| Description | Day books containing names of customers, quantities and prices of all goods delivered day by day (mainly large quantities of wines, spirits, sugar, salt, soap etc 1858-1863; private ledgers of JC Bannister 1884-1929; 'potato rail book' (an account of purchases of cereals and potatoes) 1926-1956; expense ledger containing separate accounts for grocery department purchase account 1915-1926; prescription or recipe book of JC Bannister including recipes for hair wash, furniture polish etc; seed prescription book containing grass seed mixtures supplied to various customers 1887-1938; catalogue and price list for the whole of the grocery and provision business 1910; seed price lists and catalogues 1899-1974; stock book 1859-1892; grocery and provisions account book of Mr J Haynes 1887-1890; pocket book containing notes on hiring out agricultural machinery 1935-1938; JC Bannister's diary 1933; seed scrap 1940-1960; seed day books 1951-1964; photographs of the Bannister family 19th century; seed and grass purchase books 1932-1973; Paxman Heavy-Fuel-Oil Engines booklet 1929; blue print for Paxman engine for JC Bannister 1929. |
| Administrative history | The Bannisters came to Easingwold from Brafferton/Helperby (where one branch of the family still live). John Bannister son of John Bannister of Brafferton was apprenticed in Easingwold, as a chemist in 1834. The younger John married Anne Maxwell Calway in 1844 and they had seven children. He died in 1859 leaving Annie to develop the business of grocers, wine and spirit and general provision merchants, seed merchants etc. She died in 1901, and of all her children only John Charles (1856-1934) had children of his own who grew up to continue the business: Harry (1883-1969) and Walter (1890-1973). Harry had no children, and the present Mr JC Bannister is the son of Walter: he has now separated the seed from the grocery business. |