Hester Pinney (3 July 1658 at Broadwindsor,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of ...

– 19 February 1740), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

businessperson in partnership with her sister Rachel Pinney. They dealt in lace like her sisters Sarah Pinney and Jane Hoare. Hester was organising outworkers, and later importing sugar from

Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Saint Kitts and Nevis, Federation ...

where her exiled brother Azariah Pinney was making a fortune, owning slaves and dealing in sugar.

Life

Pinney was the eighth of the ten children of the Presbyterian minister and preacher John Pinney (1620/21–1705) and Jane French (1614–1693). When her father was exiled from his church, the family decided to trade in lace. Her sisters Jane Hoare and Sarah Pinney were already trading when Hester moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

and engaged in trade with her sister Rachel in 1682. They had a lace shop in the Royal Exchange. They sold laces from

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

and yarn from Antwerp, and they arranged the import of yarn which then went to out-workers. Hester Pinney was particularly noted for her business skill and her ability in successful negotiations. She manage to bribe officials to allow her brother who had been involved with the

Monmouth Rebellion The Monmouth Rebellion, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, the Revolt of the West or the West Country rebellion, was an attempt to depose James II, who in February 1685 succeeded his brother Charles II as king of England, Scotland and Ire ...

to escape punishment. He was smuggled abroad and ended up in

with £15 to his name. He dealt there in lace and sugar. She imported sugar from the West Indies, started a lace-making school and lent money for interest as a banker. Her contribution to the family business made the entire family wealthy. After the death of her father in 1705, she also successfully engaged in speculation, and her business became more independent. She is noted to have been a significant member of the London business world. It was unusual for an unmarried woman of her time period to achieve such a position. Pinney never married, which would have placed her under the legal guardianship of her husband, but she had a long-term relationship with the lawyer, George Booth, while employed as his secretary. They had no children. Booth was known for his corruption while working for the customs. He was unseated as an MP after it was realised that he had bribed his way into that role as well. When George Booth died in 1726 she had been living in the same house for three years. She was his only executor. He left her property in West Ham and Houndsditch and the manor of

Monken Hadley Monken Hadley is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. An ancient country village north of Barnet, it is now a suburban development on the very edge of Greater London north north-west of Charing Cross, while retaining much of its rural ...

twelve miles outside London.

Death and Legacy

Hester died on 19 February 1740 in Holborn and she was buried in

St Mary the Virgin, Monken Hadley St Mary the Virgin is the parish church of Monken Hadley. It is located in the Diocese of London. History The church was rebuilt in its present form in 1494 (the date being carved in stone over the west door) possibly after incurring damage dur ...

. Sje left a sizable inheritance to her sister Rachel, her nephew Azariah, and John Frederick Pinney who was a great nephew from Nevis who was already rich due to the Pinney plantation there. Some of her letters and Pinney account books are held by Bristol University Library.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinney, Hester 1658 births 1740 deaths Women bankers 18th-century English businesspeople 17th-century English businesspeople 18th-century English businesswomen 17th-century English businesswomen