Sir Fisher Tench, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Fisher Tench, 1st Baronet (c.1673—31 Oct 1736) was a City of London
financier, who was a Member of Parliament
and a director of several companies.
in 1968. Nathaniel was one of the first directors of the Bank of England
, and its Governor from 1699 to 1701. Nathaniel had previously been an Eastland and East India merchant. Fisher was educated at the Inner Temple
and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
.
in 1711 and then became a Whig Member of Parliament for Southwark
in 1713, when he and his fellow Whig candidate wore wool in their hats to signify their support of cloth manufacturers, in opposition to the concessions made by the Tory government in the commercial clauses of the Treaty of Utrecht
(which were never ratified). The election was declared void in 1714, but both he and his fellow member were re-elected. He remained an MP until 1722, and was created a Baronet in 1715. His initial election was declared void in 1714, but he and his fellow member John Lade were both re-elected at the subsequent by-election, a keenly fought (and probably expensive) contest, but he was re-elected unoppsed in 1715. He withdrew from politics after he defeat at the election of 1722.
He served as High Sheriff of Essex
in 1711.
, one of whose protégés he had assisted in that trade. He was a director of the South Sea Company from 1715 to 1718. Later in life, he was at times a director of the Company of Mineral and Battery Works
, but sometimes in conflict with Sir John Meres
its governor.
to grant.
in October 1725, but held office for a little over a year, and was thus not involved in the frauds on that company. However, he was present at a Committee meeting then the cashier (William Tench - his second son) was directed to draw its cash out of the hands of Mr Pepys and pay it to George Robinson
. He was also at earlier committee meetings, which had resolved to issue notes to circulate like bank notes. Viscount Percy
wondered whether he would be censured, having allowed his son to remain cashier during the frauds, particlyarly as the son's post was worth £600 per year to him despite the salary being only £150. Robinson was paying £100, evidently to hide his roguery.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
financier, who was a Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and a director of several companies.
Background
Fisher Tench was the son of Nathaniel Tench (died 1710) and his wife Ann (died 1696), daughter and heir of William Fisher, Esq. Alderman of London. Nathaniel Tench bought the Great House estate at Leyton about 1686. The original house was probably Essex Hall, formerly Walnut Tree House, the oldest surviving building in LeytonLeyton
Leyton is an area of north-east London and part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, located north east of Charing Cross. It borders Walthamstow and Leytonstone; Stratford in Newham; and Homerton and Lower Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney....
in 1968. Nathaniel was one of the first directors of the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
, and its Governor from 1699 to 1701. Nathaniel had previously been an Eastland and East India merchant. Fisher was educated at the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England.The college was founded in 1596 and named after its foundress, Frances Sidney, Countess of Sussex. It was from its inception an avowedly Puritan foundation: some good and godlie moniment for the mainteynance...
.
The Great House at Leyton
Nathaniel passed property at Leyton (comprising a capital message and 29 acres) to Fisher Tench and his wife Elizabeth in 1697. He inherited the rest of his father's estate in 1710, and probably soon after began to build the Great House at Leyton. It was a large mansion of two storeys, basement, and attics, built in the 'Wren' style of the period. The walls were of dark red brick with dressings of lighter brickwork and stone. The entrance front faced the high road and consisted of a central block flanked by lower and slightly recessed side wings. The main block had full-height Corinthian pilasters and a central pediment, while the wings had rusticated stone quoins. The whole façade, of thirteen bays, was surmounted by a modillion cornice, a panelled parapet, and hipped roofs with dormer-windows; six large stone vases broke the line of the parapet. The garden front was of similar size and character. The cupola from the house (demolished in 1905) is now on the tower of St. Mary's church.Parliament
Fisher Tench first sought to enter Parliament at Shaftesbury in 1708, when he was referred to as an East India merchant. He served a year as High Sheriff of EssexHigh Sheriff of Essex
The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years...
in 1711 and then became a Whig Member of Parliament for Southwark
Southwark (UK Parliament constituency)
Southwark was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Southwark district of South London. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the English Parliament from 1295 to 1707, to the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and to the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
in 1713, when he and his fellow Whig candidate wore wool in their hats to signify their support of cloth manufacturers, in opposition to the concessions made by the Tory government in the commercial clauses of the Treaty of Utrecht
Treaty of Utrecht
The Treaty of Utrecht, which established the Peace of Utrecht, comprises a series of individual peace treaties, rather than a single document, signed by the belligerents in the War of Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht in March and April 1713...
