Sir Robert Vyner, 1st Baronet
Sir Robert Vyner, 1st Baronet | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1631 Warwick, England |
| Died | Error: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day Windsor, England |
| Occupation(s) | Goldsmith, banker, Lord Mayor of London |
| Years active | 1659–1688 |
| Known for | Serving as Lord Mayor of London; crafting jewel-encrusted replicas for Charles II's coronation; king's goldsmith; large loans to the crown |
Sir Robert Vyner, 1st Baronet (also spelled Viner) (1631 – 12 September 1688) was an English goldsmith, banker, and served as Lord Mayor of London.
Born in Warwick, Vyner moved to London at an early age where he was apprenticed to his uncle, Sir Thomas Vyner (1588–1665), a prominent goldsmith-banker and former Lord Mayor of London.
Life
Upon settling in London, Vyner joined his uncle’s enterprise as a business partner. He was knighted in 1665, appointed Alderman in 1666, and granted a baronetcy the following year. During the Great Fire of London, he held the office of sheriff and was later chosen as Lord Mayor in 1674. Following his uncle’s example, Vyner merged banking activities with goldsmithing; he is particularly remembered for crafting the jewel-encrusted replicas of the Crown of St. Edward and the King's Orb used at Charles II's coronation in 1661. His relationship with Charles II was close enough that the monarch attended Vyner’s mayoral banquet, and a mounted statue commemorating Vyner was placed near the present-day Mansion House, London.
Shortly after Sir James Harrington fled to France in 1660, Vyner purchased Swakeleys House located in Ickenham, west of London. Following his banquet with Charles II, Samuel Pepys visited Vyner on two occasions to obtain loans on behalf of the king. Pepys also recorded that Vyner showed him the preserved remains of a deceased servant boy. The secondary school Vyners School in Ickenham bears his name. In 1659, Vyner served as High Sheriff of Norfolk.
Named the king’s goldsmith in 1661, Vyner extended large loans to both the crown and government; by the time of the 1672 Great Stop of the Exchequer, over £400,000 was owed to him. The suspension of payments compelled him to engage with creditors for settlements. He ultimately secured a £25,000 annuity from the state.
Vyner was among the signatories of The Several Declarations of The Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa (1667), which played a role in establishing the Royal African Company.
He passed away in Windsor on 2 September 1688.
References
- This work cites:
- Viner: a Family History, published anonymously (1885).