Jew Brokers of the City of London
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
80 MISCELLANIES. 9 Jew Brokers of the City of London The gradual resettlement of the Jews in England during the Protectorate of Cromwell, the defeat of the various attempts to dislodge them and the eventual admission of Solomon Dormido to the Royal Exchange, to be followed by other Jews in the period 1671-1697, have been graphically recorded by Mr. Lucien Wolf.1 An intensive study of the Guildhall Repertories which contain the summaries of the proceedings of the Court of Aldermen from 1657-1708 has moved the present writer to set down certain additional information about Jew brokers. Thanks to the kindness of Mr. P. E. Jones, Assistant Keeper of the City of London Records at Guildhall, he has also had access to a book2 containing the names of all the Jew brokers who acted from 1708-1801. These names are set out in the form of an appendix to this Paper, and will be the subject of further investigation. The officeof broker is of ancient origin and the holder of it in Richard IFs time was defined as "one who was a broker trader by misfortune"3 and none but such were formerlyadmitted to that employment. In the reign ofEdward III,4 itwas enacted "that no strangermerchant or other ' stranger shall use or exercise the occupation of brocage' between mer? chant and merchant." The policy of the City Fathers with regard to the admission of brokers was always a restrictive one, but itwill be seen that these two old ordinances had to be tacitly ignored, although the Alder manic reports5 on brokers even as late as 1674, always emphasized that "broking was principally intended for the support and livelihood of 1 Jewish Chronicle, Nov. 8th, Dec. 6th, 1889, Jan. 15th, 1894, April 16th, 1897. Essays in Jewish History (London, 1934) (see Index). 2M.R. 113. 8Malachy Postlethwayt, The Universal Dictionary of Trade and Commerce, 1774], Vol. 1, under Broker. [London,4 Charles Duguid, The Story of the Stock Exchange, pp. 2-3 [London, 1906]. 8 Rep. 79, fol. 321. Jewish Historical Society of England is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to Miscellanies Jewish Historical Society of England ® www.jstor.org RECORD OFFICE OF THE CITY OF LONDON. JEW BROKERS OP THE CITY OF LONDON. 81 decayed citizens and merchants who by great losses have been disabled to pursue their trades." It cannot be said of SOLOMON DORMIDO that he was a decayed merchant, but certainly the circumstances of his appointment were peculiar, for although he was admitted a broker in 1657,6 it was not until 1668 that he was sworn, interestingly enough a year after the Chief Justice had allowed Jewish witnesses to take the oath on the Old Testament only.7 Dormido's admission is not entered in the Repertories of 1657 which seems to show that his presence on the Exchange was necessary but that it was thought best not to introduce the question of his being sworn. On the 30th July, 1668,8 however, JOSEPH FLORES, EMANUEL da COSTA and SAMUEL SASPORTAS were committed to Newgate "for exercising the office of brokage without admittance or allowance of the Court of Aldermen." The Repertories show that the City Authorities were constantly worried by the numbers of unauthorised were brokers who to be found on the Royal Exchange, who not only cut brokerage rates to get business away from the sworn authorised brokers but often brought discredit on the City's reputation by neglecting to meet their obligations. Later during 1668 an enquiry was ordered; no report was made, but in 1671 the Court of Aldermen got to work. Candidates for the officeof broker were ordered to petition the Committee appointed by the Court. They had to produce their testimonials and qualifications.9 On February 9th, 1671, Solomon Dormido was confirmed was in his officeand Flores admitted as were also his fellow prisoners of 1668, Emanuel da Costa and Samuel Sasportas. The last named was formerly Shochet (slaughterer) of the Sephardi Congregation and was son the of the Haham Jacob Sasportas.10 The congregation had paid his passage to Barbados in 1665. He remained a broker until ? fol. 213. He was a son of David Abarbanel a Rep. 73, " Dormido, relative of Menasseh ben Israel, cf. Crypto-Jews under the Commonwealth." Transactions of the i. 70. 7 Society, H. S. Q. The Jews and the 179 19081. 8 Henriques. English Law, p. [Oxford, Rep. 73, fol. 245. 9 76, fol. 69. 10Rep. L. D. Barnett, El Libro de los Acuerdos (Oxford, 1931) p. 30. 82 MISCELLANIES. 