(which were never ratified). The election was declared void in 1714, but both he and his fellow member were re-elected. He remained an MP until 1722, and was created a Baronet in 1715. His initial election was declared void in 1714, but he and his fellow member John Lade were both re-elected at the subsequent by-election, a keenly fought (and probably expensive) contest, but he was re-elected unoppsed in 1715. He withdrew from politics after he defeat at the election of 1722.
He served as High Sheriff of Essex
High Sheriff of Essex
The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years...
in 1711.
Company Director
Fisher Tench became an Assistant of the Royal Africa Company in 1711 and its sub-Governor in 1716. This may have assisted his election to Parliament, as John Lade shared his interest. he also enjoyed the interest of Lord CowperWilliam Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper
William Cowper, 1st Earl Cowper PC KC FRS was an English politician who became the first Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. Cowper was the son of Sir William Cowper, 2nd Baronet, of Ratling Court, Kent, a Whig member of parliament of some mark in the two last Stuart reigns...
, one of whose protégés he had assisted in that trade. He was a director of the South Sea Company from 1715 to 1718. Later in life, he was at times a director of the Company of Mineral and Battery Works
Company of Mineral and Battery Works
The Company of Mineral and Battery Works was, , one of two mining monopolies created by Queen Elizabeth I of England in the mid-1560s. The Company's rights were based on a patent granted to William Humfrey on 17 September 1565. This was replaced on 28 May 1568 by a patent of incorporation, making...
, but sometimes in conflict with Sir John Meres
John Meres
Sir John Meres knight, FRS of Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire was the director of a number of companies in the early 18th century, including the Charitable Corporation, the York Buildings Company, and Company of Mineral and Battery Works...
its governor.
Lighting London
In 1716, with Sir Samuel Garrard, he leased the convex lights of the City of London, under the London Lighting Act 1716. When he had difficulty in paying his rent in 1735, he unsuccessfully alleged that his 21 year lease was beyond the powers of the Corporation of LondonCorporation of London
The City of London Corporation is the municipal governing body of the City of London. It exercises control only over the City , and not over Greater London...
to grant.
Plantations
He owned a plantation in Virginia, run by slaves, whom he converted to Christianity. One of them (George Pompey) was commemorated in a memorial as a good Christian in his death after 20 years service to Sir Fisher Tench in 1735.Charitable Corporation
He was elected to the Committee (Board of Directors) of the Charitable CorporationCharitable Corporation
The Charitable Corporation was an institution in Britain intended to provide loans at low interest to the deserving poor, including by large-scale pawnbroking. It was established by charter in 1707. Its full title was "Charitable Corporation for the relief of the industrious poor by assisting them...
in October 1725, but held office for a little over a year, and was thus not involved in the frauds on that company. However, he was present at a Committee meeting then the cashier (William Tench - his second son) was directed to draw its cash out of the hands of Mr Pepys and pay it to George Robinson
George Robinson (swindler)
George Robinson was an English stockbroker and swindler in the 1720s and early 1730s. A banker in Lombard Street, he was appointed the circulating cashier of the Charitable Corporation...
. He was also at earlier committee meetings, which had resolved to issue notes to circulate like bank notes. Viscount Percy
John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont
John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont PC, FRS , known as Sir John Perceval, 5t, from 1691 to 1715, as The Lord Perceval from 1715 to 1722 and as The Viscount Perceval from 1722 to 1733, was an Anglo-Irish politician....
wondered whether he would be censured, having allowed his son to remain cashier during the frauds, particlyarly as the son's post was worth £600 per year to him despite the salary being only £150. Robinson was paying £100, evidently to hide his roguery.