1673 Robert Houghton to John Morris at Sir Robert Clayton's [English-Colonial Banking & Bishop Mark History]

1673 ALS Bishop Marked stampless folded letter signed by Robert Houghton to John Morris at Robert Clayton's at the Old Jewry in London (A new location for them, their previous location having been destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666). Very well preserved exemplar of one of earliest postmarks introduced by England's Postmaster General Henry Bishop (1605-1691).

John Morris and Robert Clayton conducted their banking business as the Clayton & Morris Co. In later years, Robert Clayton was a Director and one of the first Governors of the Bank of England. Robert Clayton also served as Treasurer of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1678 and was a member of the New England Company in 1683.

https://americanapapers.com/blogs/research/sir-robert-clayton-1629-1707-and-the-bank-of-england

Clayton and Morris Co., law scriveners, merchant bankers and estate agents, of the City of London was originally established in 1636 by Robert Abbot, and was taken over on his death in 1658 by his nephew and apprentice, Robert Clayton, and another of his apprentices, John Morris. From its foundation in 1638 until the premises were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, the firm was based at the sign of the Flying Horse in the parish of St Michael's, Cornhill. It then moved to premises in Austin Friars, whilst purpose built premises were constructed in Old Jewry, to which the bank relocated in 1672. At this point, the name and symbol of the Flying Horse ceased to be used. No contract was ever registered for the Clayton - Morris corporation, and the company was known variously as Robert Clayton and Partner, John Morris and Partner, and Morris and Clayton and Company.