Harman and Co. was a well-known and respected English banking firm in the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

. It was founded around 1740 by

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

partners Jonathan Gurnell (1684-1753) (who married in 1711 Grizell Wilmer of

Pitzhanger Manor Pitzhanger Manor is an English country house famous as the home of neoclassical architect, Sir John Soane. Built between 1800 and 1804 in Walpole Park Ealing, to the west of London), the Regency Manor is a rare and spectacular example of a b ...

) and Joseph Hoare (d. 1729), and was in business until 1846. The firm traded extensively with Portugal and were agents for the Russian Imperial Court in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. The firm had close ties to the

Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, also known as the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and sometimes referred to as the Abolition Society or Anti-Slavery Society, was a British abolitionist group formed on ...

The only surviving brother of one of its founders was the abolitionist

Samuel Hoare Jr Samuel Hoare Jr (9 August 1751 – 14 July 1825) was a wealthy British Quaker banker and abolitionist born in Stoke Newington, then to the north of London in the county of Middlesex. His London seat was Heath House on Hampstead Heath. He was one ...

. Jeremiah Harman, son of one of the early investors, was one of the first merchants to liquidate his slave related holdings. The firm changed names several times, finally settling on Harman and Co. * Gurnell and Hoare c. 1750 - c. 1754 at Frederick Place in

Old Jewry Old Jewry is a one-way street in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. It is located within Coleman Street ward and links Poultry to Gresham Street. The street now contains mainly offices for financial companies. The ...

, London. Samuel Hoare Sr, son-in-law, was involved in the company from the beginning. When his grandson John Harman joined the firm, the name was changed to Gurnell, Hoare, and Harman. * Gurnell, Hoare, Harman & Co. (Sometimes Gurnell, Hoare, and Harman or Gurnell, Hoare & Co) c.1754 - c. 1783 at Frederick Place in Old Jewry, London.

Henry Hope Henry Hope (1735–1811) was an Amsterdam merchant banker born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He emigrated to the Netherlands to join the family business Hope & Co. at a young age. From 1779, Henry became the manager of Hope & Co. and he participa ...

, later a significant international merchant banker, apprenticed in the firm during 1754-1760 * Harman, Hoare, and Co. c.1786 - c.1792 at Frederick Place in Old Jewry, London * Harman and Co. c.1804-1846 at Adam's Court of

Old Broad Street Old or OLD may refer to: Places * Old, Baranya, Hungary * Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

, London. John's son Jeremiah (above) took over as a principal partner. He was a well-known banker, from 1816-1818

Governor of the Bank of England The governor of the Bank of England is the most senior position in the Bank of England. It is nominally a civil service post, but the appointment tends to be from within the bank, with the incumbent grooming their successor. The governor of the Ba ...

, and remained head of the firm until his death in 1844. The business was left to the two remaining partners: Edward Harman and Henry Harman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harman and Co. Private banks History of banking Defunct banks of the United Kingdom