John Twells (1776–1866) was an English banker who was partner in private bank ''Spooner, Attwood & Co'' and deputy chairman of the

London & Greenwich Railway The London and Greenwich Railway (L&GR) was opened in London between 1836 and 1838. It was the first steam railway in the capital, the first to be built specifically for passengers, and the first entirely elevated railway. Origins The idea for ...

Life

He was born on 27 June 1776. On his own account, he went into banking in 1801. He became a partner in the private bank Spooner, Attwood & Co. of

Gracechurch Street Gracechurch Street is a main road in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London, which is designated the A1213. It is home to a number of shops, restaurants, and offices and has an entrance to Leadenhall Market, a covered ...

, London, around 1816 together with

Isaac Spooner Isaac Spooner (c.1735–1816) was an English ironmaster and banker who founded Birmingham Bank. Life Spooner was born to Abraham Spooner and Anne Knight, he went into the family iron business based around a furnace at Aston, in the Birmingham a ...

. Twells was the initial deputy chairman of the

in 1834, resigning in 1837. He gave evidence to the 1857 Parliamentary Select Committee on the working of the

Bank Charter Act 1844 The Bank Charter Act 1844 (7 & 8 Vict. c. 32), sometimes referred to as the Peel Banking Act of 1844, was an Act of Parliament, Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed under the government of Robert Peel, which restricted the powers ...

. He approved of the

Bank Restriction Act 1797 The Bank Restriction Act 1797 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain (37 Geo. III. c. 45) which removed the requirement for the Bank of England to convert banknotes into gold. The period lasted until 1821, when convertibility was restored. ...

. On early

colonial scrip Early American currency went through several stages of development during the colonial and post-Revolutionary history of the United States. John Hull was authorized by the Massachusetts legislature to make the earliest coinage of the colony (the ...

, Twells commented that

"In a bad hour, the British Parliament took away from America its representative money ..

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

picked up on his comment that the 1844 Act had been profitable for bankers, while disadvantaging merchants and those in business in a small way. Twells died on 10 March 1866. ''How can paper money increase the wealth of a nation?'' (1867, anonymous) was by his son John.

Family and connections

Twells married Mary Line, daughter of Joseph Line of Alum Rock, Worcestershire, and they had two sons, the Rev. John Twells and

Philip Twells Philip Twells (1808 – 8 May 1880) was a Conservative Party politician. Life He was the second son of John Twells and his wife Mary Line. He attended Charterhouse School, and matriculated in 1827 at Worcester College, Oxford, graduating B.A ...

M.P.

Matthias Attwood Matthias Attwood (24 November 1779 – 11 November 1851) was a British Conservative and Tory politician, and banker. Attwood was the second son of ironmaster Matthias Attwood of Hawne House, Halesowen, Worcestershire and Ann née Adams, and the ...

M.P. was a connection in the London & Greenwich, where he was treasurer, and in the bank. He was also a connection by marriage, having married Susanna Twells, daughter of Twells's brother William. Twells & Co., the Birmingham manufacturers, proprietor Philip M. Twells, were related. They supplied a locomotive to the London & Greenwich, No. 8 ''Thames'', in 1838, thought to be a one-off. It has been suggested that they acted only as agents. Philip Mellor Twells was a Birmingham brass and copper tube manufacturer.

Edward Twells Edward Twells (1823 – 4 May 1898) was the first Bishop of Bloemfontein in South Africa from 1863 to 1869. He was the younger brother of Henry Twells. He died at the age of 70 at his house, Pembrokegate, at Clifton, Bristol. Twells was consec ...

was son of Philip Mellor Twells of Ashted.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Twells, John 1776 births 1866 deaths English bankers