Sir Charles Duncombe

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Sir Charles Duncombe (16 November 1648-9 April 1711) was an English banker and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of the City of London.

Duncombe was apprenticed to the London goldsmith Edward Backwell and became in due course a member of the Goldsmiths' Company. Under both Charles II and James II he was Receiver of the Customs, and made a fortune in banking; later in life he was said to be worth £400,000, and died the richest commoner in England. When James II fled the country in 1688, Duncombe refused him a loan of £1500 to aid his escape.

He was elected to Parliament in 1685, and represented Hedon, Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) and Downton, supporting the Tories. During this period he opposed the establishment of the Bank of England.

In 1698, Duncombe was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London, and subsequently expelled from the House of Commons, for "contriving and advising the making of false Indorsements of several Bills, made forth at the Receipt of Exchequer, commonly called Exchequer-Bills", in other words a tax fraud. However, when tried he was acquitted through a mistake in the information, and he was knighted on 20 October 1699. He was later also re-elected to the Commons for his old constituency.

He also served as alderman for Broad Street ward in the City of London from 1683 to 1686 (from which he was discharged by Royal Commission) and for Bridge Within ward from 1700 until his death. He was Sheriff of the City in 1700, and Lord Mayor in 1708.

His brother, Anthony Duncombe, who was also MP for Hedon, died before him. His nephew and heir, also called Anthony, was later ennobled as Lord Feversham.

Parliament of England
Preceded by Henry Guy William Boynton	Member of Parliament for Hedon with Henry Guy 1685-1687	Succeeded by Henry Guy Matthew Appleyard
Preceded by Sir Robert Holmes Fitton Gerard	Member of Parliament for Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) with Sir John Trevor 1690-1695 Henry Holmes 1695 1690-1695	Succeeded by Henry Holmes Anthony Morgan
Preceded by Sir Charles Raleigh Maurice Bocland	Member of Parliament for Downton with Sir Charles Raleigh 1695-1698	Succeeded by Sir Charles Raleigh Maurice Bocland
Preceded by Sir James Ashe Carew Raleigh	Member of Parliament for Downton with Sir James Ashe 1702-1705 John Eyre, from 1705 1702-1707	Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Parliament of England	Member of Parliament for Downton with John Eyre 1705-1711 1707-1711	Succeeded by John Eyre Thomas Duncombe
Political offices
Preceded by Sir William Withers	Lord Mayor of the City of London 1708-1709	Succeeded by Sir Samuel Garrard

[edit] References

'Dakins - Dyer', The Rulers of London 1660-1689: A biographical record of the Aldermen and Common Councilmen of the City of London (1966)[1]
House of Commons Journal, 18 March 1698 [2]
Dictionary of National Biography