought from Matthew Robinson Boulton’s mint at Soho Manufactory.

Ledgers.
There are various series of ledgers. Those which came at the top level of the accounting process, the books of account kept by the Bookkeeper James Pearson and his successors, are listed first. These are followed by other ledgers which were used to record cash accounts, accounts with suppliers, and so on. These latter volumes were at a lower level of the accounting process, indeed some posted to the Journal.

Engine Ledger, 1777-1778.
This volume, the earliest surviving accounting record, contains customer accounts and also accounts of specialised operations, for example ‘Fitting of nozzles’. References to the corresponding Journal begin circa October 1777, but that Journal is now missing. The Ledger is indexed.
The Ledger is marked ‘No. 4 Engine Ledger’ on the cover and ‘No. 4 B & W Manufactory Ledger 1777-1778’ on the spine. The number appears to have been applied as part of a general numbering of all the engine business’s early books, rather than indicating that it was the fourth ledger.

Boulton Watt & Co. Ledgers, 1810-1848.
These Ledgers, kept by James Pearson and his successors, cover the period from John Southern’s admission to the Boulton Watt & Co. partnership in October 1810 to the death of James Watt Jr. and the discontinuation of the name Boulton Watt & Co. in 1848. They mainly contain personal accounts of sales, but also accounts such as Profit & Loss, accounts with Soho Foundry, and so on. Entries were posted from the corresponding set of Journals (Nos. 1/24-1/29). All the Ledgers are marked ‘Ledger B W & Co. Soho’ on the spine, and are indexed.

Boulton Watt & Co. Ledger, Soho Foundry.
This Ledger, kept by James Pearson and his successors, also begins on the date of John Southern’s admission to the Boulton Watt & Co. partnership, and ends in 1840, the year that Matthew Robinson Boulton withdrew from his partnership with James Watt Jr. It contains accounts of employees and other Soho businesses with Soho Foundry, the Foundry’s account with Soho Manufactory and its overall account with Boulton Watt & Co., and also some impersonal accounts such as those for stores. Entries were posted from the corresponding set of Journals (Nos. 1/30-1/31). The series was not continued – this book and the Journals contain no references to a new ledger. The ledger is marked ‘Ledger B W & Co. Foundry’ on the spine and is indexed.

Engine Works Ledgers, Soho Manufactory.
These two Ledgers contain impersonal accounts for the engine works at Soho Manufactory – cash, sales, profit and loss, stores, raw materials, and accounts of the various shops and departments such as the Smithy and the Fitting Department. Entries were posted from corresponding Journals, of which one has survived (No. 1/32). The series was discontinued in 1823, and only the first 55 pages of the second book have been used as a ledger. The book was re-used between 1885 and 1895 by James Watt & Co. for carriage accounts with railway companies, mainly the London & North Western Railway. These accounts note the engine and the weight of the components carried. The index for the first Ledger is missing, and a new one has been prepared. The ledger entries in the second book are indexed.

Ledger, Soho Foundry.
This Ledger is very similar in style and content to the Soho Manufactory Engine Works Ledgers described above. It covers the period from the opening of the Foundry in 1795 to formation of Boulton Watt & Co. in 1800. It contains impersonal accounts for stores and materials, accounts of the various departments such as the Foundry Department and the Fitting Department, and also some personal accounts of employees, carrying companies and other Soho businesses. Entries were posted from the corresponding Journal (No. 1/33). The ledger is indexed. The ledger was rebound in the 1950s/1960s, and was simply titled ‘Boulton & Watt Account Book’ on the spine.

Scroll Ledgers.
These Ledgers contain accounts of engine customers, and also accounts of money paid to engine erectors. They cover both Soho Manufactory and Soho Foundry until the former closed in 1851. They are arranged by individual account in normal ledger style, but the entries within each account are entered chronologically in a single column, rather than being split into credits and debits on opposing pages. The entries often note the dates on which bills were sent out, and the dates when accounts were closed. The accounts often refer to the Engine Day Books (Nos. 1/34-1/42), where detailed breakdowns of the work being done for a particular customer can be found. Postings to the Boulton Watt & Co. Journals (Nos. 1/24-1/29) were also made. All the Scroll Ledgers are numbered and indexed. The series continued, as No. 5 contains references to accounts being continued in ‘Scroll No. 6’, but this and subsequent volumes are now missing.

