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Mocatta (also ''de Mattos Mocatta'', ''Lumbroso de Mattos Mocatta'' and ''Lumbrozo de Mattos Mocatta'') is a surname. The Mocatta family is a
Anglo-Jewish British Jews (often referred to collectively as British Jewry or Anglo-Jewry) are British people, British citizens who are Jews, Jewish. The number of people who identified as Jews in the United Kingdom rose by just under 4% between 2001 and 202 ...
family that traces its ancestry to the Sephardic Jewish communities of Spain and Portugal prior to the
Inquisition The Inquisition was a Catholic Inquisitorial system#History, judicial procedure where the Ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate and try cases in their jurisdiction. Popularly it became the name for various med ...
. The family's forebears initially sought refuge in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
and
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, before immigrating to England in the 1650s. They were among the first twelve Jewish families admitted by
Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially a ...
. In London in 1671, Moses Mocatta established the firm that became
Mocatta & Goldsmid ScotiaMocatta, originally founded as Mocatta Bullion in 1684, was a precious metal and base metal trading company that operated as the metals trading division of the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) from 1997 until January 2019. Business Scoti ...
; for 300 years it was the world’s leading
bullion Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from ...
broker. Although the family sold their stake in the company in the late twentieth century and exited the bullion business, the family continues its tradition of business and charity. The family became known for
philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
, leadership and sponsorship of
arts and letters Arts and letters is a historical and traditional term for arts and literature, implying a comprehensive appreciation or study of visual arts, performing arts, and literary arts or literature. The concept is similar to the liberal arts and has been ...
, particularly in the United Kingdom. Long involved in finance and the law, they are considered to be one of the principal families in the "cousinhood" of senior Anglo-Jewish families, the ''de facto'' Anglo-Jewish
aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...
.


The Mocatta firm

In 1671, Moses Mocatta established a business in London that became Mocatta & Goldsmid. This was the foundation of the modern gold and silver market. The Mocatta business was the world's leading bullion broker through the 18th century, and first traded with India in 1676 and with China in the 1720s. Licensed at the Royal Exchange from 1710, for more than a century, the family firm acted as exclusive bullion brokers to the Bank of England. In 1810, the Mocatta firm's managing partner appeared before Parliament's Select Committee on the High Price of Gold Bullion, when asked: 'Are there any other dealers in gold but yours', he replied, 'I apprehend none of considerable amount.' Mocatta was later involved in market stabilisations. Edgar Mocatta had a notable role in ending the Indian silver crisis of 1913. In the late 20th century, the Mocatta firm was closely involved in providing liquidity and stability following the Hunt silver corner of 1980. In association with NM Rothschild, in 1897 and 1919 respectively, Mocatta & Goldsmid established the price discovery mechanisms for silver and gold used into the 21st century. Between 1671 and the 1970s, the Mocatta firm was headed by just seven men.


Involvement in charitable and Jewish institutions

The family was involved in the establishment of
Bevis Marks Bevis Marks, classified as part of the A1211, is a short street (about 150 m long) in the ward of Aldgate in the City of London. Traffic runs northwest in a one-way direction into Camomile Street, and parallel to Houndsditch which runs sou ...
, the UK's oldest synagogue (1701), the
Board of Deputies of British Jews The Board of Deputies of British Jews, commonly referred to as the Board of Deputies, is the largest and second oldest Jewish communal organisation in the United Kingdom, after the Initiation Society which was founded in 1745. Established in 17 ...
(1760), and the
West London Synagogue The West London Synagogue, abbreviated WLS, and fully the West London Synagogue of British Jews () is a Reform Judaism, Reform Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located near Marble Arch, at 34 Upper Berkeley Street, in the City of Wes ...
(1840). The family were active in the struggle for Jewish parliamentary emancipation. Ten members of the family have served as Chairman or President of the West London Synagogue of British Jews. Moses Mocatta served as President of the Board of Deputies, and family members have participated in communal leadership positions such as the Board of Shechita, Chairman of Jews’ College, and Elders of
Bevis Marks Bevis Marks, classified as part of the A1211, is a short street (about 150 m long) in the ward of Aldgate in the City of London. Traffic runs northwest in a one-way direction into Camomile Street, and parallel to Houndsditch which runs sou ...
. The family also participated in the Oxford and St George's Club (Bernhard Baron St George's Jewish Settlement) and other such initiatives for the relief of the poor. The family led the Jewish community's efforts for the relief of famine in Ireland in the mid-19th century. The family were leaders in the protest at the persecution of Jews in
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
and
Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...
. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the family were leaders in the Board of Guardians and Trustees for the Relief of the Jewish Poor. Three members of the Mocatta family served as Honorary Life Governors of the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital,
Moorfields Moorfields was an open space, partly in the City of London, lying adjacent to – and outside – its London Wall, northern wall, near the eponymous Moorgate. It was known for its marshy conditions, the result of the defensive wall acting a ...
. David Mocatta donated funding for major parts of the building of the
Royal Marsden The Royal Marsden Hospital is a specialist National Health Service oncology hospital in London based at two sites in Brompton, in Kensington and Chelsea, and Belmont in Sutton. It is managed by The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and supp ...
, the first hospital in the world dedicated to the study and treatment of
cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...
. Frederic Mocatta was a founder of the Industrial Dwellings Society, which provided the London poor with adequate housing. Today it provides low-income key workers with low-cost housing.


