Pirates, Punters, and Politicians

The Founding of the Bank of England

This is a story about the beginning of the Bank of England. There are other histories available. They all have truth in them. But none has the whole truth. Pirates, Punters, and Politicians: How the Bank of England Was Founded brings into play the accidents, chances, and uncanny turns of events - from Spanish treasure and pirates to sheer good luck and political conniving - that had to occur for this particular bank to come about. A pirate is not very different from a banker, and a banker is not so very different from a storyteller. Chancers and risk-takers were needed to get the Bank of England up and running, and perhaps they are still needed to keep it running. Confirming a sense of wonder and extraordinary inevitability in great historic moments, it is a wonderful story that will stay with you, and you will want to share it with others.

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.