Scroll Ledgers of Employees’ Cash Accounts.
These two small Scroll Ledgers are similar in format to the Scroll Ledgers described above, but they contain the accounts of office, administrative and senior staff of the firm, including some employees based in London, and impersonal accounts such as petty cash. Entries were posted to the Boulton Watt & Co. Journals (Nos. 1/24-1/29). They cover both Soho Manufactory and Soho Foundry until the former closed in 1851, and both volumes are indexed. The second volume was sometimes referred to as ‘The White Scroll’. The series continued – the second volume contains references to a ‘New Book’ – but this and subsequent volumes are now missing.
Both these volumes were previously mis-identified as Cash Books.

Ledgers of Personal Accounts, Soho Foundry.
These Ledgers contain personal accounts made up from bills received. The accounts are with suppliers of stores, raw materials and tools, and carrying companies. They also contain accounts for parts bought from Soho Manufactory by the various departments at the Foundry. The entries also note when and how, i.e. by cash, draft etc. the accounts were paid. According to the 1811 ‘List of Books kept at Soho Foundry’ (see appendix to section 4, Production Records), these ledgers were made up from ‘A copy of the bills sent with the goods to S. F.’ and ‘an account of carriage, freight etc.’ on the credit side, and the ‘… amount of cash paid to trademen copied from their reciepts’ on the debit side. The entries were posted to the Journal. The Ledgers are indexed. The first volume was re-bound in the 1950s/1960s and labelled ‘Boulton & Watt later Boulton Watt & Co. Accounts’ on the spine.

Accounts Ledger.
This Accounts Ledger, one of the few financial records surviving from the James Watt & Co. period of 1848 to 1895, is very similar in content to the Accounts Ledgers described above, and it may be a continuation of that series. The volume is numbered 9, and contains references to preceding and following volumes, which are now missing. The Ledger is indexed.

Ledger of accounts of James Watt Jr.’s estates etc.
This Ledger contains accounts of James Watt Jr.’s various properties with Soho Foundry. There are accounts for Aston Hall, Heathfield, French Walls iron works and the houses on the French Walls estates, and the Welsh estates. Entries made after 1848 are noted as being for the executors of the late James Watt, and there are two small accounts for James Watt Gibson Watt. There are also small accounts for William Murdock and his son William Jr. The ledger is partially indexed.

Journals.
Relatively few journals survive. However those that do all correspond to existing sets of ledgers which have been previously described.

Boulton Watt & Co. Journals.
These Journals, kept by James Pearson and his successors, cover the period from John Southern’s admission to the Boulton Watt & Co. partnership in October 1810 to the death of James Watt Jr. and the discontinuation of the name Boulton Watt & Co. in 1848. They post to the Boulton Watt & Co. Ledgers (Nos. 1/2-1/7). Entries were posted to these Journals from various books including the Scroll Ledgers (Nos. 1/12-1/16) and the Engine Day Books (Nos. 1/34-1/42). The journals were originally marked ‘Journal Soho’ or ‘Journal B W & Co. Soho’ on the spine.

Boulton Watt & Co. Journals, Soho Foundry.
These Journals, kept by James Pearson and his successors, cover the period from John Southern’s admission to the Boulton Watt & Co. partnership in October 1810 to shortly after Matthew Robinson Boulton’s withdrawal from his partnership with James Watt Jr. in 1840. They post to the Boulton Watt & Co. Soho Foundry Ledger (No. 1/8) until 17 October 1840. After that, references to a ledger cease, and the Journal entries themselves cease on 15 January 1842. Only half of the second volume is used, and the series was discontinued.
The first volume is marked ‘Journal B W & Co. Soho Foundry’ on the spine, while the second is marked ‘Journal B & W Jnrs. Soho Foundry’.

Engine Works Journal, Soho Manufactory.
This Journal posts to the Soho Manufactory Engine Works Ledger (No. 1/9). A subsequent volume or volumes, which presumably covered the years 1810 to 1823, is now missing. The series was presumably discontinued along with the corresponding Ledgers in 1823.
This Journal was rebound in the 1950s/1960s, and was erroneously titled ‘Boulton Watt & Co. Ledger (Soho)’ on the spine.

