Redmayne Bentley: Historian helps bring story of Leeds stockbrokers to life
A historian has helped to bring the 150 year old story of a Leeds firm of stockbrokers to life.
Clifford Stead was tasked with combing through the extensive archive collection of Redmayne Bentley which includes ledgers, hand-written letters, records, articles, photos and artefacts.
Some of the documents date back to 1875, when the investment management, financial planning and stockbroking business was founded.
Clifford’s painstaking work has given the firm an insight into the life and work of the firm’s founder, John Redmayne, who began his one-man business in Leeds in 1875.
He has also discovered more about the investments he was making and gained an insight into the city’s rich financial heritage .
Phil Armitage, partner at Redmayne Bentley said: “We have now been in business for 150 years and it seemed an appropriate time to look at our archive in more detail. Clifford has really helped us learn a lot more about our founder, his life and our industry.
“I, for one, didn’t appreciate he was such a global businessman, travelling to countries including Canada to seek investments in sectors such as railways and utility companies. It’s fascinating to learn more about his determination to offer his clients such a personal service, as this continues to be the foundation of our business today. The findings will help us ensure our proud past helps us shape an exciting future, focused on continued growth and development.”
Clifford said: “The sense that you get from the archive, is that John Redmayne was a visionary. I think of him as being a 21 st century man living in the 1890s, in the sense that he’s investing in what was the new technology of the time. So, he’s making investments in things like electricity and utility companies, ready-to-wear clothing and in tram networks in cities across the UK, including Leeds, which had the first trams in the country powered by overhead electricity cables.
“I’ve not come across another archive like this, where you have got such a personal, in-depth reflection of life and story of what he is doing in this particular industry. It’s a really special archive and I’ve loved finding out more about John and the lasting impact of investors who help to support new ideas and innovation,” he added.
John Redmayne started Redmayne & Co as a one-man business in Leeds. Fast forward to 2026 and the firm boasts more than 25 offices nationwide.
Items in John Redmayne’s archive include his first ledger and personal strongbox used to store business documents, the Rules of the Leeds Stock Exchange, signed by its original members in 1844, the deed of settlement for the original stock exchange building and daily share lists.