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SortcodeBC/17
RefBC AR/400-479
LevelSection
TitleBedford College Accounts
Extent119 boxes and 83 volumes or 2.02m3
DescriptionMain financial registers of Bedford College, 1849-1965, including accounts ledgers, 1865-1964; records of student fees, 1849-1963; summary of student fees, 1965-1966 ; Journals, 1921-1963; Transfer Journals, 1965-1970; Grants Ledgers, 1900-1909; Cash Account Books, 1888-1963; Principal's Cash Book, 1894-1909; Petty Cash Books, 1904-1961; Cash Books and receipts, 1922-1969; Council Cheque Schedule Books, 1889-1965; College Account Book, 1891-1911. Early accounts of Bedford College (kept by the Lady Resident), including student fees, 1856-1866 and household bills book, 1856-1866. Annual accounts, 1894-1977, notably balance sheets, 1894-1931; annual accounts and working papers, 1920-1983; estimates of receipts, 1899-1940; working papers and final figures for University Grants Council Returns, 1928-1977, with Quinquennial accounts, correspondence, and estimates, 1936-1972. Material relating to students' accounts and scholarships, 1861-[1965], including Students' Maintenance Grant Account Book, 1925-1956; Registration Fees Account Book, 1948-1958; Account Books for the Old Pupil's Scholarship Fund, 1861-1911; Account Books for various scholarships and funds, 1877-[1965]. Papers relating to Staff salaries and revisions, 1894-1976, including material on salary scales of and payments to teaching and administrative staff, research fellows and visiting lecturers, 1894-1973; wage and wage analysis books, 1945-1972, for Student Demonstrators, Visiting Lecturers, Laboratory Technicians, Household Staff and Junior Administrative Staff; letters of appointment to temporary and part-time staff, 1954-1957; monthly payroll computer printout, 1975-1976; wages signature books, 1912-1963, for Bedford College Household, Maintenance, Domestic, Laboratory and Administrative staff; papers relating to salary scales of lecturers, 1901-1906; Personnel Accounts, 1922-1949; material relating to the Bedford College Pension Scheme, 1907-1976, including ledgers, financial papers, Forms of Agreement, and tax sheets. Account books and legal papers for Capital Buildings Projects, 1903-1970, including a Day Book for the Building and Endowment Fund, 1904-1916; Accounts of the Extension fund, 1926-1932; and papers relating to war damage to the College buildings, 1945-1954. Household Accounts, 1910-1969, including Household Account Books, 1910-1938; Bursar's bills for payment by the Household Committee, 1941-1947, and Finance Committee, 1941-1955; Household Cash and Analysis Books, 1941; Wages Analysis Book for Household and Garden, 1941; Accounts of the Stationery Shop, 1959-1969; Account books for the Athletics ground, 1932-1944. Account Books for special funds, 1894-1968, including the Principal's Loan Fund, 1894-1955, the Geraldine Jebb Memorial Fund, 1961, and the Paterson Memorial Fund, 1943-1948.
Date1849-1983
Access_ConditionsAll records are open subject to the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. All records containing personal information about individuals are subject to the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Admin_HistoryThroughout its history, the financial records of Bedford College have been created and maintained by a variety of different departments. Financial responsibility and control was always in the hands of the Council. For the first year of its existence, the Chairman, Rev Dr James Booth kept accounts, until the institution in 1850 of a procedure for the drawing of cheques and a decision to appoint an auditor to check the accounts regularly. The Lady Resident and Lady Superintendent administered the fees and the household of the College and the Residence respectively from 1849-1893, both roles later being taken over by the Principal. The Council instituted a Finance Committee in 1889 (the creation of the post of Honorary Treasurer and Chairman of the Finance Committee was begun in 1899), which reported to the Council upon all the financial affairs of the College. Day-to-day administration of financial matters seems to have been left to the Secretary, with help from the Honorary Treasurer, especially relating to Staff salaries, scholarship trusts and building and extension fundraising. [All expenditure had to be agreed by the Finance Committee and the Council]
Professors were paid on a system of class and capitulation fees, depending upon the subject and the hours worked, and the fees of any Assistants were a charge on the salary of the Professor under whom they worked. A definite minimum payment for full time work was created when the Treasury Grant was raised in 1905-1906, but the class and capitulation system was not abolished until 1910-1911 when fixed salaries were introduced.
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