Thomas Coutts (7 September 1735 – 24 February 1822) was a British banker. He was a founder of the banking house Coutts & Co.

Early life

Coutts was the fourth son of Jean (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Steuart) Coutts and John Coutts (1699–1751), whose business in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

was as a corn factor and negotiator of bills of exchange, and in 1742 was elected lord provost of the city. The family was originally of Montrose, but in about 1696 one of its members settled in Edinburgh, where in due course Thomas was educated at the Royal High School.

Career

Soon after the death of John Coutts the business was divided into two branches, with one continuing in Edinburgh, the other in London. The London banking business was in the hands of Thomas and his brother James, an MP. Following the death of his brother in 1778, as surviving partner Thomas became sole head of the firm, and it was under his direction the banking house rose to the highest distinction. His ambition was to establish his character as a man of business and make a fortune, and he lived to succeed and enjoy his reputation and wealth. A gentleman in manners, hospitable and benevolent, he counted amongst his friends some of the literary men and the actors of his day. Of the enormous wealth which came into his hands he made munificent use.

Personal life

In May 1763 he married Susannah Starkey (variously reported as Elizabeth, Betty, or Susan), a young woman whose origins were humble. She was in attendance on the daughter of his brother James. They appear to have had a happy marriage, and had three daughters: * Susan Coutts (–1837), who in 1796 married George Augustus North, 3rd Earl of Guilford. * Frances Coutts (1773–1832), who in 1800 married

John Crichton-Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute PC, FRS (30 June 1744 – 16 November 1814), styled Lord Mount Stuart until 1792 and known as The Earl of Bute between 1792 and 1794, was a British nobleman, coalfield owner, diplomat and politician who sat in ...

. * Sophia Coutts (1775–1844), who in 1793 married Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet, a "zealous and courageous advocate of reform who more than once endured imprisonment for his radical views." Coutts's first wife died on 4 January 1815. On 18 January, Coutts married Harriet Mellon, a popular actress. She was 37 years old; he was 79. He died in London on 24 February 1822, leaving his entire fortune to his widow. In 1827, she remarried William Beauclerk, 9th Duke of St Albans, who was 23 years her junior. She died ten years later, bequeathing her property to Thomas's granddaughter, her step-granddaughter

Angela Angela may refer to: Places * Angela, Montana * Angela Lake, in Volusia County, Florida * Lake Angela, in Lyon Township, Oakland County, Michigan * Lake Angela, the reservoir impounded by the source dam of the South Yuba River Fiction * Angel ...

, the youngest daughter of Sir Francis Burdett. Angela then assumed the additional name and arms of Coutts. In 1871, Angela was created

Baroness Burdett-Coutts Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or k ...

Legacy

The HCS ''Thomas Coutts'', a

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which ar ...

of the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

active from at least 1826 :c:Thomas Coutts (ship, 1817) to 1839, was named for Coutts.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coutts, Thomas 1735 births 1822 deaths People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Businesspeople from Edinburgh Scottish bankers Anglo-Scots