Some Aspects of 19th Century Accounting Development in the West Riding Textile Industry

The fundamental requirement in studying business accounting techniques historically is to see developments as the response to particular and Individual needs of industries as they themselves develop over time. These needs are the product of such things as technical and organisational change, the size of business units, the nature of products and markets. This basic structural determinant can be regarded as being tempered by two further factors. First it may be tempered by ‘external’ influences, for example, the need to respond in particular ways to legal requirements, taxation demands or outside pressure generally from shareholders and other interested parties. ¹ Secondly, developments are modified by the extent to which requirements are met by the stage of evolution of accounting theory and practice, the background, education and abilities of entrepreneurs in an industry and the legacy of traditional methods handed down from earlier stages of economic development.