The records of Ann Boulton (1768-1829), Matthew Robinson Boulton's sister, are arranged under four heads, as follows-
General Accounts, 1810-1818.
General Accounts, 1818-1829.
Housekeeping Accounts, 1818-1829.
Small Account Books.
Correspondence.
Miscellaneous Papers.
General Accounts, 1810-1818.
On 15 Nov. 1793 an account was opened in Ann Boulton's name in her father's Soho Books, and the sum of £417 4s. 0d. (her legacy from William Matthews) was credited to it. This account was continued till 17 Jan. 1810, when the balance was transferred to an account with the London agency, M. R. Boulton, J. Watt, & Co. From the following day, books of account (Ledger and Journal) were kept for Miss Boulton by William D. Brown, the cashier in the Mint Office. They were continued by Brown till 1818, when Miss Boulton left Soho House for Thornhill. Only one Ledger and one Journal were required for the whole period. (They were formerly enclosed in a brown paper wrapper marked, "W. D. Brown's Old account Books, ending Decr. 31st, 1818," now inserted in the Ledger.) There are also annual bundles of related Vouchers for the same period, the contents of the the first four of which have been listed in detail, and some Statements of Account of various description.
General Accounts, 1818-1829.
These records relate to the period between Miss Boulton's removal from Soho House to Thornhill in 1818, and her death in 1829.
The books of account appear to be incomplete: there is a single Ledger (1823-1825), and three Cash Books (1824-1829).
There are two series of related Bills, in annual bundles. The main series of bills covers the whole period, while the "Private" or "Own Account" Bills were placed in separate bundles till 1824, after which they appear to have been included in the main series. These latter were formerly bundled together and labelled : "Own Acct. Bills for 1818, 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824." (The label is now in the 1824 packet.) There are also a few loose bills, now gathered together, having been apparently extracted from the bundles by the Assay Office, presumably on account of their peculiar interest. The arrangement of the regular series of bills is described in a separate section below.
Housekeeping Accounts, 1818-1829.
The Housekeeping Accounts begin at the time of Ann Boulton's removal from Soho House to Thornhill (the first entry in the Cash Book is dated 15 Dec. 1818), and they continue till the end of 1829, the year in which she died.
The records comprise Cash Books, and related Bills in annual bundles, both of which series are complete. Two of the Cash Books are entitled Day Books, but they are not examples of the type of record now usually associated with that term. The Bills are vouchers to entries in the books.
The Cash Books indicate that from time to time sums of money were transferred from the Cash account to the Housekeeping account: this presumably means that on such occasions cash was taken from the main fund and placed in a special tin or box set aside for the purpose of making housekeeping purchases. Each time this stock of cash ran low it would be replenished in the same way. The books also record housekeeping debts discharged on Ann Boulton's behalf by the agents of the London house.
Small Account Books.
These small account books have been subdivided into several groups, for convenience; but only two of these groups derive from the arrangement of the books before they were listed-namely, the Accounts of Journeys, which were formerly tied together, and the Household Account Books, which were together in a wrapper.
The "Own Account" Books record Miss Boulton's cash receipts and disbursements with respect to her Private Account. The receipts are usually in the form of drafts on the London house or sums of cash received from W. D. Brown. The disbursements fall for the most part under the following heads: subscriptions, presents, medical expenses, servants' wages, amusements, house linen and books, clothes, and journeys. The earliest surviving book is marked "To be burnt." Though this instruction was, of course, not carried out in this instance, it may have been in others.
Six sheets formerly inserted in the Inventories Book have now been placed in a separate folder.
Correspondence.
Most of the correspondence listed here is of limited interest, being concerned with routine financial matters.
Miscellaneous Papers.
Under this head are listed a bundle of stock receipts, and various papers found loose in the boxes which formerly contained Ann Boulton's records. Some of the loose papers are of particular interest. They include, for instance, the memorandum of agreement between Matthew Boulton and James Watt Jr. for the lease of the house late Scale's, later known as Thornhill, and papers relating to Ann Boulton's farms, carriages, servants, &c.
Arrangement of Bills, 1819-1829.
The following is a description of the arrangement of these bundles.
