News archive for 2015

Treasure of the Month for December 2015

This month's 'Treasure' is a programme from the St Swithin's Musical Society concert season, 1899.

Posted on the 1st December 2015  | Read more…

Launch of new microsite 'Rothschild Business'

The Rothschild Archive is pleased to announce the launch of a new microsite as part of the Rothschild Research Forum. Dedicated to all aspects of the Rothschild business, the microsite contains over 500 new pages of information about historic Rothschild business activities worldwide, together with detailed listings of documents in the collections of the Archive. New researchers will need to apply for a Research Forum account to access these pages. 

Posted on the 2nd November 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for November 2015

This month's 'Treasure' is a panorama of the funeral procession of the Duke of Wel;liongtonm in November 1852.

Posted on the 1st November 2015  | Read more…

EABH Oral History Project, Florence, Italy 28 Jan 2016

More than 60 years have passed since the first attempts towards European integration after the destructions of the Second World War. Since then, the European Union has become a reality for more than 500 million European citizens. Oral history is an important addition to every archive – striving to obtain information from different perspectives and most of these cannot be found in written sources.

Posted on the 30th October 2015  | Read more…

EABH Annual Meeting 2016: '500 Years of Financial Interconnections. Did globalisation increase or decrease financial instability?', Vienna, Austria, 28-29 April

The European Association for Banking History (EABH) announces its 2016 Annual Meeting, to be held in Vienna, Austria, 28-29 April 2016. 

Posted on the 28th October 2015  | Read more…

EABH Meeting: 'Origins of Banking Globalisation: The Experience of Spain and Latin America'

A European Association for Banking History (EABH) Meeting will be held in Santander, Spain, 17-19 February 2016. The meeting will focus on the historical origins of the globalisation of banks in Latin America and Spain, using the instrument of comparative banking history.

Posted on the 27th October 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for October 2015

This month's 'Treasure' is a portrait of Hannah Rothschild (1783-1850), wife of Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777-1836).  

Posted on the 1st October 2015  | Read more…

Recent Acquisitions: Estate ledgers and account books account books from the Château de Ferrières

In September 2015, the Archive acquired 98 ledgers and account books relating to the Rothschild estate, Château de Ferrières. The volumes contain printed columns and headers and are largely completed in manuscript. The majority are titled 'Compte Chasse' or 'Grand Livre', but others relate to the farms of the estate and are titled 'Inventaire de la ferme de Pontcarre', 'Resume des Travaux aux Immeubles', 'Ferme de Chateau Bergerie', 'Compte Voliere', 'Cuisse Tuilerie', 'Ferme d'Hermieres Bouverie' & 'Vacherie/Porcherie'. The Archive has few records relating to the estates and private houses of the Rothschild family; large quantities of private and estate records are known to have been lost. The discovery of these records will shed new light on life on the vast estate at Ferrières.

Posted on the 15th September 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for September 2015

This month's 'Treasure' is a report of how New Court survived the London Blitz in 1941.  

Posted on the 1st September 2015  | Read more…

Recent Acquisitions: Stamps, punches and dies from The Royal Mint Refinery

In August 2015, the Archive took custody of a two mysterious, extremely heavy boxes, formerly held deep in the vaults of the old New Court building. Closer inspection revealed them to contain metal stamps, punches and dies from the Rothschild run Royal Mint Refinery.

Posted on the 4th August 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for August 2015

This month's 'Treasure' are papers relating to Mr Stephany's business trip to Spain in 1925.  

Posted on the 1st August 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for July 2015

This month's 'Treasure' is the death mask of Nathan Mayer Rothschild, founder of the London bank.  

Posted on the 1st July 2015  | Read more…

EABH Annual Meeting 2016: '500 Years of Financial Interconnections. Did globalisation increase or decrease financial instability?', Vienna, Austria, 28-29 April

The European Association for Banking History (EABH) announces its 2016 Annual Meeting, to be held in Vienna, Austria, 28-29 April 2016. 

Posted on the 24th June 2015  | Read more…

A Rothschild Renaissance: Treasures from the Waddesdon Bequest

The British Museum, Room 2a. Opens 11 June 2015. Admission Free

The Waddesdon Bequest, the superb collection of medieval and Renaissance treasures left to the British Museum in 1898 by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild MP, will be redisplayed in a new gallery in the British Museum that opens on 11 June 2015.

Posted on the 11th June 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for June 2015

This month's 'Treasure' is a series of phrenology reports for Lady Louise and her daughters, conducted in 1849.

Posted on the 1st June 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for May 2015

This month's 'Treasure' is an election pledge card distributed during Lionel de Rothschild's campaign in the 1922 general election.

Posted on the 1st May 2015  | Read more…

Refurbished Rothschild Room, the Natural History Museum at Tring

During his lifetime, Lionel (Walter), 2nd Lord Rothschild (1868-1937) collected many thousands of mounted mammals, birds, butterflies and moths, along with bird skins, giant tortoises and an impressive library. He created a zoological museum at the family estate at Tring. Walter bequeathed the museum and his collections to the British Museum. Known today as the Natural History Museum at Tring, the museum celebrates Walter's passion for the natural world.

Posted on the 30th April 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for April 2015

This month's 'Treasure' is a letter from Nathaniel, 1st Lord Rothschild to his French cousins, on the loss of the Titanic, April 1912.

Posted on the 31st March 2015  | Read more…

Recent Acquisitions: Yacht gavel from TSY Atmah

The Rothschild Archive London has recently acquired the gift of an unusual brass and wooden yacht gavel c.1898 from the 'TSY Atmah', the steam yacht owned by Baron Edmond de Rothschild (1845-1934).

