Letter 1539

Child informs Sloane that his daughter will be at Temple Bar today. He asks Sloane to meet her there at five o’clock in the evening. Sir Francis Child, The Elder (1641-1713) was a goldsmith and banker. He bound apprenticed for 8 years from 1657-1665 and went on to become one of the most important retailers and wholesalers of Jewelry in London. He developed the trade and importing of India diamonds. He shifted into banking services first by issuing bank notes and lending then became one of the leading banking houses in London. He was knighted in 1689 and in 1694 opposed the creation of the Bank of England. Child had 11 or 12 sons and 3 daughters (Philip Winterbottom, “Child, Sir Francis, the elder (1641/21713)”, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography).