Pirates, Punters, and Politicians

How the Bank of England Was Founded

Published by Chronos Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

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About The Book

The Founding of the Bank of England

A pirate is not all that different from a financier, and a financier is always a storyteller. In Pirates, Punters, and Politicians Val Hamilton vividly tells the story of the origins of the Bank of England, delving into the mishaps, fortunes, and bizarre twists of fate—from Spanish treasure and swashbucklers to sheer happenstance and political manoeuvring—that came together to create the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street. The story hinges on the life and works of William Paterson, the Scotsman who founded the Bank. Chancer or genius? Author Val Hamilton suggests he had to be both.

About The Author

Val was born in Manchester to an Irish mum and a Glaswegian dad. She grew up in a time of grammar schools, free tuition and maintenance grants. This meant that at 17 when her parents died she supported in going to University. Val studied English Literature and Language at Manchester University and went on to teaching in schools and universities in the UK, Denmark and Boston, US. She moved into working with disadvantaged young people, first in Boston, and then in London. She was invited to run a prestigious action research project to improve services for young people in trouble. The project was very successful and Val progressed the skills she had gained running the project by studying Organisation Development at the Sheffield Business School. Val managed to cross into the private sector, establishing a niche organisation development in the City of London, specialising in managing change and personal development.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Chronos Books (October 14, 2025)
  • Length: 80 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781789044959

Raves and Reviews

Rightly emphasising the human factor and the role of happenstance, Valerie Hamilton has given us a highly enjoyable as well as insightful account of how the Bank of England began. - David Kynaston, English historian

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