Thomas Coutts | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Thomas Coutts by William Beechey | |
| Born | 7 September 1735 [1] : 20 |
| Died | 24 February 1822 (aged 86) |
| Education | Royal High School |
| Known for | Founder of Coutts & Co |
| Spouse(s) | Susannah Starkey (m. 1763;died 1815) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | John Coutts Jean Steuart Coutts |
| Relatives | James Coutts (brother) Angela Burdett-Coutts (granddaughter) |
Thomas Coutts (7 September 1735 – 24 February 1822) was a British banker. He was the founder of the banking house Coutts & Co. [2]
Coutts was the fourth son of Jean (née Steuart) Coutts and John Coutts (1699–1751), whose business in Edinburgh was as a corn factor and negotiator of bills of exchange, and in 1742 was elected lord provost of the city. [2] 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. [3]
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. [2]
In May 1763 [1] : 25 he married Susannah Starkey (variously reported as Elizabeth, [2] Betty, or Susan), [1] : 25 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: [2]
Coutts's first wife died on 4 January 1815. [8] : 311 On 18 January, Coutts married Harriet Mellon, a popular actress. [9] She was 37 years old; he was 79.
He died in London on 24 February 1822, leaving his entire fortune to his widow. [9] In 1827, she remarried William Beauclerk, 9th Duke of St Albans, who was 23 years her junior. [10] She died ten years later, bequeathing her property to Thomas's granddaughter, her step-granddaughter Angela, 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. [2]
The HCS Thomas Coutts, a merchant ship of the British East India Company active from at least 1826 [11] to 1839, [12] was named for Coutts.
Alexander Baring, 1st Baron Ashburton, PC, of The Grange in Hampshire, of Ashburton in Devon and of Buckenham Tofts near Thetford in Norfolk, was a British politician and financier, and a member of the Baring family. Baring was the second son of Sir Francis Baring, 1st Baronet, and of Harriet, daughter of William Herring.
John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute,, , was a landed aristocrat, industrial magnate, antiquarian, scholar, philanthropist, and architectural patron.
Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts, born Angela Georgina Burdett, was a British philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and Sophia, formerly Coutts, daughter of banker Thomas Coutts. In 1837 she became one of the wealthiest women in England when she inherited her grandfather's fortune of around £1.8 million following the death of her stepgrandmother, Harriot Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans. She joined the surnames of her father and grandfather, by royal licence, to become Burdett-Coutts. Edward VII is reported to have described her as, "[a]fter my mother, the most remarkable woman in the kingdom."
Francis Burdett Thomas Nevill Money-Coutts, 5th Baron Latymer was a London solicitor, poet, librettist, and wealthy heir to the fortune of the Coutts banking family. He is now remembered chiefly as a patron and collaborator of the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz.
Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet was an English politician and Member of Parliament who gained notoriety as a proponent of universal male suffrage, equal electoral districts, vote by ballot, and annual parliaments. His commitment to reform resulted in legal proceedings and brief confinement to the Tower of London. In his later years he appeared reconciled to the very limited provisions of the 1832 Reform Act.
William Aubrey de Vere Beauclerk, 9th Duke of St Albans was an English aristocrat and cricketer.
Coutts & Co. is a London-headquartered private bank and wealth manager. Founded in 1692, it is the eighth oldest bank in the world. Today, Coutts forms part of NatWest Group's wealth management division. In the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, Coutts Crown Dependencies operates as a trading name of The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited.
John Spencer, 1st Earl Spencer was a British peer and politician.
George Gordon, 9th Marquess of Huntly,, styled Lord Strathavon until 1795 and known as The Earl of Aboyne from 1795 to 1836, was a Scottish peer.
John Hay, 1st Marquess and 2nd Earl of Tweeddale was Lord Chancellor of Scotland.
Robert Scott Lauder was a Scottish artist who described himself as a "historical painter". He was one of the original members of the Royal Scottish Academy.
Thomas Taylour, 1st Earl of Bective, KP, PC (Ire) was an Irish peer and politician.
Michael Biddulph, 1st Baron Biddulph JP DL was a British banker and Liberal, later Liberal Unionist, Member of Parliament (MP).
George Augustus North, 3rd Earl of Guilford, FRS, known as The Honourable George North until 1790 and as Lord North from 1790 to 1792, was a British politician.
Harriet Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans was a British banker and actress who eventually starred at Drury Lane. She was successively the wife of banker Thomas Coutts and then of William Beauclerk, 9th Duke of St Albans. She was widely celebrated for her beauty, and she was painted by George Romney and Sir Thomas Lawrence.
William Otter was the first Principal of King's College, London, who later served as Bishop of Chichester.
George Livingston PC was a military officer and third Earl of Linlithgow.
John Coutts was a British merchant and banker who became Lord Provost of Edinburgh in 1742.
Alexander Livingston, 2nd Earl of Linlithgow PC was a Scottish nobleman.
James Coutts was a Scottish politician, merchant and founder of the Coutts & Co. bank.
Media related to Thomas Coutts at Wikimedia Commons
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