In this paper, we offer an alternative to class-based studies of saving behavior by using individual-level ledger records from accounts opened in 1830 in the Limehouse Savings Bank, London. Our analysis suggests that such banks served a valid financial purpose for a much wider constituency of savers than the targeted “industrious poor.” True gaming of the system by the middle classes appears to be relatively limited, and instead depositors were using accounts for a variety of means and motivations. We suggest that the contemporary consternation around class was misplaced and that we can better understand and predict depositor behaviors through analysis of transaction data.

在本文中，我们通过使用1830年在伦敦Limehouse储蓄银行开设的帐户中的个人级别分类帐记录，提供了基于类的储蓄行为研究的替代方法。我们的分析表明，与针对的“工业穷人”相比，这类银行为更多的储户提供了有效的财务目的。中产阶级对该系统的真正博弈似乎相对有限，取而代之的是储户使用账户来获得各种手段和动机。我们建议当代关于阶级的担忧被放错了位置，并且我们可以通过分析交易数据来更好地理解和预测存款人的行为。