Richard Levett

Sir Richard Levett
Sir Richard Levett
Born	1629; Ashwell, Rutland, England
Died	20 January 1711
Occupation(s)	Merchant, Politician
Known for	Lord Mayor of London (1699), Director of Bank of England, East India Company member

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Richard Levett, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 2025

Sir Richard Levett (1629 – 20 January 1711) was a notable English merchant and political figure who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1699. Originating from Ashwell, Rutland, he established a groundbreaking career in commerce within London and maintained associations with institutions like the Bank of England and the East India Company.

Levett maintained connections with influential City personalities such as Samuel Pepys, Sir John Houblon, and Dr Robert Hooke, and he acquired estates in both Kew and Cripplegate.

Early life and career beginnings

Although descending from a historically influential Sussex Anglo-Norman lineage, Levett's family fortune had waned by his time. His father, a Puritan clergyman, was removed from his position following the Stuart Restoration. Consequently, Richard and his brother Francis depended on their own industriousness to advance commercially.

The Levett siblings represented the rising mercantile middle class in England, capitalizing on meritocratic principles amid the decline of feudal structures. Despite a nominal allegiance to Tory politics, Richard embraced free market economic practices.

Beginning their enterprise as modest haberdashers dealing in tobacco and textiles, they imported merchandise that was sold at fairs across the country. With the expansion of the British Empire, they gained an advantage over rivals by operating their own fleet to import tobacco, linens, and other commodities.

By 1705, their company ranked among England’s largest trading concerns, boasting working capital estimated between £30,000 and £40,000. Their commercial reach extended to the Levant, India, Africa, the West Indies, North America, Ireland, and Russia. Levett oversaw maritime logistics for voyages to destinations including Guinea and English Southern Colonies. Additionally, he participated in the Atlantic slave trade, transporting enslaved Africans to colonies such as Virginia and Maryland.

In 1705, Levett submitted a petition to the Board of Trade and Plantations regarding colonial obstruction of his vessels, underscoring difficulties encountered in sustaining his transatlantic trade activities.

The building of a business empire

Entering the eighteenth century, Sir Richard Levett and Company had grown into one of England’s preeminent firms, controlling much of the tobacco commerce with the Virginia Colony and Turkey. Documentation reveals Levett negotiated firmly with planters in Virginia.

He held membership as a Merchant Adventurer within the London East India Company, was among the inaugural directors of the Bank of England, and joined the New England Company in 1698. With interests extending into shipping, he was an early backer of what evolved into Lloyd's of London. He received knighthood at Kensington in 1691.

Within London's tightly-knit mercantile circles, Levett both cooperated and competed with leading traders. At an East India Company assembly in 1701, he appeared alongside figures such as Governor Thomas Cooke and Sir William Langhorne.

By 1695, Levett's enterprise imported nearly 3.9 million pounds of tobacco into England, subsequently re-exporting approximately 1.3 million pounds to destinations including Holland, Germany, and the Baltic region. Functioning as intermediaries within a vertically integrated framework, Levett and his partners secured significant profits through access to capital resources and ownership of a dedicated shipping fleet.

Levett emerged as a distinguished participant in London’s commercial and civic spheres. He occupied the role of Master of the Haberdashers' Company (1690–1691), was elected Alderman for the City, served as Sheriff (1691/92), before assuming office as Lord Mayor of London (1699/1700). During his tenure as Master Haberdasher, he played a role in constructing Sir Robert Aske's Hospital with architect Robert Hooke.

Operating from his residence in Cripplegate, once owned by Lord Mayor Sir Thomas Bloodworth, Levett directed his trading operations concurrently with his mayoral responsibilities. This substantial townhouse on Noble Street near Lily Pot Lane later became home to printer Charles Rivington.

Home and family life

Sir Richard Levett possessed two rural residences in Kew, one of which was the Dutch House—today known as Kew Palace—along with its adjacent lands. Following his passing, his daughter Mary Thoroton leased the Dutch House to Queen Caroline, consort of King George II, who utilized it as a nursery for royal children. This arrangement probably influenced Frederick, Prince of Wales, and his wife Augusta, Princess of Wales, to establish their residence at Kew. In 1781, Levett's grandson Levett Blackburne, a distinguished barrister affiliated with Lincoln's Inn, sold both properties and their estates to the Royal family.

Richard Levett was united in marriage with Mary Crispe, believed to be the daughter of Sir Nicholas Crispe, a merchant adventurer from Fulham, Middlesex. The couple held considerable sway in London society following the Restoration period. Levett’s name appears in Samuel Pepys’ diaries as well as accounts of contemporary social gatherings. He gained recognition for his charitable contributions, supporting institutions such as St. Thomas' Hospital in Southwark and various church-related charities across the West Country and Ireland.

Mary Crispe Levett was notably engaged in religious philanthropy. Edmund Calamy, an English nonconformist clergyman, described "Lady Levett" as both a dear friend and a generous patron of religious and educational initiatives. Calamy even dedicated one of his sermons to her in acknowledgment of her support.

Samuel Pepys, famed diarist and Secretary of the Admiralty, maintained a social relationship with Alderman Levett. On 14 March 1668, Pepys recorded his attempts to meet with Levett, who eventually left his business affairs to see him—a gesture that greatly relieved Pepys.

Levett is also frequently mentioned in the diaries of Roger Whitley, Member of Parliament for Wales and Chester, underscoring their ongoing social and political interactions.

Death and legacy

Sir Richard Levett passed away in 1711. He is interred alongside his wife and several daughters in the churchyard at Kew, where memorials also commemorate the Blackburne family through marital ties. His daughter Mary wed London merchant Abraham Blackborne; their lineage included prominent individuals such as Charles Manners-Sutton, Archbishop of Canterbury. The Levett estates at Kew were inherited by Levett Blackburne, a notable Lincoln's Inn barrister and advisor to the Dukes of Rutland. Additionally, Sir Richard received royal land grants in colonial territories including Nova Scotia and East Florida.

A commemorative inscription honoring Sir Richard and Lady Mary Levett is located at Saint Anne's Church in Kew. In 2018, a street in Kew was named Levett Square to pay tribute to his legacy.

His son Richard—who served as Alderman (1722) and Sheriff of London—inherited the family interests but declared bankruptcy in 1730. As a result, numerous family heirlooms passed into the possession of the Hulse family from Hampshire and remain preserved at Breamore House. Alderman Richard Levett died in 1740 and was laid to rest at Temple Church.

The third brother, Dr. William Levett, held positions as Principal of Magdalen Hall at Oxford University and Dean of Bristol Cathedral. Their uncle William Levett was an attendant to King Charles I during the monarch’s flight and subsequent imprisonment.

Twelve years after Sir Richard’s death, his widow Mary revised her will to authorize the sale of two Anthony van Dyck portraits depicting King Charles I and his Queen—paintings likely inherited from the Lord Mayor’s uncle—with proceeds designated for her granddaughters’ benefit.

Sources

The Levetts of Staffordshire, Dyonese Levett Haszard, privately printed, Milford, Staffordshire
The Making of the English Middle Class: Business, Society and Family Life in London, 1660–1730, Peter Earle, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1989
The Thorotons, Myles Thoroton Hildyard, privately printed, 1991

External links