Goldsmid is the name of a family of

Anglo-Jewish British Jews (often referred to collectively as British Jewry or Anglo-Jewry) are British citizens who identify as Jewish. The number of people who identified as Jews in the United Kingdom rose by just under 4% between 2001 and 2021. History ...

bankers who sprang from Aaron Goldsmid (died 1782), a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

merchant who settled in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

around 1763. Two of his sons, Benjamin Goldsmid (c. 1753-1808) and Abraham Goldsmid (c. 1756-1810), began business together around 1777 as bill-brokers in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. They became great powers in the money market during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

through their dealings with the government. In 1810, Abraham Goldsmid was joint contractor with the

Barings Barings LLC, known as Barings, is an international investment management firm owned by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company ( MassMutual). It operates as a subsidiary of MassMutual Financial Group, a diversified financial services organis ...

for a government loan, but owing to a depreciation of the scrip, he was forced into

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

and committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. His brother, in a fit of depression, had similarly taken his own life two years before. Both were noted for their public and private generosity, and both played major roles in funding and managing the Naval Asylum – later renamed the

Royal Naval Asylum The Royal Naval Asylum was an educational institution, founded under the name The British National Endeavour in 1798, by a Mr Andrew Thompson who strongly excited the charity of the British population by his ideas for a small "industrial school" ...

. Benjamin left four sons, the youngest being Lionel Prager Goldsmid, and a daughter Mary Ann Goldsmid who married

Timothy Yeats Brown Timothy Yeats Brown (14 July 1789 – 3 February 1858) was an English banker and head of his family firm Brown, Cobb & Co. He became the British consul to Genoa from 1840 to 1857. Life Born on 14 July 1789, the youngest and only surviving so ...

in 1812; Abraham left a daughter, Isabel Goldsmid. Their nephew was Sir Isaac Goldsmid, 1st Baronet. He had married his cousin Isabel (the daughter of Abraham Goldsmid), and their second son was Sir Francis Goldsmid, 2nd Baronet (1808-1878). Francis became the first Jew to become an English

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

, and he went on to represent the Reading constituency. He also married his cousin –

Louisa Goldsmid Lady Louisa Sophia Goldsmid (2 September 1819 – 12 June 1908) was a British philanthropist and education activist who targeted her life at improving education provision for British women. She took a leading role in persuading Cambridge Universi ...

. They had no children, so Francis was succeeded in the

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

cy by his nephew

Sir Julian Goldsmid, 3rd Baronet Sir Julian Goldsmid, 3rd Baronet, DL, JP (8 October 1838 – 7 January 1896) was a British lawyer, businessman and Liberal (later Liberal Unionist) politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1866 and 1896. Background and early life G ...

(1838-1896), son of Frederick David Goldsmid (1812-1866), MP for

Honiton Honiton ( or ) is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 11,822 (based on mid-year estimates for the two Honiton Ward ...

. Sir Julian was for many years in Parliament, and his wealth, ability and influence made him a person of considerable importance. He was eventually made a

privy councillor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. He had eight daughters, but no son, and his entailed property passed to his relation, Osmond Elim d' Avigdor; his house in

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was converted into the

Isthmian Club The Isthmian Club, founded in 1882, later had premises at 105, Piccadilly, London, in a grand five-bay house that had belonged to Sir Julian Goldsmid, Bt. The non-political club was open to "Gentlemen who have been educated at one of the univers ...

. Another distinguished member of the same family was Sir

Frederic John Goldsmid Major-General Sir Frederic John Goldsmid KCSI, CB (19 May 1818 – 12 January 1908) was an officer in British Army and East India Company, who also served the British government in various roles through the Middle East. Life and career Gol ...

(1818-1908), son of Lionel Prager Goldsmid. His sister married Henry Edward Goldsmid (1812-1855), an eminent Indian civil servant, son of Edward Goldsmid. His reform of the

revenue In accounting, revenue is the total amount of income generated by the sale of goods and services related to the primary operations of the business. Commercial revenue may also be referred to as sales or as turnover. Some companies receive reven ...

system in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

and introduction of a new system, established after his death, through his reports in 1840-1847, and his devoted labor in land-surveys, were considered of the highest importance to western India and established his memory there as a public benefactor.

Goldsmid baronets

* Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid, 1st Baronet (1778–1859) * Sir Francis Henry Goldsmid, 2nd Baronet (1808-1878) *

(1838-1896)

References

External links

Jewish Encyclopedia entry
* An article on Neville Davison Goldsmid, businessman and art collector in The Hague, in the Dutch Wikipedia {{surname, Goldsmid Dutch Jews Jewish British history British Jewish families Jewish philanthropists

Goldsmid baronets

See also

References

External links