Journal, Soho Foundry.
This Journal is very similar in style and content to the Soho Manufactory Engine Works Journal described above. It covers the period from the opening of the Foundry in 1795 to formation of Boulton Watt & Co. in 1800. Entries were posted from the first series of Soho Foundry Day Books (Nos. 1/44-1/46). The journal posts to the Soho Foundry Ledger (No. 1/11).

Day Books.
Engine Day Books.
The Engine Day Books form the main record of all of the day-to-day sales of Boulton & Watt and its successor firms. All orders are usually recorded in these books, including engines made both at Soho Manufactory and Soho Foundry, gas lighting, orders for supplies and spares etc. The Engine Day Books record the basic manufacturing cost, the ‘Day Book cost’ or ‘Day Book price’, rather than the price was that was actually charged to the customer. The prices charged were recorded higher up in the accounting system, in the journals and ledgers. From February 1814 each order was given a running number which was recorded in the Engine Day Books. These numbers were used on the copies of receipts which were stuck into the Chief Cashiers’ Letter Books (MS 3147/3/182 to 3/189).
Entries were posted to the Engine Day Books from various books including the Engine Books and the Soho Day Book (No. 1/43). The Engine Day Books posted to the Boulton Watt & Co. Journals (Nos. 1/24-1/29). As with the ledgers and journals, the Engine Day Books end in 1848 with the death of James Watt Jr. and the discontinuation of the Boulton Watt & Co. name. The later Scroll Ledgers (Nos. 1/15-1/16) refer to Engine Day Books after 1848, but none of these have survived.
The Engine Day Books are indexed. Nos. 1/36-1/38 were re-bound in the 1950s-1960s.

Soho Day Book.
This Day Book, which may also have been referred to as ‘Book Z’, records sales of goods and parts by the engine business to other businesses or employees at Soho Manufactory. Customers include James Watt & Co. (the copying press business), Soho Mint, Matthew and Matthew Robinson’s Boulton’s various Soho concerns, and various overseas mints sold by Matthew Robinson Boulton. The book is arranged by account, in the style of a ledger, but each account was updated day by day in the style of a day book. Entries were posted to the Engine Day Books (Nos. 1/34-1/42). The series was continued – some of the accounts are noted as being continued in a ‘new book’, but this is now missing. The Soho Day Book is indexed.

Soho Foundry Day Books.
Despite its distinct administration, Soho Foundry did not sell engines directly to customers. The firm bought the completed orders from the Foundry and sold them on to the customers. The only exceptions to this appear to have been the partners themselves and the businesses at Soho Manufactory such as the Soho Mint or the Rolling Mill, who did purchase goods directly from the Foundry. The Foundry’s sales were recorded in Day Books, which were also referred to as ‘Sales Books’. Because of the sales system, most of the sales are recorded as being to the firm, although many of the entries do note who the order was ultimately for. Entries were posted to the Day Books from various sources including the Engine Books and Department Books. The 1811 ‘List of Books kept at Soho Foundry’ (see the appendix to section 4, Production Records) describes the ‘Sales Book or Day Book’ as an ‘account of all goods etc. sent from Soho Foundry to the Soho or to the order of Boulton Watt & Co.,’ and being made up from ‘… the two Engine Books [i.e. the Large and Small Engine Books – see MS 3147/4/280 to 4/286], the odd order [book – see 4/136] and Mr. Story’s books [i.e. the books kept by Abraham Storey, head of the Foundry Department].’
Three distinct series of Foundry Day Books have been identified, as follows:

First Series:
These three books, which cover the period from the opening of the Foundry in 1795 to April 1808, posted to the Soho Foundry Journal (No. 1/33) until 30 Sep. 1800. The series overlaps with the second series between December 1804 and April 1808. This series was discontinued in April 1808, and around a third of the last volume is blank. These Day Books are not indexed.

Second Series:
These three books are considerably smaller than the books in the First Series. The two series overlap between 17 December 1804 and 7 April 1808. The overlapping entries in the first book of this series were crossed out and the pages bound closed with string. Entries after 8 April 1808 are not crossed out. Some of the entries in the third book are in pencil and are incomplete, for example that of 16 August 1815, for Engine ZBQ. These Day Books were indexed, but the indexes for Nos. 1/47 (1804-1810) and 1/49 (1814-1818) are now missing.

