London has only one register surviving covering LT4000 to LT4001 held by the London Metropolitan Archives (Reference number LCC/PC/VR/1/2)
My 1908 Dennis would have been registered in London and the approximate dates for the different prefixes are as follows:
A: January 1904 to May 1905
AN: January 1904 to December 1929
LC: May 1905 to November 1906
LN: November 1906 to March 1908
LB: March 1908 to April 1909
LD: May 1909 to October 1910
LA: April 1910 to July 1911
LE: July 1911 to December 1912
LF: May 2012 to February 1913
LH:February 1913 to August 1913
LK: August 1913 to March 1914
LL: March 1914 to July 1914
LM: July 1914 to March 1915
LO: March 1915 to September 1915
LP: September 1915 to July 1916
If Carter Paterson and Co registered the vehicle on delivery we would expect the London County Council to have issued the LB prefix. It is believed that LB1 to LB3000 were reserved and not issued initially. Strangely there appear to have been no motor buses registered with the LB prefix.
It was common practice for companies to transfer their registrations when they replaced vehicles. This is easily seen within the fleets of the London bis operators but is also likely to be the reason that many Carter Paterson and Co vehicles had earlier registrations than one would expect. In 1908 it is unlikely many of the new CP&Co vehicles would be replacing obsolete motor vehicles.
Lists of known vehicles are listed by prefix in the files below:
Please send updates to benjamin.p.hawkins@gmail.com