History

Founded by Baron Joseph Ruffer, a German merchant, in 1872 to support his family's involvement in the silk trade. By the turn of the century the bank had diversified into supporting farming and the wool trade in both French and Belgium Flanders

Flanders

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

 and opened a branch in London to manage its cross Channel interests. Hit badly by losses during the First World War it was forced to seek a loan from the Bank of England

Bank of England

The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...

and convert from a partnership to a limited company, with the bank as primary shareholder. Further losses during the 1930s, and the Second World War led to the company being liquidated in 1941, although it existed in legal limbo until 1964.

External Links

• Bank history on The Royal Bank of Scotland Archive