Third Series.
These three books are much larger than the books in the Second Series, and the individual volumes are numbered. It is unclear when this third series began, and therefore if it overlapped with or superseded the second series, as the first book is missing. These Day Books are indexed. At some point the index to the third book was removed from the front of the volume and re-bound in its own hard cover, marked ‘D. B. No. 3’.

Bank Book.
Boulton Watt & Co.’s account with M. R. Boulton J. Watt & Co.
The sole surviving bank book records Boulton Watt & Co.’s account with M. R. Boulton J. Watt & Co., who acted as ‘cash agents with Bank of England on account of Boulton Watt & Co. This cash agency was the successor to the banking firm, M. & R. Boulton J. & G. Watt & Co. that the partners established in 1802 to give them financial representation in London. A note by William D. Brown dated 22 February 1833 describing the operation of the account is loose in the front of this volume.

Cash Books.
Several series of cash book survive. Those series from Soho Manufactory are listed first, followed by those from Soho Foundry.

Cash Account Abstract, Soho Manufactory.
This small pocket book contains a record of daily cash payments, for example forgers’ pay, payments for repairs and stores etc. It also contains the following accounts: ‘Stock on hand’, an account of stationery supplies given out to employees, 12 July 1825-8 July 1828; Henry Wright’s account, 19 July 1825-8 July 1828; paper given out, 24 April 1827-17 Jan. 1828.

Boulton Watt & Co. Cash Books (Head Clerks’ Cash Books), Soho Manufactory.
These small pocket books were kept by the Head Clerks in the engine firm’s counting house at Soho Manufactory. They mainly record cash payments of wages. However No. 1/57 (1832-1839) also contains cash accounts of James Watt Jr. with various employees of the firm, and his petty cash account, to circa December 1839. No. 1/58 (1839-1844) contains James Watt Jr.’s cash account with the Chief Cashier from 1 January 1840 to 28 April 1849. The first entries in No. 1/58 cover 1 July 1837 to 20 January 1838, and were copied from the previous cash book. However, the weekly totals of cash paid out are shown as exactly £10 lower each time in the second book.

The cash books are titled ‘Boulton Watt & Co. Cash Book’, either on the cover or on the first page. The series is not complete, but these cash books were discontinued with the abandoning of the engine firm’s premises at Soho Manufactory in 1851, and only two thirds of the last book have been used.

Vouchers paid out, Soho Manufactory.
These books record cash payments on vouchers. They are arranged by voucher number, and each entry records to whom the cash paid and for what. The payments were mainly for stores, odd labour, wages etc.

Watch Establishment Cash Book, Soho Manufactory.
This book recording cash payments to the ‘Watch Establishment’, i.e. the watchmen, at Soho Manufactory is divided into two parts. The first is a day by day running account of payments to the watch employees, while the second part is a week by week account of the cash paid by Boulton Watt & Co. to the Watch Establishment.

Unidentified Soho Manufactory Cash Books.
Two cash books from Soho Manufactory whose purpose is unclear. The first contains two accounts, a creditors’ account of cash payments made from 25 November 1802 to 20 January 1817, and a debtors’ account from 1 October 1816 to 1 October 1823.
The second book contains a cash account from 20 August 1821 to 2 October 1826, and also an incomplete account for James Watt & Co. (the copying press company) for the same period. The book is marked ‘Soho Aug. 20 1821’ on the cover, and very little of it has been used.

Head Clerks’ Cash Books, Soho Foundry.
These small pocket books, kept by the Head Clerks in the Counting House at Soho Foundry, are similar in style to the cash books kept by the Head Clerks at Soho Manufactory. They mainly record cash payment of wages. The series is not complete.

Cash Creditor Books, Soho Foundry.
These books record day to day cash payments of wages, stores, hauling, miscellaneous items, etc. Employees receiving wages are individually listed until 14 October 1826. After that date the entries simply note the daily total of wages paid out. This series is complete, beginning with the opening of the Foundry in 1795. These books were discontinued on 10 April 1841, with the Head Clerk John Thomas noting in the last book ‘The entries in this Book are to be discontinued in consequence of their utter uselessness.’
The first book is marked ‘Cash Cr. from the commencement of the Works…’ on the cover, while the third book is marked ‘Cr. Cash Book’ on the spine. The second book was been re-bound in the 1950s / 1960s and marked ‘Cash Book (Credit)’ on the spine.

