Description
The part played by double entry bookkeeping (DEB) in the rise of capitalism in Western Europe has been the subject of
academic attention and debate for more than a century [Miller, P., & Napier, C. (1993). Genealogies of calculation.
Accounting, Organizations and Society, 18(7/8), 631–647]. Our interest in this topic was aroused by sources of relevant comment
concerning early uses of DEB identified in Chambers’ An Accounting Thesaurus (1995). In this paper these sources,
augmented by a systematic search of surviving treatises on DEB published in Britain between 1547 and 1799, comprise
extended evidence that enable us to make ‘‘justified statements” [Napier, C. J. (2002). The historian as auditor: Facts, judgments
and evidence. Accounting Historians Journal, 29(2), 131–155] in support of the notion that writers encouraged a
‘‘capitalist mentality” [Bryer, R. A. (2000a). The history of accounting and the transition to capitalism in England. Part
one: Theory. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 25(2), 131–162; Bryer, R. A. (2000b). The history of accounting and
the transition to capitalism in England. Part two: Evidence. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 25(4/5), 327–381]
among the rising merchant class. They did this by communicating to merchants the potential of DEB for presenting economic
events in a financial form that enabled them to evaluate the amount and profitability of their business investments
and provided data on which to base decisions designed to enhance the ‘‘Value and Condition of his Estate” (Stephens,
1735, p. 4). Further, based on the known occupations of these writers and drawing on knowledge of the operation of
an international trading enterprise, the Hudson’s Bay Company, we speculate that DEB might have played a part in helping
owners manage their affairs during the major economic and social developments that are known to have occurred in
Britain and Western Society more generally between the 16th and 18th centuries.
doc_468098234.pdf
The part played by double entry bookkeeping (DEB) in the rise of capitalism in Western Europe has been the subject of
academic attention and debate for more than a century [Miller, P., & Napier, C. (1993). Genealogies of calculation.
Accounting, Organizations and Society, 18(7/8), 631–647]. Our interest in this topic was aroused by sources of relevant comment
concerning early uses of DEB identified in Chambers’ An Accounting Thesaurus (1995). In this paper these sources,
augmented by a systematic search of surviving treatises on DEB published in Britain between 1547 and 1799, comprise
extended evidence that enable us to make ‘‘justified statements” [Napier, C. J. (2002). The historian as auditor: Facts, judgments
and evidence. Accounting Historians Journal, 29(2), 131–155] in support of the notion that writers encouraged a
‘‘capitalist mentality” [Bryer, R. A. (2000a). The history of accounting and the transition to capitalism in England. Part
one: Theory. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 25(2), 131–162; Bryer, R. A. (2000b). The history of accounting and
the transition to capitalism in England. Part two: Evidence. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 25(4/5), 327–381]
among the rising merchant class. They did this by communicating to merchants the potential of DEB for presenting economic
events in a financial form that enabled them to evaluate the amount and profitability of their business investments
and provided data on which to base decisions designed to enhance the ‘‘Value and Condition of his Estate” (Stephens,
1735, p. 4). Further, based on the known occupations of these writers and drawing on knowledge of the operation of
an international trading enterprise, the Hudson’s Bay Company, we speculate that DEB might have played a part in helping
owners manage their affairs during the major economic and social developments that are known to have occurred in
Britain and Western Society more generally between the 16th and 18th centuries.
doc_468098234.pdf