Isaac Solly (1769 – 22 February 1853) was a London merchant in the Baltic trade. During the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

his company Isaac Solly and Sons were principal contractors supplying hemp and timber to government dockyards.

Early life and family

He was the son of Isaac Solly of London and

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a town within the London Borough of Waltham Forest in east London. The town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and South Woodford to the east, Leyton and Leytonstone to the south, and Tottenham to the west. At ...

(1725–1802) and Elizabeth Neal, from a noted family of Protestant Dissenters. He was born in their London house in

St Mary Axe St Mary Axe was a medieval parish in the City of London whose name survives as that of the street which formerly occupied it. The Church of St Mary Axe was demolished in 1561 and its parish united with that of St Andrew Undershaft, which is s ...

, site of the

Baltic Exchange The Baltic Exchange (incorporated as The Baltic Exchange Limited) is a Trade association, membership organisation for the Maritime transport, maritime industry, and Shipping markets, freight market information provider for the trading and settl ...

. His brother Edward Solly, a famous collector of paintings, was stationed in Berlin. His sister, Elizabeth Solly, married Dr William Lister

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and Literature, letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". ...

in 1793.

Career

Solly founded the company Isaac Solly and Sons, which became a major player in the

British timber trade The British timber trade was importation of timber from the Baltic, and later North America, by the British. During the Middle Ages and Stuart period, Great Britain had large domestic supplies of timber, especially valuable were the famous Brit ...

with the Baltics. The family concern suffered a serious setback when twenty of their ships, laden with merchandise, were confiscated and taken to Copenhagen, during the Napoleonic Blockade. In addition to this business, Solly served as a director of the Million Bank, chairman of the London Dock Company, founding chairman of the

London and Birmingham Railway The London and Birmingham Railway (L&BR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom, in operation from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR). The railway line which the company opened in 1838, betw ...

, chairman of the

British and American Steam Navigation Company British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

, and Governor of the

Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation The Royal Exchange Assurance, founded in 1720, was a British insurance company. It took its name from the location of its offices at the Royal Exchange, London. Origins The Royal Exchange Assurance emerged from a joint stock insurance enterpri ...

. He was also amongst the original proprietors of the

London University The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

. In 1803 he bought Leyton House, a

great house A great house is a large house or mansion with luxurious appointments and great retinues of indoor and outdoor staff. The term is used mainly historically, especially of properties at the turn of the 20th century, i.e., the late Victorian or ...

Leyton Leyton ( ) is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the Ri ...

. The previous occupant, Joseph Cotton, was a director of the East India Company. In 1816 he became an

overseer of the poor An overseer of the poor was an official who administered poor relief such as money, food, and clothing in England and various other countries which derived their law from England, such as the United States. England In England, overseers of the po ...

and in 1825 he also became churchwarden. He was declared bankrupt in 1837 during the banking crisis of that year. He died in Chestnut Walk, Leyton, at his son's house.

Marriage and children

Solly married Mary Harrison on 27 July 1795. They had ten children. His daughter Charlotte Solly wrote several books on old India. His son Samuel Solly, F.R.S. was a distinguished surgeon, while

Henry Solly Henry Solly (17 November 1813 – 27 February 1903) was an English social reformer.Alan Ruston, �Solly, Henry (1813–1903)��, '' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004 , accessed 18 April 2010. William Beverid ...

was a social reformer and founder of

working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education ...

s. His grandchildren included the social activists

Adelaide Manning Elizabeth Adelaide Manning (1828 – 10 August 1905) was a British writer and editor. She championed kindergartens. She was one of the first students to attend Girton College. Manning was active for the National Indian Association which champ ...

and Caroline Bishop,Jane Read, 'Bishop, Caroline Garrison (1846–1929)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 200
accessed 31 July 2015
/ref> who both championed

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

s, among other causes.

References

External links

* * 1769 births 1853 deaths {{UK-business-bio-1760s-stub