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John Twells

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John Twells
Born(1776-06-27)June 27, 1776
DiedMarch 10, 1866(1866-03-10) (aged 89)
NationalityEnglish
OccupationBanker
SpouseMary Line
Children2

John Twells (1776–1866) was an English banker who was partner in private bank Spooner, Attwood & Co and deputy chairman of the London & Greenwich Railway.

Life

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He was born on 27 June 1776.[1] On his own account, he went into banking in 1801. He became a partner in the private bank Spooner, Attwood & Co. of Gracechurch Street, London, around 1816 together with Isaac Spooner.[2][3][4]

Twells was the initial deputy chairman of the London & Greenwich Railway in 1834, resigning in 1837.[5] He gave evidence to the 1857 Parliamentary Select Committee on the working of the Bank Charter Act 1844.[6] He approved of the Bank Restriction Act 1797.[4] On early colonial scrip, Twells commented that

"In a bad hour, the British Parliament took away from America its representative money [...]"[7]

Karl Marx picked up on his comment that the 1844 Act had been profitable for bankers, while disadvantaging merchants and those in business in a small way.[8]

Twells died on 10 March 1866.[1] How can paper money increase the wealth of a nation? (1867, anonymous)[9] was by his son John.[10]

Family and connections

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Twells married Mary Line, daughter of Joseph Line of Alum Rock, Worcestershire, and they had two sons, the Rev. John Twells and Philip Twells M.P.[1][11] Matthias Attwood M.P. was a connection in the London & Greenwich, where he was treasurer, and in the bank.[3] He was also a connection by marriage, having married Susanna Twells, daughter of Twells's brother William.[12]

Twells & Co., the Birmingham manufacturers, proprietor Philip M. Twells, were related. They supplied a locomotive to the London & Greenwich, No. 8 Thames, in 1838, thought to be a one-off.[13] It has been suggested that they acted only as agents.[14] Philip Mellor Twells was a Birmingham brass and copper tube manufacturer.[15] Edward Twells was son of Philip Mellor Twells of Ashted.[16]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c "southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/, Gamston - Glass". Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  2. ^ Orbell, John (2017-07-05). British Banking: A Guide to Historical Records. Taylor & Francis. p. 498. ISBN 9781351954686. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b Ronald Henry George Thomas (1986). London's First Railway: The London and Greenwich. B. T. Batsford Limited. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7134-5414-7.
  4. ^ a b Commons, Great Britain. Parliament. House of (1857). Reports from Committees. Ordered to be printed. p. 475. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  5. ^ Ronald Henry George Thomas (1986). London's First Railway: The London and Greenwich. B. T. Batsford Limited. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-7134-5414-7.
  6. ^ Twells, John (1857). Evidence of John Twells ...: Given Before the Select Committee of the House of Commons on the Bank Charter Act, the Seventeenth Day of July, 1857. Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, & Roberts. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  7. ^ Kirchubel, Michael A. (2009-07-04). Vile Acts of Evil - Volume 1 - Banking in America. Mike Kirchubel. p. 12. ISBN 9781448642250. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  8. ^ Marx, Karl; Engels, Friedrich (2016-12-14). Delphi Collected Works of Karl Marx (Illustrated). Delphi Classics. p. 2798. ISBN 9781786560629. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  9. ^ Halkett, Samuel (1926). Dictionary of Anonymous and Pseudonymous English Literature. Ardent Media. p. 109. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  10. ^ Twells, John (1867). How Can Paper Money Increase the Wealth of a Nation?. W. Skeffington, 163, Piccadilly. And A. Metcalf, Retford. p. 1. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  11. ^ The Illustrated London News. Illustrated London News & Sketch Limited. 1874. p. 249.
  12. ^ Robinson, John, of Sunderland; Thomas Arthur Carless Atwood (1903). "The Attwood family: with historic notes & pedigrees". Internet Archive. Sunderland: Hills and Company. pp. 287 chart. Retrieved 21 September 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Ronald Henry George Thomas (1986). London's First Railway: The London and Greenwich. B. T. Batsford Limited. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-7134-5414-7.
  14. ^ "Twells and Co - Graces Guide". Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  15. ^ Corporation general and trades directory of Birmingham ... and Wolverhampton. 1861. p. 326.
  16. ^ "Twells, Edward (TWLS847E)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.