Cash Debtor Book, Soho Foundry.
This book contains a running account of minor amounts of cash received, including payments of rents of the houses at Soho Foundry. The account included regular abbrievatures.

Abstract Cash Books, Soho Foundry.
These cash books, kept by the Head Clerks at the Foundry, record totals of minor cash payments received, such as rents of the houses at Soho Foundry, and payments out, such as totals of wages and vouchers. Totals for rents were posted from the Rental Books, which are now missing. This series continued, as the second book notes ‘by balance to a new cash book’ at the end, but this and any subsequent books are now missing.
An earlier Abstract Cash Book, kept by John Dawn and running from 21 October 1826 to 20 July 1832, will be found among the legal records connected with Dawn’s embezzlement from the firm (2/69). The entries in Dawn’s cash book are less detailed than the entries in these, but the first of these books begins on 21 July 1832, the day Dawn’s ends, so these books evidently replaced the earlier style books, possibly to prevent further embezzlement.

Cash Paid and Received, Soho Foundry.
These two cash books go together, and record cash paid and received at Soho Foundry between September 1820 and October 1826. They are marked ‘Cash Paid at Soho Foundry’ and ‘Cash Received at Soho Foundry’ on their covers.

Cash Expenses of Engine Fitters and Boiler Makers.
This cash book records cash payment of expenses of fitters and boiler makers on journeys from Soho. At the front of the book is a list of the subscribers to the copying press.

Accounts entered in Mr. John Murdock’s Pay Note, Soho Foundry.
This cash book probably records payments made by John Murdock to employees at Soho Foundry.

Cash Payments not entered in Saturday Pay Book, Soho Foundry.
This cash book records cash payments to various employees at Soho Foundry. The entries also record the voucher numbers. The Saturday Pay Book is now missing.

Unidentified Cash Book, Soho Foundry.
This cash book contains two accounts. The first is a creditors’ account of payments out from October 1812 to January 1817, the totals of which match the totals in the corresponding Cash Creditor books (Nos. 1/69-1/80). The second is a debtors’ account from October 1816 to January 1831.

Bill Books.
Bill Books, Soho Foundry.
These books contain a running account of bills, noting to whom they were payable, when and how they were paid (cash or bill), date of receipt and the total amount. Some of the information in these books was taken from Invoice Books, which are now missing. According to the 1811 ‘List of Books kept at Soho Foundry’ (see the appendix to section 4, Production Records), Bill Books contained entries of drafts ‘before they are paid to the tradesmen etc. and also parts of drafts as advised by Mr. Pearson [Chief Cashier & Bookkeeper].’ Both books are marked ‘Bill Book’ on the cover.
Tax and Assessment Records

Property Tax.
This large bundle is made up of smaller yearly bundles, which contain calculations, declarations, certificates and discharges, and any relevant correspondence, relating to the property tax on Boulton Watt & Co., M. R. Boulton J. Watt & Co., James Watt & Co. and Soho Foundry. The bundle is divided as follows:
1804. 9 items & wrapper.
1805. 12 items & wrapper.
1806. 14 items & wrapper.
1807. 7 items & wrapper.
1808. 7 items & wrapper.
1809. 10 items & wrapper.
1810. 10 items & wrapper.
1811. 7 items & wrapper.
1812. 11 items & wrapper.
1813. 9 items & wrapper.
1814. 10 items & wrapper.
1815. 8 items & wrapper.
1816. 4 items & wrapper.
1817-1821. 7 items (mainly lists of clerks of Boulton Watt & Co.).
Papers relative to the Proposed Taxes on Manufactories, Mar. 1815. 3 printed items & wrapper.

Harborne Poor Rate – Valuation of Soho Foundry.
These bundles contain letters, memoranda and other papers relating to Boulton & Watt’s various disputes with the Overseers of the Poor and the Vestry of Harborne about the valuation of Soho Foundry for the levying of Poor Rates.

Valuation and dispute with the Parish, Jun. 1798-Jan. 1799.
This large bundle contains correspondence, memoranda, copies of assessments and valuations, statements and arguments presented at various meetings etc. Many of these are in Matthew Boulton’s hand. There is also a ‘Catalogue’ which lists and introduces the items in the bundle, and two letters from 1795 concerning the sale of land by Mr. Kennedy, which were presumably added as being relevant. The items were originally numbered from 1 to 37, but the original numbers 3, 4, 28 and 32 are now missing.

