Peter Thellusson
Peter de Thellusson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1735-06-27 Geneva |
| Died | 1797-07-21 |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, banker |
| Years active | 1760–1797 |
| Known for | Founder of a London financial institution; director of the Bank of England; involved in sugar refining and West Indies trade; Thellusson Will Case |
Peter [de] Thellusson (27 June 1735 – 21 July 1797) was a businessman and banker originally from Geneva who established himself in London and became a British citizen in 1762. He amassed considerable wealth through his commercial ventures and owned more than 4,000 acres of land in England at the time of his passing. His heirs were responsible for developing Brodsworth Hall in South Yorkshire, which is currently preserved by English Heritage.
Early life
Originating from a Huguenot lineage that escaped France for Geneva during the 16th century, Thellusson was the son of Isaac de Thellusson (1690–1755) and Sarah (née le Boullenger) Thellusson (1700–1770). His father established a banking firm in Paris with an extension in Geneva, known as Thellusson, Necker et Cie, and acted as the Genevan ambassador to Paris. Peter’s elder sibling, Georges-Tobie de Thellusson (1728–1776), was likewise engaged in banking.
Career
Peter collaborated with his brother Georges-Tobie to operate the prosperous bank alongside Jacques Necker, managing the London branch from 1760 while Necker handled operations in Paris. Their joint ventures included profiting from government loans and speculation in grain markets. Peter founded his own financial institution located on Philpot Lane and officially obtained British citizenship through an Act of Parliament in 1761.
His business interests expanded to serving as a director of the Bank of England, holding partial ownership in sugar refining enterprises, and importing tobacco and sugar from the West Indies. He provided financing to slave ship operators and plantation owners, acquiring stakes in Caribbean plantations when debts were defaulted upon. The family maintained ownership of enslaved people on estates in Grenada and Montserrat until 1820. Thellusson constructed 'Plaistow Lodge' in Bromley and acquired the Brodsworth estate in South Yorkshire in 1790.
Personal life
On 6 January 1760, he wed Ann Woodford (1740–1805), daughter of Matthew Woodford and sibling to Sir Ralph Woodford of Carlby, Lincolnshire. Their offspring included:
- Peter Isaac Thellusson, 1st Baron Rendlesham (1761–1808), who married Elizabeth Eleanor Cornwall in 1783.
- George Woodford Thellusson (1764–1811), who wed Mary Anne Fonnereau, daughter of MP Philip Fonnereau, in 1790.
- Maria Thellusson (born 1766), who married Hon. Augustus Phipps.
- Augusta Charlotte Thellusson (born 1768), who first married Thomas Champion Crespigny in 1798 and later Sir Joseph Whatley in 1827.
- Charles Thellusson (1770–1815), who took Sabine Robarts, daughter of MP Abraham Robarts, as his wife in 1795.
- Anne Thellusson (1774–1849), who married Vice-Admiral William Lukin in 1801.
Death and estate
Upon his death, his extensive estate became embroiled in the legal dispute known as the Thellusson Will Case, triggered by an unconventional will that placed his fortune into a trust designed to benefit distant descendants rather than immediate heirs. Following prolonged litigation, the courts ultimately granted the estate to the grandchildren of his eldest son, Peter Isaac Thellusson, who was ennobled as Baron Rendlesham in 1806, along with another son, Charles. This high-profile case is thought to have inspired Charles Dickens’ fictional Jarndyce and Jarndyce lawsuit featured in Bleak House, with Thellusson himself possibly serving as a model for Dickens’ Tellsons Bank in A Tale of Two Cities. The controversy led to the enactment of legislation known as the Thellusson Act aimed at preventing similar trust-related disputes.