Isaac Solly (1769 – 22 February 1853) was a London merchant in the Baltic trade. During the
Napoleonic Wars 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 large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...
(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 ...
,
[http://www.leytonhistorysociety.org.uk/Leyton%20House%20for%20Parchments%20v1a.pdf ] site of the
Baltic Exchange. 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 letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
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
The Continental Blockade (), or Continental System, was a large-scale embargo against British trade by Napoleon Bonaparte against the British Empire from 21 November 1806 until 11 April 1814, during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon issued the Ber ...
.
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, chairman of the
British and American Steam Navigation Company, and Governor of the
Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation. He was also amongst the original proprietors of the
London University.
In 1803 he bought Leyton House, a
great house in
Leyton. The previous occupant,
Joseph Cotton, was a
director of the East India Company.
In 1816 he became an
overseer of the poor 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
Charlotte Manning (''née'' Solly; 30 March 1803 – 1 April 1871) was a British feminist, scholar and writer. She was the first head of Girton College.
Family
Charlotte Solly was born in 1803, daughter of merchant Isaac Solly of Leyton, Esse ...
wrote several books on old India. His son
Samuel Solly,
F.R.S. was a distinguished surgeon, while
Henry Solly was a social reformer and founder of
working men's clubs. His grandchildren included the social activists
Adelaide Manning 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 kindergartens, among other causes.
References
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External links
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1769 births
1853 deaths
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