Gerald John Howard Carroll (born 1951) is a British businessman. He was the head of his family business the
Carroll Group
The Carroll Group was a family-owned group of businesses formed in the early twentieth century that expanded rapidly in the 1980s when it was taken over by Gerald Carroll, grandson of the founder. At that time it was one of the largest private b ...
, once one of the largest private companies in the United Kingdom, until it collapsed in the early 1990s, leading to his bankruptcy.
Early life and family
Gerald Carroll was born in 1951 in the Romford district of Essex. He is the son of John Carroll (born around 1929). His grandfather was John E. Carroll who built homes for workers at the
Ford factory in Dagenham. Carroll claims descent from the Anglo-Irish
Carroll family
O'Carroll (), also known as simply Carroll, Carrol or Carrell, is a Gaelic Irish clan which is the most prominent sept of the Ciannachta (also known as Clan Cian). Their genealogies claim that they are kindred with the Eóganachta (themselve ...
who have been prominent in American politics and one of whom was the sole Catholic signatory to the
American Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America in the original printing, is the founding document of the United States. On July 4, 1776, it was adopted unanimously by the Second Continen ...
. Carroll was educated at the independent
Ipswich School
Ipswich School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) for pupils aged 3 to 18 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England.
North of the town centre, Ipswich School has four parts on three adjacent sites. The Pre-Prep and Nur ...
.
Career
Carroll took control of the family business in the late 1970s
["Party ends as property meteor crashes to earth", John Waples, '']The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'', 26 February 1995, pp. 2 & 7. but claimed in an interview with Sky News to be self-made. He launched a bid for quoted car dealership Frank G. Gates in 1985 but specialised in spotting property development sites and obtaining planning permission for them.
[
In 1995, Carroll was made bankrupt after the failure of the Carroll Group.
]
Philanthropy
In 1990, Carroll agreed to endow a chair of Irish history for £1.5m at Hertford College
Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...
, University of Oxford.Sky News.
You Tube. Retrieved 16 April 2015. His bankruptcy however prevented him from supplying all of the agreed funding.
See also
*
Leap Castle
Leap Castle (; (IPA: kaʃlʲaːn̪ˠlʲeːmʲiːˈwaːn̪ˠaːnʲ) is a castle in Roscrea, County Offaly, Ireland, about north of the town of Roscrea and south of Kinnitty on the R421.
History
There are varied accounts as to when exactl ...
*
O'Carroll
O'Carroll (), also known as simply Carroll, Carrol or Carrell, is a Gaelic Irish clan which is the most prominent sept of the Ciannachta (also known as Clan Cian). Their genealogies claim that they are kindred with the Eóganachta (themsel ...
References
1951 births
Living people
People from Romford
People educated at Ipswich School
British racehorse owners and breeders
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