Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington

Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington
Born	Template:Birth date
Died	September 18, 1838(1838-09-18) (aged 86)
Occupation(s)	Financier, slave proprietor, parliamentarian
Known for	Member of Parliament for Nottingham (1779–1797), Baron Carrington

Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington (22 January 1752 – 18 September 1838) was a British financier, slave proprietor, and parliamentarian who represented a seat in the House of Commons from 1779 until his ennoblement in 1797.

Early life

Born as the third son to Abel Smith and Mary (née Bird), Smith hailed from a family with banking roots; his grandfather, Abel Smith (circa 1690–1756), established the Nottingham-based Smith's Bank. In 1780, he wed Anne Boldero-Barnard.

Politics

Following the death of his elder brother Abel, Smith took over as Member of Parliament for Nottingham in 1779. He retained this position without contest and secured reelection in the years 1780, 1784, 1790, and 1796.

In recognition of his assistance in addressing Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger's financial challenges, he was elevated in 1796 to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Carrington, of Bulcote Lodge. The subsequent year, he received the title Baron Carrington, of Upton in the County of Nottingham, within the Peerage of Great Britain, which necessitated vacating his Commons seat. His parliamentary role for Nottingham was then assumed by Sir John Borlase Warren.

Later life

Smith gained election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1800 and later joined the Society of Antiquaries in 1812. He was appointed a Nobleman at Magdalene College, Cambridge in 1819. From 1802 until his passing, he held the position of Captain of Deal Castle.

Documentation from University College London's Legacies of British Slave-ownership reveals that Carrington received financial compensation as a slave owner after the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, facilitated by the Slave Compensation Act of 1837. The British Government secured a £15 million loan from Nathan Mayer Rothschild and Moses Montefiore to cover these payments, which taxpayers fully repaid by 2015. Carrington was recorded as owning 268 enslaved individuals in Jamaica and was compensated £4,908 at that time.

Family

After the death of his first wife Anne in 1827, Carrington remarried Charlotte Hudson in 1836 when he was aged 83 and she was 65. He passed away in September 1838 at the age of 86. Together with Anne, he fathered one son and five daughters. His hereditary titles were inherited by his son Robert, who legally changed his surname to Carrington in 1839.

Issue

	Life span	Marriage(s)	Notes
Children by Anne Boldero-Barnard
Hon. Catherine Lucy Smith	Deceased 1843	Wed Philip Henry Stanhope, Viscount Mahon (later the 4th Earl Stanhope); had descendants.
Hon. Hester Frances Smith	Deceased 1854	Married Rt Hon. Sir Henry Williams-Wynn; had descendants.	Sir Henry was a second cousin to Viscount Mahon.
Hon. Emily Smith	Deceased 1869	United with Rt Hon. Lord Granville Somerset; had descendants.
Hon. Charlotte Elizabeth Smith	Deceased 1811	Married Admiral Alan Gardner, 2nd Baron Gardner; had descendants.
Hon. Harriet Smith	Deceased 1856	Wed Col. John Frederick Crewe; had descendants.
Hon. Robert John Smith, later 2nd Baron Carrington	1796–1868	First married Hon. Elizabeth Weld-Forester; had descendants.	Adopted surname Carrington by royal licence in 1839.
		Subsequently married Hon. Charlotte Drummond-Willoughby; had descendants.

References

• Kidd, Charles and Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.