Bills. 1819. These bills are in two bundles, the Furniture being in a separate bundle to the rest. Within these bundles, the bills are arranged in several packets, according to their respective Ledger accounts. The contents of the bundles are summarized on the label as follows:
Furniture. [Nos. 1-100.]
Stable Bills.
Work & repairs. [Nos. 1-18.]
Garden.
Farm.
Insurance.
Taxes & Levies.
Also 8 Bills for furniture, &c., pd. in 1818. [Nos. 1-8.]
Bills. 1820. These bills are in one bundle, within which they are arranged in several packets, according to their respective Ledger accounts. The contents of the bundle are summarized on the label as follows:
Furniture. [Nos. 1-68.]
Stable. [Nos. 1-21.]
Work & repairs.
Garden bills.
Farm.
Insurance.
Taxes & Levies.
Postage & carrg. of goods.
Seat in Church.
&c. &c.
Bills. 1821. These bills are in one bundle, within which they are arranged in several packets, according to their respective Ledger accounts. The contents of the bundle are summarized on the label as follows:
Furniture. [Nos. 1-44.]
Stable Bills. [Nos. 1-21.]
Work & repairs.
Garden.
Farm.
Insurance.
Tithes.
Taxes.
Levies.
Bills. 1822. These bills are in one bundle, within which they are arranged in several packets, according to their respective Ledger accounts, as follows. The contents are summarized on the label as follows:
Furniture. [Nos. 1-36.]
Repairs.
Stables.
Taxes.
Insurance.
Garden.
Carrg. of Goods.
Farm.
But there is also a loose account marked "Mr. Robinson's Acct. to Octr. 2d 1822. Entered in different Accounts."
Bills. 1823. These bills are in one bundle, within which they are arranged in several packets, according to their respective Ledger accounts. The contents of the bundle are summarized on the label as follows:
Furniture. [Nos. 1-25.]
Stables.
Servts. Wages.
Garden.
Repairs.
Farm.
Taxes, &c.
Postage, &c.
But there is also a separate packet of "Bills for alterations in Drawing Room."
Bills. 1824. These bills are in one bundle, within which they are arranged in several packets, according to their respective Ledger accounts. The packets are labelled as follows:
Furniture.
Stables & Liveries.
Garden.
Repairs & Cottage.
Farm.
Taxes. Levies. Insurance.
Carrg. of Goods.
There is also a loose account of John Robinson, 21 Feb.
Bills. 1825. These bills are in one bundle, within which they are arranged in several packets, according to their respective Ledger accounts. The packets are labelled as follows:
Furniture.
Stable Bills.
Garden.
Repairs.
Farm.
Taxes. Levies. Insurance.
Carrg. of Parcels.
Own Acct.
Mr. Robinson, Decr. 1825.
There are also four loose accounts of Thomas Davenport (one of Miss Boulton's servants).
Bills. 1826. These bills are in one bundle, within which they are arranged in four packets, three of which are labelled as follows:
London, Octr. 1826.
No. 2. London Bills in 1826 & 1827.
No. 3. Bills paid, 1826.
The fourth packet, which is not labelled, includes at the back a smaller packet marked "1826," containing bills of Thomas Davenport.
Bills. 1827. Most of these bills are in one bundle, arranged in one sequence, with the bills of Thomas Davenport in one packet at the back. Note that among the Miscellaneous Books and Accounts there is packet of bills marked, "J. Watt & Co. paid by J. Mosley, 1827. Small portion is Furniture."
Bills. 1828. These bills are in one bundle, within which they are arranged in six packets. Each of the first four covers three months of the year; the fifth contains the bills of Thomas Davenport for the whole year, and the sixth bills paid by John Mosley.
Bills. 1829. Most of these bills are in one bundle, within which they are arranged in four packets, each of which covers three months of the year. The bills of Thomas Davenport were in a separate packet. There are bills of this year among the Miscellaneous Loose Bills, which may have formerly been in this bundle.
ACCESS AND USE
There are no restrictions on access to or use of the Correspondence and Papers of Ann Boulton. However fragile items or those in a poor state of repair may not be served at the discretion of the Duty Archivist.
List prepared by Adam C. Green, Project Archivist, Birmingham City Archives, under the Archives of Soho Project, November 1998 to March 2004.