Duplicates relative to disputes with the Parishioners of Harborne, Dec. 1798-Jan. 1799.
This small bundle contains copies of some of the documents in the above bundle, including the ‘Catalogue’ and various resolutions and valuations.

Papers relative to the appointment of Arbitrators and Transactions from March 1799 to March 1801, when a settlement of the Levies took place. Jan. 1799-Mar. 1801.
This bundle contains correspondence from the Vestry, the arbitrators Bishton and Wyatt, Boulton’s lawyer William Bedford, Samuel Wyatt and others. It also contains copies of proposals to the Vestry, valuations, awards made by the Arbitrators, the 1801 Poor Rate, etc. A printed memorandum of the tithes of 1811 has been added to this bundle.

Papers relative to the attempt of the Overseers in 1802 to set aside the Award of Messrs. Bishton & Wyatt.
This bundle contains correspondence from the Overseers of the Poor, the Churchwardens etc., and copies of various observations and grounds for appeal, and a copy of the Poor Rate of May 1802.

M. R. Boulton (Mint) – Quarterly Accounts to Soho Foundry.
Matthew Robinson Boulton’s mint and rolling mill supplied Soho Foundry with copper, and occasionally other items such as steel and timber. These two bundles contain the accounts sent by the Mint to the Foundry for these items. The bills were sent quarterly, at Lady Day, Midsummer, Michaelmas and Christmas. They were examined by the Head Clerk in the Counting House at Soho Foundry. Between Midsummer 1824 and Michaelmas 1832 the accounts are marked as having been entered in the Boulton Watt & Co. Foundry Journals (Nos. 1/31-1/32) by the Chief Cashier & Bookkeeper in the engine firm’s counting house at Soho Manufactory. The accounts were returned to the Foundry.

Sundry Accounts, M. R. Boulton, Feb 1814 - Nov 1816.
This small bundle contains accounts for copper, steel, and timber supplied by the mint and rolling mill company. The bills were mainly drawn up by Thomas Kellett, manager of the rolling mill.

M. R. Boulton (Mint), 1817-1841.
This large bundle is subdivided into years. Each year’s bills were placed in wrappers marked ‘M. R. Boulton Mint for the Year – ’.

Miscellaneous Financial Records.
Soho Foundry, account of sundries.
This slim volume records payment for ‘sundries’, various materials and pieces of work at Soho Foundry, charged to various accounts. For example the account for Oct. 1811 begins with ‘Sundries Drs. to Boulton Watt & Co.’, and records charges for coal and coke, moulding sand, manufactured goods, stores, wrought iron and steel, cast iron. The account also records ‘Sundries Drs. to Cash’ and ‘Sundries Drs. to Wages’.

Abstract of Sales.
This volume lists engine customers and records the cast and wrought iron, boilers, brass, stores, patterns, and tools they have bought, and also charges for fitting and carriage. Information was posted to the Engine Day Books (Nos. 1/34-1/42). The book is marked ‘Abstract of Sales’ on the cover.

Accounts to be paid by Bill.
This large bundle containing quarterly statements of accounts paid by bill. The statements from 9 July 1829 to 14 October 1830 merely state the totals of the accounts paid by bills drawn on Soho, Soho Foundry and those paid jointly. So for example on 8 July 1830 £450.17.6 had been paid from the Soho account, £933.2.6 from the Foundry account and £1724.14.0 jointly. From 6 January 1831 statements list the accounts, what they were for and the amount paid as well as the totals. For example on 7 April 1831, Sims Tildasley & Adams were to be paid £1037.6.0 (£127.1.0 from Soho and £910.5.0 from the Foundry), The Lilleshall Co. was to be paid £270 from the Foundry alone for pig iron, and Peter Stubs £238.3.0 for steel from Soho. From 8 July 1841 the accounts are distinguished as payable by bill or cheque. The accounts are mainly with suppliers of raw materials, carriers, stationary suppliers etc. The bundle does contain other items, as follows:

Accounts due in Manchester & neighbourhood, Nov. 1830.
Memoranda relating to the weight of castings made at Soho Foundry, 14 Oct. 1835.
M. R. Boulton, Soho Mint, Account with Boulton Watt & Co. for ½ year ending 24 June 1840.
Debts due to Boulton Watt & Co.,13 Oct. 1841.

