Counting the accountants: a trial balance for 1911

This article presents the results of a pilot study prior to a more extensive research project into the history of accountants in company management. It takes one Year - 1911 - and provides a statistical snapshot of the profession in terms of its size and its domination by the chartered accountants of the City of London. By 1911 the leading firms of today had already established their dominance although they did not have as big a share of the market. Only 7 per cent of accountants worked outside public practice but, regarding accountants’ role in management, just under 10 per cent of quoted companies had accountants on their boards of directors in 1911. The reasons for their appointment as directors included the fact that they were wealthy shareholders in their own right or were engaged in company promotion, but they were also put on the board to exploit their accounting expertise. In this latter context there is some evidence that their help was especially sought by companies in distress or involved in me...