James Bateman (banker)
Sir James Bateman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age London, England |
| Died | November 10, 1718 (aged 58) |
| Occupation(s) | Merchant, politician |
| Years active | 1680s–1718 |
| Known for | Lord Mayor of London, Governor of the Bank of England, MP for Ilchester and East Looe |
Sir James Bateman (29 April 1660 – 10 November 1718) was an English merchant and politician who represented constituencies in the House of Commons between 1711 and 1718. He occupied prominent financial positions, including Lord Mayor of London and Governor of the Bank of England.
Early years
Born to Joseph Bateman, a prosperous Flemish immigrant merchant and alderman, and Judith de la Barre, whose father was also a London merchant, Bateman was baptised at St Martin Orgar, London. He developed his father’s trading enterprise further. Around 1683–84, he resided in Alicante, Portugal, where he traded in wine. By the early 1690s, he had returned to London with significant wealth, focusing on importing wines from the Iberian Peninsula. In 1691, he wed Esther Searle, daughter and coheiress of John Searle, a merchant based in Finchley.
Career
Bateman emerged as a key figure within London's financial circles. As an early subscriber to the Bank of England at its inception in 1694, he became one of its initial directors. Politically engaged, he unsuccessfully sought election at Totnes in 1695 and narrowly avoided impeachment related to his activities with the Company of Scotland. He played a role in founding an alternative East India Company and served as a founding director of the New East Indies Company in 1698—the same year he was knighted.
Following an unsuccessful parliamentary campaign at St Mawes in 1701, Bateman concentrated on municipal administration: holding office as Sheriff of London (1701–02), Deputy Governor (1703–05), and Governor (1705–07) of the Bank of England. In 1705, he acquired the Shobdon estate in Herefordshire and reconstructed it in the Palladian architectural style. He returned to serve as a Bank director from 1707 to 1711, became an alderman in 1708, joined the Loriners’ Company, directed the United East India Company (1709–10), and acted as prime warden of the Fishmongers’ Company between 1710 and 1712. In 1711, he resigned from the Bank to assume the role of sub-Governor at the South Sea Company, a position he held until his death.
In parliamentary affairs, Bateman failed to secure a seat representing London in 1710 but was elected MP for Ilchester during a 1711 by-election and retained that seat after re-election in 1713. Although defeated at Ilchester in 1715, he won election for East Looe and served as Lord Mayor of London from 1716 to 1717.
Death and legacy
Bateman passed away in 1718, survived by four sons and three daughters. His properties located in Herefordshire, Kent, and Essex were apportioned among his sons. His son William received the title Viscount Bateman and inherited Shobdon Court.