Accounts – Boulton & Watt Jrs. debtors to Boulton Watt & Co.
This volume, kept in Boulton Watt & Co.’s Counting House at Soho Manufactory, contains press copies of accounts of debts owed by Soho Foundry to the firm for parts, supplies, valves, fitting etc. The accounts are mainly headed ‘B & W Juniors drs. to B W & Co.’ The volume is simply labelled ‘Accounts’ on the spine.

Carrier Invoice Book, Soho Manufactory.
This book contains accounts with carrying companies. Entries record the cost and when each invoice was paid. The series continued, as the accounts are noted as being carried to a ‘new Carrier Invoice Book’, but this and subsequent volumes are missing. The book is indexed.

Press copies and memoranda etc., Soho Foundry.
This volume from Soho Foundry contains press copies of wages statements, accounts of casting and fitting, accounts such as ‘Profit and loss on work done at the Steam Hammer’, and other financial notes dating between 1838 and 1862, although the majority of the copies date from 1838 to 1842.

Soho Foundry, Statements 1812, 1816.
Three items in James Watt Jr.’s hand, as follows: Extracts from Boulton & Watt, Boulton Watt & Sons and Boulton Watt & Co.’s books relative to Soho Foundry, 30 Nov. 1811 and to 30 Sep. 1812; Statement of the Annual Amount of Profitable Sales of goods manufactured at Soho Foundry from March 1800 to 30 Sep. 1816; Soho Foundry account with Boulton & Watt 1795-1812, with Boulton Watt & Sons 1795-1802 and with Boulton Watt & Co. 1802 to 1816. These statements were once part of a much larger bundle that is now missing.

The Accounting and Financial Records are arranged in various series. Some of these series contain as many as 10 volumes, but many contain only one volume or bundle, either because no other examples from that series survive, or because the volume or bundle in question was a one-off. The series are grouped together by type of record, as follows:
Ledgers
Journals
Day Books
Bank Book
Cash Books
Bill Books
Tax and Assessment Records
M. R. Boulton (Mint) – Quarterly Accounts to Soho Foundry
Miscellaneous Financial Records

More detailed information on each series is given in the Description field, while reference numbers and covering dates of the actual records, and a list of the old reference numbers will be found in the pdf of the full series list attached. Item level lists are available in the searchroom of Birmingham Archives and Heritage.

97 volumes, 3 boxes

There are no restrictions on access to or use of the Boulton & Watt Legal Records. However fragile items or those in a poor state of repair may not be served at the discretion of the Duty Archivist.

The records listed here are the surviving accounting and other financial records of the firm of Boulton & Watt and its successors.From the formation of the partnership in 1775 up to 1777, Boulton & Watt had no account books of their own, distinct from Matthew Boulton?s other Soho businesses. Accounting records for Boulton & Watt were begun in 1777 with the opening of a Ledger, a Journal, and a Cash Book which is referred to in Boulton & Fothergill?s Journal 1776-1778 (MS 3782/1/3 p.273).The Ledgers and Journals that formed the top level of the firm?s accounts were kept by the Bookkeeper and Chief Cashier. The first holder of this post was James Pearson from 1777 to 1817 (for more information on the people and businesses mentioned in this Introduction, see The Guide to Persons & Firms in the Archives Searchroom). Various sets of Ledgers and Journals were opened throughout the firm?s life, usually when the partnership was altered. The opening of Soho Foundry in 1795 also necessitated the opening of new sets of books.The more routine, day-to-day financial transactions of the business, such as the paying of wages and settling accounts for supplies and stores were carried out at first by the Clerk. This post was held by John Roberts, who also acted as a foreman, until September 1790. On his departure he was replaced by William Forman. Under Forman, the post developed into that of the Head Clerk, with a staff of two or three clerks in the engine firm?s counting house at Soho Manufactory.A similar system developed at Soho Foundry, where a Head Clerk supervised a staff of clerks in the counting house. The first Head Clerk at the Foundry was Samuel Hurt, who was appointed in May 1797. The Head Clerks and their staff kept a variety of records including cash accounts, accounts with carriers, and so on. This arrangement continued until the closure of the engine firm?s premises at Soho Manufactory in 1851, when administration was concentrated at Soho Foundry.