This is a brief letter and relates to the transportation of Banknotes from the Printer, James Kirkwood & Son.

The letter reads

To:                  W. Borthwick, Dunbar.

From:              James Kirkwood & Son, Edinburgh.

Dated:             28th November 1812.

Sirs,

      We are favoured with yours of yesterdays date and have the pleasure of handing you by this days Coach from Bells 24 books of £1 & 6 books of £5 notes stamped ~ Our reason in sending your parcels by the Mail was that Bell refuses to sign a receipt in a book which we take for every parcel forwarded by us.

      We are respectfully,

          Sirs,

                   Your most obedient servant,

                          James Kirkwood & Son.

         James Kirkwood & Son was established by James Kirkwood (c. 1745 - 1827) who is though to have started out in business as a Clock and Watchmaker in Perth.  Under the encouragement of Sir William Forbes of Sir William Forbes, James Hunter & Co., bankers, he moved to Edinburgh where he continued in his then current trading activity of engraver.  His relationship with Sir William Forbes was such in 1782 he provided the engraved copper plates for the One guinea and Five pond notes of that bank.

        The drain on specie (primarily as a consequence of the Napoleonic War) resulted in an Act of Parliament being passed which enabled the Scottish banks then permitted to issue Banknotes to issue banknotes for denominations of less than £1.  Eleven banks took the opportunity to issue such notes and of this number seven placed their order with Kirkwood & Son.  The obvious extension to this is that when the larger notes were required by these banks, Messrs Kirkwood were retained as engravers.

      The following is an example of the £1 note designed and engraved by Kirkwood & Son in 1821.

      Kirkwood & Son are well known for perhaps the biggest spelling error seen in Scottish Banknote history as the £5 notes of 1821 were engraved and printed with the Bank's name engraved as "THE EAST LOTIHAN BANK".

        The reference to 24 books of £1 & 6 books of £5 notes stamped highlights that Banknotes were printed and stitched into books of banknotes (similar to a modern chequebook) where the banker would cut the note from the book at time of issue.  In the very early days of banknotes this was frequently by way of a vertical cut through the vignette on the left hand side of the note with the divided vignette being matched up for security purposes when the note was presented for payment.  Stamping has been covered in other areas of the website although basically relates to the Duty (tax) to be paid on the notes.

       The references to sending the notes by Coach and Mail are not unusual for the period and strangely enough neither is the lack of co-operation which is suggested in respect of Bell.  Several letters to this bank complain about the Coach service or the Guard.

William Borthwick was the Cashier for the East Lothian Bank.  In 1822 he absconded from this position with his disappearance being the trigger for the failure of the bank.