Denis: Investing the King’s shilling

Oct 9 2009 By Denis Kilcommons

OLD chum Austin Holroyd of Almondbury provides more information about the Upper Agbrigg Savings Bank.

When he was at school in the 1930s children would take along thruppence or sixpence on Monday mornings and the teacher would enter the amount in an Upper Agbrigg bank book.

When they raised a pound, it was transferred to the main bank in Cloth Hall Street.

When he moved to the Holme Valley in 1936, the schools were allied to the Yorkshire Penny Bank.

“When George V had his 50th Jubilee every child was given a new blue book with a shilling already deposited in it by a generous West Riding,” said Austin.

“I enquired about the interest on mine a few years ago, but they said that interest didn’t start until you had a pound in so the West Riding gift is still worth 5p!”

Upper Agbrigg at that time was a large administrative area that was separate from Huddersfield Borough. Each had their own register office in town for births, marriages and deaths.

“Huddersfield had its own complete department, with a very posh register office for marriages, at the bottom of Ramsden Street, at its junction with the then East Parade.

“Within and below the offices themselves, which acted also for Public Assistance (now Social Services) were large vaults, guarded by iron gates, which held all the records of births, deaths and marriages within the Borough of Huddersfield since 1837.”