Alexanders and Co
of 24, Lombard Street, London
Bankers
1810 Established by William Alexander
1864 Amalgamated with Cunliffes and Co. Continued as Alexanders, Cunliffes & Co until 1877
Alexanders, Cunliffes and Co were one of the "big three" bill brokers in the City of London (the others being Overend, Gurney and Co, and the National Discount Company). After Overend and Gurney became involved in a series of unfortunate transactions, there was a run on the banks, precipitated not by the size of the firm's losses but by the ensuing publicity, and they were ruined.
1866 The great crash, known as "black Friday" came on 11 May 1866. British credit sustained a severe blow which took many years to recover. William Fowler, then a partner in Alexander & Co., was at the centre of this disaster which left him financially embarrassed for many years. He published "The Crisis of 1866: a Financial Essay" (1866).
1877 On his retirement from Alexander & Co., Fowler was appointed a director of the National Discount Company and various other City institutions.
1891 Incorporated as a Limited Company.
1914 The chairman was the grandson of the founder