Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Samuel Child lived many years after his father's death. He became a Member of Parliament and head of the Bank. He married a Miss Agatha Edgar, whose portrait is to be seen at Osterley Park. His town-house was in Lincoln'sInn-Fields, where he resided until his brother Francis died, when he removed to Osterley. He had two sons, Francis and Robert, also a daughter. There is an excellent group portrait of these three as children at Osterley Park, painted by Dandridge in 1741; likewise of Samuel Child, by Jos. Vanderbank, 1732.

George Child is conjectured to have been in holy orders, and Thomas Child to have been a merchant. But of the remaining sons, what became of them or in what order they came after Robert and Francis no information can be gathered.

One of the three daughters, Jane, appears to have lived and died a spinster. Elizabeth married Tyrringham Backwell, son of Alderman Edward Backwell, and had sons, Barneby and William, both of whom came into the Bank.

Martha, the other remaining daughter, married Anthony Collins, Esq. She had a daughter Elizabeth, who was left a legacy of £500 by her grandmother Lady Child, also £2000 in trust, to be given on her marriage.

Many goldsmiths and bankers kept their accounts with Messrs. Childs; it was probably a matter of convenience to the various goldsmiths to transfer money from one account to another.

The following names have been recognized as belonging to persons in the goldsmith's trade, and are met with in the ledgers prior to the year 1700:

[blocks in formation]

There are several entries between 1662 and 1674 of credits paid in by Alderman Ed. Backwell, C. Duncomb, and Mr. Kent to a few of the customers' accounts. Amongst the many valuable and interesting autographs in the possession of the firm, we may note the following :"Nell Gwyn.

Titus Oates, as an endorsment to a cheque of the Duke of Bolton. Archbishop Tenison, in the same manner.

Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleaveland.

Roger, Earl of Castlemaine.

Lawrence Hyde, Earl of Rochester, an executor of Nell Gwyn.
Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, his brother.

8th Earl of Pembroke, an executor of Nell Gwyn.

Gilbert Burnet, afterwards Bishop of Salisbury.

Lord Keeper Guilford.

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.

Rob Harley, Earl of Oxford."

Friendly relations have existed between the firm of Child & Co. and the old-established banking-house of Messrs. Willis and Co. for over 150 years. Members of that firm inform us that as far back as July 1713 they can trace connexion between the two houses, in which year they find an account in their books styled Sir Francis Child and Co. Messrs. Willis & Co.'s house was in 1677, when the Little London Directory' was published, known by the sign of the Crown*, and was occupied

* Mr. Tomkins's father remembers having observed that sign in their cellar, but it has not been seen since the house was rebuilt in 1810.

by Thomas Williams, a goldsmith, "keeping running cash."

In 1718 the firm was Greene and Eades, in 1735 Greene and Tysoe, and in 1754 Tysoe Willis and Reade, then Willis and Reade, afterwards Morrhouse and Willis, then Willis, Wood, Percival and Co., and finally Willis, Percival and Co.*

It is believed that friendly relations between the firms of Child & Co. and Willis and Co. existed some years before 1713, as we have been favoured with the following extract from an old ledger, on a blank folio in which is written—

"October 3rd, 1713.-Current Ledger, from this place is in partnership between Stephen Child, Thomas Greene, and Mathias Eades.”

This Stephen Child was a son of Sir Francis Child; so it would appear that prior to Reade the old firm was Stephen Child and Co. It may have been in consequence of Sir Francis Child placing his son in that house that the friendly relations which have existed between the two houses of Messrs. Willis and Co. and Messrs. Child and Co. for so very many years had a commencement; and we hope the same friendship may continue to exist for as many

more.

Sir Francis Child died on the 4th October 1713, ætat. 71. He was buried in a vault in Fulham Churchyard; the

* The first Willis was the grandfather of the present Mr. Henry Willis. In a list of bankers published in the year 1768 in 'The Daily Journal, or the Gentleman's and Tradesman's Complete Annual Accompt-Book,' printed for R. Baldwin, at the Rose, in Paternoster Row, we find that Willis, Reade and Co. were at the Crown, near Pope's Head Alley, Lombard Street.

bodies of his sons James and William, and of his daughter Martha, wife of Anthony Collins, Esq., were likewise deposited in the same vault.

Hitherto it has always puzzled us to know how it was that the banking-house or, more correctly speaking, the goldsmith's firm of Blanchard and Child was never once mentioned by Samuel Pepys in his diary; more especially as upon referring to ledgers lettered R S and T of 1669 to 1671 we find the accounts of that diarist.

Pepys was not the kind of man to pass over making note that he went to his goldsmiths or that he kept money with Blanchard and Child at the Marygold, if he really did so.

We were never able to account for this singular circumstance until we showed the old ledger T to Messrs. Praeds, bankers in Fleet Street, descendants of the Backwells, who threw a great light upon the subject by suggesting that that old ledger was not one of Child & Co.'s at all, but was in reality one of the old books of Alderman Edward Backwell, goldsmith and banker of Lombard Street*. This Mr. Backwell was one of the many goldsmiths ruined by the closing of the Exchequer by Charles the Second on the 1st January 1672: the Crown then owed Mr. Backwell as much as £295,994 16s. 6d., in lieu of which the King gave him an annuity of

* Mr. John B. Martin, of the old firm of Martin & Co., of the Grasshopper, 68 Lombard Street, states that he has reason to believe that their back office occupies the site of Backwell's Bank; but I think this is doubtful, and that he may have mistaken the name for that of Blackwell, who are put down on an old map of London as being bankers on that spot in 1743.

£17759 13s. 8d., the bond for the payment of which, bearing the autograph of Charles R., countersigned by the Earl of Danby, is still in the possession of Messrs. Praed. As it is a curious and interesting document, and one well worth preserving, we give it below.

CHARLES R.

Our Will and pleasure is that you forthwith prepare a Bill for Our Royall Signature to pass Our great Seale in these words or to this effect.

CHARLES THE SECOND by the grace of God of England Scotland Ffrance and Ireland King Defend of the faith &ca To all to whom these presents shall come Greeting Whereas since the time of Our happy Restoracon We have been involved in great Forreigne Warrs as well for the Safety of Our Government as for the vindicacon of the Rights and privileges of Our Subjects In the prosecucon whereof we have been constreyned for some years past contrary to Our Inclinacõns to postpone the paymt of the moneys due from Us to Several Goldsmiths & others upon Tallys Struck and Orders Registred on & payable out of Severall Branches of Our Revenue and otherwise And although the present Posture of Our affaires cannot reasonably spare so greate a sum as must be applyed to the Satisfaction of those debs Yet considering the great difficultys which very many of Our Loving Subjects (who putt their moneys into the hands of those Goldsmiths & others from whom We received it) doe at present lye under almost to their utter ruine for want of their said moneys We have rather chose out of Our princely care & compassion towards Our people to suffer in Our owne Affaires then that Our Loving Subjects should want soe seasonable a Releife And having seriously considered of the way & means effect this Our present purpose We could not find any more effectuall & less prejudiciall to Us in the present posture of Our Revenu3 then by granting to each of them the said Goldsmiths & others to whom We are indebted as aforesaid respectively and to his & their respective heires & Assignes an annuall sum or paym* answerable in value yearly to the Interest of their respective debts at the rate of Six pounds Cent

Annum for all such moneys as are due unto them The consideracōn

« ZurückWeiter »