Notable members

The family features prominently in the Anglo-Jewish "Cousinhood", the aristocracy of related, socially-prominent Jewish families that includes the
Rothschilds The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking family originally from Frankfurt. The family's documented history starts in 16th-century Frankfurt; its name is derived from the family house, Rothschild, ...
, the Goldsmids, the Montagus, the Montefiores and the Samuels. Prominent people with the surname Mocatta include: *Isaac Mocatta, a doctor in Leghorn who in 1638 married Rachel, daughter of Moses Cordovero. *Isaac Mocatta (1765-1801), of whom
Walter Savage Landor Walter Savage Landor (30 January 177517 September 1864) was an English writer, poet, and activist. His best known works were the prose ''Imaginary Conversations,'' and the poem "Rose Aylmer," but the critical acclaim he received from contempora ...
wrote, '...In the number of my acquaintance, there is none more valuable, there is not one more lively, more inquiring, more regular; there is not one more virtuous, more beneficent, more liberal, more tender in heart or more true in friendship, than my friend Mocatta – he is also a Jew.' * David Mocatta (1806–1882), a British architect, the first Jewish member of a profession in Great Britain. Architect of Brighton Station. * Frederic David Mocatta (1828–1905), 'Perhaps the most popular man in the Jewish community. He holds several offices but they are no measure of the deep and extensive interest he takes in the welfare of the community as a whole. His generosity and amiability are almost proverbial; and he is personally as well known to the poor of the East End and to many of the Communities of Eastern Europe as he is in the society of Hyde Park, where he resides, or at the health resorts of the Riviera, where he passes the winter. He has travelled much, speaks almost every European language, has a smattering of Oriental tongues, and strong literary, and artistic tastes.' A prominent philanthropist, bibliophile, patron of the arts, and bullion broker. Mocatta retired from his active role at Mocatta & Goldsmid in 1874 and dedicated the second part of his life to public work, particularly working for better housing for the working classes. He is noted for his successful work to implement corporate governance and accountability in charities (Chairman, Charity Voting Reform Association). President, Home for Aged Jews, promoter and sponsor of poverty relief and education. Mocatta served as Chairman of the 1882 Mansion House Fund on Behalf of Russian Jewry. On his seventieth birthday, he was presented with a book containing signatures of the Empress Frederick and of 8,000 other representatives of 250 public bodies to which Mocatta had given his support. Author of ''The Jews of Spain and Portugal and The Inquisition'' (1877). Mocatta was the patron of his nephew, the Sinologist and translator,
Arthur Waley Arthur David Waley (born Arthur David Schloss, 19 August 188927 June 1966) was an English orientalist and sinologist who achieved both popular and scholarly acclaim for his translations of Chinese and Japanese poetry. Among his honours were ...
. After his death, a fountain was erected in his memory, funded by public subscription, "in grateful memory." The fountain stands prominently outside Aldgate East Station. *Mary Ada Mocatta (1836–1905), wife of Frederic David Mocatta,
William Holman Hunt William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolism ...
's model for the
Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
. Described by Hunt's biographer as, 'Distinguished alike for her amiability and beauty.' *Dr. (Annie) Mildred Mocatta (1887–1984), a medical doctor and art collector in South Australia. *Sir Alan Abraham Mocatta, OBE QC (1907–1990), an English judge and leader of the Spanish & Portuguese Jewish Community of London, President of the Restrictive Practices Court, Chairman of the Mocatta Committee on Cheque Endorsement, joint editor of Scrutton on Charter Parties (14th–17th editions) * William Hugh Mocatta (1861–1959), a Judge of the
District Court District courts are a category of courts which exists in several nations, some call them "small case court" usually as the lowest level of the hierarchy. These courts generally work under a higher court which exercises control over the lower co ...
of
NSW New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a state on the east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria to the south, and South Australia to the west. Its coast borders the Coral and Tasman Seas to the east. T ...
. *Rachel Mocatta, mother of Sir Moses Montefiore *Laura Mocatta, wife of Sir Elly Kadoorie, mother of Lord Kadoorie and Sir Horace Kadoorie. Lived in Hong Kong and Shanghai 1898-1918. The first woman to drive a car in China. *Edgar Mocatta (1879–1957), known as the "Silver King," he dominated the silver market during his partnership in Mocatta & Goldsmid (1900–1957). *Moses Mocatta (1768–1857), bullion broker and scholar of Hebrew language and literature. *Jacob Mocatta (1821–1877), essayist and, 'An eminent merchant... well-known for his benevolence and untiring exertions for the amelioration of the Jewish poor of the metropolis.'


See also

* Mocatta (name) *
ScotiaMocatta ScotiaMocatta, originally founded as Mocatta Bullion in 1684, was a precious metal and base metal trading company that operated as the metals trading division of the Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) from 1997 until January 2019. Business Sco ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mocatta British Sephardi Jews Surnames of Jewish origin Sephardi families Surnames Mocatta family