Maurice Benedict de Worms (1805–1867) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n plantation owner in

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Biography

Early life

Maurice Benedict de Worms was born in 1805 in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

, Germany.1906 Jewish Encyclopedia
/ref>History of Ceylon Tea
/ref> His father was Benedikt Moses Worms (1769–1824) and his mother, Schönche Jeannette Rothschild (1771–1859).William D. Rubinstein (ed.), ''The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History'', Palgrave Macmillan, 201

/ref> He had two brothers, Baron

Solomon Benedict de Worms Baron Solomon Benedict de Worms (5 February 1801 – 20 October 1882) was an Austrian aristocrat, plantation owner in Sri Lanka, Ceylon, and stockbroker in London. Biography Early life Solomon Benedict de Worms was born on 5 February 1801 in Fr ...

(1801–1882) and Gabriel Benedict de Worms (1802–1881), and one sister, Henriette Worms (1803–1879). His maternal grandfather was

Mayer Amschel Rothschild Mayer Amschel Rothschild (23 February 1744 – 19 September 1812; also spelled ''Anschel'') was a German-Jewish banker and the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty. Referred to as a "founding father of international finance", Rothschild w ...

(1744–1812), the founder of the

Rothschild banking dynasty The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish family originally from Frankfurt that rose to prominence with Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of ...

. As a result, his maternal uncles were

Amschel Mayer Rothschild Baron Amschel Mayer von Rothschild (12 June 1773 – 6 December 1855) was a German Jewish banker of the wealthy Rothschild family. He was the second child and eldest son of Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), the founder of the dynasty, an ...

(1773–1855),

Salomon Mayer von Rothschild Salomon Mayer von Rothschild (9 September 1774 – 28 July 1855) was a German-born banker in the Austrian Empire and the founder of the Austrian branch of the prominent Mayer Amschel Rothschild family. Family He was born at Frankfurt am Main ...

(1774–1855),

Nathan Mayer Rothschild Nathan Mayer Rothschild (16 September 1777 – 28 July 1836) was an English-German banker, businessman and financier. Born in Frankfurt am Main in Germany, he was the third of the five sons of Gutle (Schnapper) and Mayer Amschel Rothschild, an ...

(1777–1836),

Carl Mayer von Rothschild Carl Mayer ''Freiherr'' von Rothschild (24 April 1788 – 10 March 1855) was a German-born banker in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the founder of the Rothschild banking family of Naples. Biography Born Kalman Mayer Rothschild in Frankfur ...

(1788–1855),

James Mayer de Rothschild James Mayer de Rothschild, Baron de Rothschild (born Jakob Mayer Rothschild; 15 May 1792 – 15 November 1868) was a German- French banker and the founder of the French branch of the Rothschild family. Early life James de Rothschild was born ...

(1792–1868), and his maternal aunts, Isabella Rothschild (1781–1861), Babette Rothschild (1784–1869), Julie Rothschild (1790–1815) and Henriette Rothschild (1791–1866).

Career

Together with his brother Gabriel, he travelled to the Far East in 1841 and purchased a plantation in

.Roland Wenzlhuemer, ''From Coffee to Tea Cultivation in Ceylon, 1880-1900: An Economic and Social History'', BRILL, 2008, p. 7

/ref> Their other brother, Solomon, also invested in the plantation. Over the years, they acquired 2,000 acres under cultivation, and more than 6,000 acres of forest land. It came to be known as the Rothschild Estate. They also owned the Sogamma and Condegalla estates in

Pussellawa ''Pussellawa'' si, පුස්සැල්ලාව. ta, புசல்லாவ, is a l town in Kandy District, Sri Lanka. It is located along the A5 road between Gampola and Nuwara Eliya. Legend says ancient kings of Gampola Kingdom est ...

. They grew coffee and tea, especially

Ceylon Tea Ceylon tea is both the brand of tea which is produced in Sri Lanka and a historic term describing tea from that land. Ceylon tea has been described as not only a geographical descriptor but also a pillar of Sri Lankan culture, heritage and ident ...

. They sold the plantations in 1865. His business was succeeded by

Henry de Worms, 1st Baron Pirbright Henry de Worms, 1st Baron Pirbright PC, DL, JP, FRS (20 October 1840 – 9 January 1903), known before his elevation to the peerage in 1895 as Baron Henry de Worms, was a British Conservative politician. Background and education Henry ...

Death

He died in 1867 in London. His will included large donations to Jewish organizations.

References

1805 births 1867 deaths Rothschild family Planters of British Ceylon Sri Lankan Jews Sri Lankan people of Austrian descent 19th-century British businesspeople {{SriLanka-bio-stub