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Sir George Smith, 1st Baronet (1714–1769), of Smith House (later " Bromley House"), Angel Row, Nottingham, and of Stoke Hall in the parish of East Stoke in Nottinghamshire, was a member of the Smith family of bankers, who established
Smith's Bank Smith's Bank was a series of English banking partnerships in London and the provinces, all controlled by the Smith family that operated between 1658 and 1918. Although Smith's Bank was never a single entity, the first bank was established in N ...
in
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
in 1658. He was created a
baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
"of East Stoke in the
County of Nottingham A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) ''Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denotin ...
", a title in the
Baronetage of Great Britain Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...
, on 31 October 1757.


Origins

He was the eldest son of Abel Smith I (1686–1756) of Nottingham, the 2nd son of Thomas Smith I (1631–1699), the founder of
Smith's Bank Smith's Bank was a series of English banking partnerships in London and the provinces, all controlled by the Smith family that operated between 1658 and 1918. Although Smith's Bank was never a single entity, the first bank was established in N ...
in Nottingham. His younger brothers included: Abel Smith II (1717–1788) (father of
Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington (22 January 1752 – 18 September 1838), was a British banker, slave owner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1779 to 1797 when he was raised to the peerage. Early life Smith was the third so ...
, and of John Smith (1767–1842) of Blendon Hall, great-grandfather of
Vivian Smith, 1st Baron Bicester Vivian Hugh Smith, 1st Baron Bicester (9 December 1867 – 17 February 1956), was a British merchant banker. Early life Vivian Hugh Smith was born on 9 December 1867. He was the elder son of Hugh Colin Smith (son of John Abel Smith and Gove ...
(1867–1956)) and John Smith (born 1716), ancestor of
Julian Pauncefote, 1st Baron Pauncefote Julian Pauncefote, 1st Baron Pauncefote (13 September 1828 – 24 May 1902), known as Sir Julian Pauncefote between 1874 and 1899, was a British barrister, judge and diplomat. He was Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs betwee ...
(1828–1902). His mother was Jane Beaumont (1689–1743), a daughter of George Beaumont of Chapelthorpe in Yorkshire.


Marriages and issue

He married twice: *Firstly to Mary Howe (1726–1761), daughter and sole heiress of Major William Howe (1699–1733) by his wife Elizabeth Pauncefote, one of the two daughters and co-heiresses of William Pauncefote (died 1711) of Carswalls in Newent, and of Preston, near
Dymock Dymock is a village and civil parish in the Forest of Dean district of Gloucestershire, England, about four miles south of Ledbury. In 2014 the parish had an estimated population of 1,205. Dymock is the origin of the Dymock Red, a cider apple ...
, both in
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
. Elizabeth's sister and co-heiress Sarah Pauncefote was the wife of William Bromley (died 1769) of Abberley Hall near
Stourport-on-Severn Stourport-on-Severn, often shortened to Stourport, is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest (district), Wyre Forest District of North Worcestershire, England, 4 miles to the south of Kidderminster and downstream on the River Severn from Be ...
in Worcestershire. His father-in-law Major William Howe was the son of
Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...
Emanuel Howe (c. 1663 – 1709; the fourth son of John Grobham Howe (1625–1679) of Langar Hall in
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, the younger son of Sir John Howe, 1st Baronet) by his wife Ruperta, the illegitimate daughter of
Prince Rupert of the Rhine Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...
, grandson of King James I. By his first wife he had issue, of whom only one survived: **Sir George Pauncefote-Bromley, 2nd Baronet (1753–1808), High Sheriff of
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
in 1775. In 1778 he assumed by royal licence the surname and arms of Bromley in lieu of his patronymic and in 1803 he assumed by royal licence the surname of Pauncefote in addition to that of Bromley, having inherited or purchased the outstanding moieties of his maternal estates of Carswalls and Preston from his mother's childless first-cousin Robert Bromley (died 1803) of Abberley. Robert Bromley (died 1803) thus disposed of his maternal estates to the descendant of his mother's sister, but his paternal estate of Abberley he bequeathed to his illegitimate kinsman Col. Henry Bromley (c. 1803 – 1836), a Member of Parliament for
Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...
1806–07, illegitimate son of a certain William Bromley. In 1778 he married Esther Curzon, a daughter of Assheton Curzon, 1st Viscount Curzon (1730–1820), of
Hagley Hall Hagley Hall is a Listed building#Categories of listed building, Grade I listed 18th-century house in Hagley, Worcestershire, the home of the Lyttelton family. It was the creation of George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton, George, 1st Lord Lytte ...
in Staffordshire, who brought with her a large dowry. However, by 1782 it had become clear to his wife that he was homosexual: Lady Bromley "observed an increasing impertinent familiar behaviour of Sr George Bromley to his male servants, but inspecting (suspecting) as she was of the cause, it past on for some time until his conduct discovered evident proof to her of a strong propensity to the vice of sodomitical practices he separated himself from her bed grew less attentive and soon almost entirely alienated his affections, if he ever entertained any, for her, and directed all his thoughts and actions to his favourite male servants spending the whole of his time with them in his study or in amusements under the pretences of fishing and having one constantly to sleep in the same room with him". Following the complaint of one of his male servants, he was tried at Nottingham Assizes in 1791 and was convicted for assault and attempted sodomy and was jailed for 2 years, and was divorced by his wife. By his wife he had a son and heir: ***Admiral Sir Robert Howe Bromley, 3rd Baronet (1778–1857) *Secondly in 1768 he married Catherine Vyse (died 1786), a daughter of William Vyse of Lichfield,
Archdeacon of Salop The Archdeacon of Salop is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield. History Shropshire was historically split between the diocese of Hereford (under the Archdeacon of Shropshire) and the diocese of Coventry ...
.


Monument at East Stoke

His mural monument survives in St Oswald's Church, East Stoke, displaying the arms of Smith ("Or, a chevron cotised sable between three demi-griffins couped of the last the two in chief respecting each other"), with an inescutcheon of pretence of Howe ("Or, a fess between three wolf's heads couped sable" of four quarters) impaling Vyse ("Argent, a buck's head cabossed sable between the attires a cross of the last").Burke's General Armory, 1884, p. 1060
/ref> It is inscribed as follows:
:"Sacred to the memory of Sir George Smith Bart of Nottingham and of Stoke Hall who died Sept 5th 1769 aged 55. And of Mary his first wife daughter and sole heiress of William Howe Esqr who died May 18th 1761 aged 35, by whom he had issue: Howe, born June 26th 1749; May, born May 3d 1751; Jane, born July 27th 1760, who all died in their infancy and lie interr'd in the vault underneath this monument with their father and mother. George (their only surviving child) caused this monument to be erected as a testimony of his affectionate regard for his deceased parents."


Further reading

*Ted White, ''The Smith Family of Bromley House'', 201


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, George 1714 births 1769 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain High sheriffs of Nottinghamshire George People from Nottingham