1681 when he was dismissed11 "for trading and merchandising to his own use." The following were also appointed in 1671 by the Committee of Aldermen: JACOB MAZAHOD, ANTHONY RODRIGUEZ de MORAIS, BENJAMIN NUNES and DAVID da SILVA. In October of the same year DANIEL ABOAB12 was admitted and inMarch, 167213 SAMUEL DORMIDO; making ten appointments in all. In July, 1672, JONAS GAB AY,14 a recently baptised convert, was admitted but met with rough treatment from the Jews. In his broadsheet of 167615 he complained that he was "put out of his employment by which he gained on his living." It is not difficult to understand that Gabay's position the Exchange was an anomalous one, and so made it difficult either for the gentile or Jewish elements to do business with him. In 167316 FRANCIS TURCO and ISAAC RAMOS became brokers and, as Mr. Wolf has recorded, SAMUEL alias FRANCIS de CACERES in 1674. In this year, also, the Court of Aldermen caused another investigation of the conditions on the Royal Exchange to be made.17 Their report was interesting. It had been laid down that there should be one hundred English-born brokers and six each from the Dutch on and French Congregations besides other aliens. They found the and Exchange only forty-two Englishmen, five from the Austin Friars Savoy Congregations, but thirteen aliens, Jews and Roman Catholics. Incidentally, this is the first record of the Court ofAldermen recognising the Jews as such on the Royal Exchange. Solomon Dormido the first Jew broker was described as "a Merchant Stranger of the Kingdom of as Even Spain" and those Jews admitted in 1671 "Merchant Strangers." no with this apparent shortage of sworn brokers itwas recommended that" as was to custom of the apprentices be allowed it contrary the City." At the end of 1674,18 JOSEPH COHEN D'AZEVEDO was admitted. He afterwards became one of the directors of the East India Company of Scotland. This company was set up to defeat the monopoly of the London East India Company. The directors of the Scottish Company as as was declared the were prosecuted interlopers their Company by 11 15 4. Rep. 86, fol. 234. Barnett, op. ext. p. xiii. Note 12 18 Rep. 76, fol. 302. Rep. 78, fols. 290, 311. Rep. 79, fol. 293. 13 17 Rep. 77, fol. 108. Rep. 79, fol. 321. 14 18 Rep. 77, fol. 210. Rep. 80, fol. 52. JEW BROKERS OF THE CITY OF LONDON. 83 House of Commons to be illegal.18* The next entry records for the first time the interest of the Lord Mayor in certain cases. "Upon the motion of the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor, JACOB ARIAS was admitted a broker and it is ordered that the admittance of JACOB FRANCO to be a broker shall be vacated."19 This may mean that, through the interest of the Lord Mayor,19* Jacob Franco surrendered his office to Arias, but no entry of Franco's admission is to be found. In order, no doubt, to exercise more control over the Royal Exchange brokers, the Court of Aldermen ruled in July, 1679,20 "that no Englishman not free of the City be admitted a broker upon the Royal Exchange." But the Jews, who technically could not be Freemen, were admitted. Some of them must have been English-born. In October of the same year, MOSES BARROW21 was admitted and, in 1680, ABRAHAM GUTTIERES and ABRAHAM de PAIBA.22 In this year, too, the Jews were included in an Aldermanic tirade on unauthorised brokers. " . This Court doth desire theRight Honourable the Lord Mayor Elect to consider and direct the prosecution of some speedy and effectual course for the suppressing of all brokers acting on the Royal Exchange without admission and especially Jewes." ISAAC LINDO23 the first of the famous family of brokers was admitted in 1681, DAVID de FARO24 was made a broker in October, 1682, and ALEXANDER LINDO25 in July, 1683. In September, 1685,26 the Court of Aldermen ordered that a list "of all brokers upon the Royal Exchange be hanged on to up publicly in the Chamberlain's office." ISAAC LOPEZ27 got the Royal Exchange in this year, being the seventeenth Jew broker to note to be appointed since 1657. In the next year it is interesting were that two obvious gentiles, Henry Bowen and Henry Hackett28, 18aN. Luttrell, A Brief Relation of State Affairs from September 1678 toApril 1714, iv., p. 8, where Joseph Coen D'Azevedo is named. 19 Rep. 83, fol. 361. September, 1678. 19a Concerning the Lord Mayor and the London Jews, see pp. 99, 100. 20 Rep. 84, fol. 156. 21 Rep. 84, fol. 226. 22 Rep. 85, fol. 246. 23 Lucien Wolf, op. cit., p. 133, and Rep. 80, fol. 234. 24 Rep. 87, fol. 287. 25 Rep. 88, fol. 164. 28 Rep. 90, fol. 122. 27 28 Rep. 91, fol. 14. Rep. 91, fol. 97. 84 MISCELLANIES. was prosecuted for acting as brokers without permission.