A rare book documenting the formation and running of what is thought to be the first bank in the Isle of Man is up for auction in Ramsey today (Friday).
The ledger contains the minutes of meetings held by its owners at the start of the 19th century, almost 50 years before the Bank of Mona, and over 60 years before the formation of the Isle of Man Bank.
Four men, John Taubman, George Quayle, James Riley and an M.A. Quayle, each put in 500 guineas to set up the bank in Castletown in July 1802. It apparently operated until July 1811.
The book has surfaced in Walton-on-the-Naze, with its owner donating it to fundraisers looking to build a statue of a World War I veteran in the Essex town.
One of the people behind the statue project, Mike Turner, says returning the book to the Isle of Man is the right thing to do (listen to audio file below):
The auction is being held at Isle of Man Auctions in Gladstone Avenue in Ramsey at 10am.