Posted on the 31st March 2015  | Read more…

Recent Acquisitions: 'Luthmer' Catalogues

The Rothschild Archive London has been fortunate to acquire from Paris important catalogues of the collections of gold and silver work of Mayer Carl von Rothschild (1820-1886). The catalogues contain detailed descriptions of over 100 pieces, together with extremely fine high quality black and white illustrations.

Posted on the 12th March 2015  | Read more…

Restoring a Legacy: Rothschild Family Treasures: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts: March-June 2015

Restoring a Legacy: Rothschild Family Treasures opens at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Massachusetts on 1 March and runs until 21 June 2015. The Rothschilds were famous in Europe for their extravagant collecting tastes and their elaborate style. When Hitler invaded Austria in 1938, his army plundered the mansions of the Austrian branch of the family - looting thousands of works of art. While a bulk of the artwork was returned to the family after the war, Austrian law prohibited the export of a portion of the Nazi-looted art. For decades, Rothschild family members worked to reclaim the items acquired by the Austrian government - and were successful when the law was reversed in the late 1990s. The historic items on display at the Museum are a gift of Bettina Burr, the granddaughter of Baron and Baroness Alphonse and Clarice de Rothschild of Vienna. 

Posted on the 3rd March 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for March 2015

This month's 'Treasure' is a receipt from 1876, for the first instalment of the repayment by the British Governement of the loan advanced by N M Rothschild & Sons in 1875 to enable the government to purchase shares in the Suez Canal.

Posted on the 1st March 2015  | Read more…

EABH Conference 2015: 'Historical links betwen USA and Spain', Madrid, 9-11 April

The European Association for Banking History (EABH) Conference will be held in Alcalà de Henares, Madrid, 9-11 April 2015. The conference theme will be Historical Links between USA and Spain: Past, Present and Future.

Posted on the 27th February 2015  | Read more…

Jewish Nursing History

The Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences is pleased to launch the website of an important new project in Jewish social studies. Nursing is one of the most important instructions in the Jewish religion and social ethics because it serves to preservation and sanctification of life. In Frankfurt am Main up to the Nazi-Era one of Germany’s largest Jewish communities lived and worked. From 1870 onwards the active work of foundations that arose from the Jewish middle class forged a modern hospital system, which attracted Christian patients as well. The exemplary training of Jewish nurses in Frankfurt served as a model of nursing education; a number of nurses trained in Frankfurt assumed leadership roles in nursing institutions in other cities and communities. Many members of the Rothschild family supported and encouraged nursing and medical institutions in Frankfurt.

Posted on the 26th February 2015  | Read more…

EABH Annual Meeting 2015: 'History of Inflation. Inflation in History', Prague, 14-15 May

The European Association for Banking History (EABH) announces its 2015 Annual Meeting, to be held in Prague, Czech Republic. In cooperation with the Czech National Bank and the Czech Banking Association, the topic of the meeting is History of Inflation. Inflation in History.

Posted on the 16th February 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for February 2015

This month's 'Treasure' are papers relating to the lease of the Royal Mint Refinery, the gold refinery operated by the London house. In February 1852, Anthony de Rothschild (1810-1879) took the first lease of the refinery business, which was operated by the Rothschilds until 1968.

Posted on the 30th January 2015  | Read more…

The Royal Mint revives The Royal Mint Refinery brand

On the 21st Januaury, The Royal Mint announced that it is to bring about the return of a world-renowned bullion brand after an absence of 47 years, expanding its bullion range to offer gold and silver minted bars bearing the historic marque of The Royal Mint Refinery. This is the first time since 1968 that customers will have an opportunity of owning newly minted precious metal bars bearing the prestigious ‘RMR’ initials, and the first time ever that they will have been available direct to the public from The Royal Mint.

Posted on the 21st January 2015  | Read more…

Images of the Frankfurt Judengasse

The Rothschild family trace their origins to the city of Frankfurt. It was here that Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744-1812) laid the foundations on which his five sons and their descendants would build a Europe wide banking empire. The Rothschild Archive has recently acquired images of the Frankfurt Judengasse and an important volume about the Jewish families residing there.

Posted on the 13th January 2015  | Read more…

Waterloo 200

In 1973 the Duke of Wellington founded The Waterloo Committee following a successful joint effort with Lord Anglesey to stop the building of a motorway across the battlefield in Belgium. Since then the Waterloo Committee has continued to preserve and enhance the battlefield, encourage historical research and promote public education and appreciation of the history of the wars between Great Britain, her allies, and France. With the bi-centenary of that battle of 1815 this year, a commemorative Committee has been established, ‘Waterloo 200’ to organsie events to mark 'Waterloo 200:1815-2015: A defining moment in European history'.

Posted on the 13th January 2015  | Read more…

Release of Bank of England Court Minutes

Members of the Rothschild family have served on the Court of Directors of the Bank of England. Alfred de Rothschild (1842-1918) became the first Jew to be elected a Director, and the late Mr Leopold de Rothschild (1927-2012) also served as a Director. In January 2015, the Bank of England announced the release of important Court minutes and papers. 

Posted on the 7th January 2015  | Read more…

Treasure of the Month for January 2015

This month's 'Treasure' is a photograph album of Halton House, the country estate of Alfred de Rothschild (1842-1918).  On 19 January 1884, the house, designed by William Cubitt & Co., was officially opened in the presence of the Prince of Wales. 

Posted on the 1st January 2015  | Read more…

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