| Description | These are records of the businesses carried on under the name of Matthew Boulton after the dissolution of the partnership of Boulton & Fothergill; they also contain accounts for Boulton’s tenants. After Boulton’s death in 1809 his businesses were continued in the name of his son, Matthew Robinson Boulton.
The partnership of Boulton & Fothergill was dissolved on 22 Jun. 1782. An inventory was taken on the same day, a new firm in the name of M. Boulton was begun on the 24th (the intervening day was a Sunday), with a new set of books. But not all the businesses formerly carried on by the old partnership were taken up by this concern; the main button manufacture, for example, was continued under the partnership of Boulton & Scale.
The new firm appears to have continued the accounting system of Boulton & Fothergill. As before, there were separate sets of books for the two main sites, the manufactory at Soho and the warehouse at Birmingham. These are described separately below.
Records of Soho Manufactory (MS 3782/2/1 - 15)
These books of account may be regarded as a continuation of the "Soho Books" of Boulton & Fothergill. They were kept, as before, by James Pearson, who retired before completing the accounts for the year 1816; there are some final entries by William D. Brown. Most of the principal books have survived: the series of Ledgers and Cash Debtor Books are complete, but one Journal and two Cash Creditor Books are wanting.
The ledgers contain nominal accounts for Stock, Cash, Sales, Wages, Profit and Loss, Buildings, Rents and Repairs, Materials, &c., accounts for the various manufactures operating under the name of Matthew Boulton or M. R. Boulton, and personal accounts for suppliers, tenants, employees, and other Soho firms. Customers’ accounts were normally kept in the Birmingham Books, but the accounts for customers of the Wire Company appear to have been kept in the Soho ledger.
The Order Book is in two parts. At the front is an account with Francis Eginton, 9 Jan. 1775-3 Nov. 1778. The book was evidently laid aside for a while, and later re-used as an order book, between 1787 and 1789. This latter part of the book comprises memoranda of orders, chiefly, it seems, for plate. Inserted at the front is a modern Index to the orders. The book was rebound by the Assay Office, who stamped on the spine the (apparently erroneous) title, "M. Boulton, Ledger."
The Inventory was taken on the day the previous firm was dissolved, but has been listed here because it is marked on the spine with the name M. Boulton.
The series of Letter Books is evidently incomplete.
Records of the Birmingham Warehouse (MS 3782/2/16 - 17)
Only one of the "Birmingham Books" survives, namely a Ledger, which, like the Order Book described above, is in two parts. At the front of the book are accounts for the years 1776-1777, apparently relating to a business carried on at Soho by John Wyatt; these accounts are as follows: John Wyatt in Cash Account, Boulton & Fothergill to Cash, Ready Money, Cash, Charges, Boulton & Fothergill in Stock Account, Stock, Edmund Hill (Wolverhampton), John Wyatt in Stock Account, and Boulton & Fothergill in Cash Account. The latter part of the book contains ledger accounts relating to the Birmingham Warehouse, 1788-1801, compiled by Zaccheus Walker.
Chief Cashier’s Records (MS 3782/2/18)
Papers kept by the Chief Cashier and Bookkeeper at Soho Manufactory, James Pearson. The only surviving material is a small file of notes and memoranda. |