Charles Duncombe (English banker)
Sir Charles Duncombe (16 November 1648 – 9 April 1711)[1] was an English banker and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor 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 £1,500 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 1694 he bought the 40,000 acre Helmsley estate, now Duncombe Park.
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. His sister Ursula Duncombe inherited half of Duncombe's fortune and was the ancestor of the present-day Barons Feversham.
References
- 'Dakins - Dyer', The Rulers of London 1660-1689: A biographical record of the Aldermen and Common Councilmen of the City of London (1966)
- House of Commons Journal, 18 March 1698
- Dictionary of National Biography
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Guy William Boynton |
Member of Parliament for Hedon 1685–1687 With: Henry Guy |
Succeeded by Henry Guy Matthew Appleyard (younger) |
| Preceded by Sir Robert Holmes Hon. Fitton Gerard |
Member of Parliament for Yarmouth 1690–1695 With: Sir John Trevor 1690–95 Henry Holmes 1695 |
Succeeded by Henry Holmes Anthony Morgan |
| Preceded by Sir Charles Raleigh Maurice Bocland |
Member of Parliament for Downton 1695–1698 With: Sir Charles Raleigh |
Succeeded by Sir Charles Raleigh Maurice Bocland |
| Preceded by Sir James Ashe Carew Raleigh |
Member of Parliament for Downton 1702–1707 With: Sir James Ashe 1702–05 John Eyre 1705–07 |
Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Parliament of England |
Member of Parliament for Downton 1707–1711 With: John Eyre 1707–11 |
Succeeded by John Eyre Thomas Duncombe |
| Civic offices | ||
| Preceded by Sir William Withers |
Lord Mayor of London 1708–1709 |
Succeeded by Sir Samuel Garrard, Bt |