Business records of de Rothschild Frères, Paris, held by the Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail, Roubaix, France
The Trustees of The Rothschild Archive London are responsible for the collection of business records of the Paris House. In 1972, the French Rothschild family deposited the archives of de Rothschild Frères with the Archives Nationales de France in Paris. These papers were subsequently transferred to the Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail in Roubaix, France. In 1999, with the creation of The Rothschild Archive Trust, the Trustees of the Rothschild Archive assumed responsibility for these deposited papers; the collection remains at Roubaix.
Researchers wishing to study these papers must apply to The Rothschild Archive London for permission for access to these papers, and they must also make a separate application to the Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail for permission to visit the Reading Room at Roubaix.
Catalogue
Much of the collection was arranged under a classification system originally developed by the French historian, Bertrand Gille (1920-1980). In 1959 Gille published his doctoral thesis, La Banque et le crédit en France de 1815 à 1848, part of a longer work derived from the archives of several French banks. This in turn led to the publication of Histoire de la Maison Rothschild in two volumes, Tome I, Des Origines à 1848 (Geneva: Librairie Droz, 1965) and Tome II (1848-1870) (Geneva: Librairie Droz, 1967).
The archivists of the Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail continue to develop and refine the catalogue. As of December 2024, the latest Inventory has been divided into three parts:
- Rothschild Frères. Société mère, agences et filiales, archives familiales. Entrée 132 AQ (1ere partie) [Rothschild Frères. Parent company, agencies and subsidiaries, family archives. 132 AQ (Part 1)];
- Rothschild Frères. Société mère, agences et filiales, archives familiales. Entrée 132 AQ (2de partie) [Rothschild Frères. Parent company, agencies and subsidiaries, family archives. 132 AQ (Part 2)];
- Rothschild (sociétés absorbées et filiales, dont la Compagnie de chemin de fer du Nord). Entrée 1997 19 1 à 108 [Rothschild (absorbed companies and subsidiaries, including the Northern Railway Company]
The online catalogue (and downloadable PDF versions) can be found on the website of the Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail here » [note: under the section 'Faire une recherche en ligne' [Do an online search], go to 'Accès Alphabetique', then choose 'Enterprises' in the list, then 'Rothschild Frères' in the next list.
Accessing the collections of The Rothschild Archive Trust held by the Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail, Roubaix, France
1. Researchers should first register with the Rothschild Research Forum giving an indication of their research interest and reasons why they wish to consult the Rothschild collections at Roubaix.
2. Researchers should then make an application to the Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail, Roubaix, France for permission for access to private archives that do not belong to the State. Further information, including a downloadable PDF of the Demande d’accès a des Documents d’archives Privées [Request to Access Private Archives] form can be found on the website of the Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail; see the Information Practiques/La salle de lecture [Useful Information/The Reading Room] section here »
3. The Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail, Roubaix, France will then contact The Rothschild Archive London on the researcher's behalf to verify their request and to obtain permission to release documents to the researcher.
4. The Rothschild Archive London will notify the researcher when all relevant permissions have been obtained.
5. Researchers will be responsible for contacting The Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail, Roubaix, France to arrange their research visit. Researchers should take copies of all relevant documentation when they visit.
Planning your visit
Researchers must follow the procedures above. Access will be denied unless proper authorisation has been obtained in advance.
Researchers with the necessary permissions intending to visit are also strongly advised to check the opening times and services available at the Archives Nationales du Monde du Travail, Roubaix, France BEFORE entering into any travel or research commitments.
