C. Hoare & Co

C. Hoare. & Co.

Industry	Finance and Insurance
Founded	1672
Headquarters	London, England, UK
Key people	Richard Hoare Henry Hoare Alexander S. Hoare
Products	Financial services
Total assets	£4 billion
Employees	300
Website	www.hoaresbank.co.uk

C. Hoare & Co. is England's oldest privately owned banking house. Founded in 1672 by Sir Richard Hoare, C. Hoare & Co. remains family owned and is currently managed by the 11th generation of Hoare's direct descendants.

The bank provides private banking, financial planning and investment management services that include loans, mortgages, savings accounts and investment advisory services as well as tax and estate planning services. The bank's clients typically are high-net-worth individuals and families.

C. Hoare and Co. has two branches, located at 37 Fleet Street and 32 Lowndes Street in London.

History

Sir Richard Hoare, the bank's founder.

17th Century

Richard Hoare, the founder of the bank, began his working life apprenticed to a goldsmith. He was granted the Freedom of the Goldsmiths' Company on 5 July 1672. This date marks the foundation of Hoare's Bank as it was around then that Richard Hoare established his goldsmith's business at the sign of the Golden Bottle in Cheapside, London.

In 1690 Richard Hoare moved the business to new premises in Fleet Street, on the main thoroughfare halfway between the City of Westminster and the City of London, but still within the City of London. He continued trading at the sign of the Golden Bottle (a gilded leather bottle that hung outside the shop): street numbering was unknown in those days and signs were used to distinguish one business from another.

Goldsmiths had secure premises and had always been the storehouses for cash and valuables so they were in a unique position to evolve a system of banking: in 1677 some 58 goldsmiths kept 'running cashes'. They also started to lend their customers' money for interest.

Famous customers of the 17th century:
Catherine of Braganza (wife of Charles II)
Samuel Pepys (diarist)
John Dryden (poet)
Sir Godfrey Kneller (painter)
Richard Beau Nash

18th Century

Henry Hoare (The Magnificent)

During the 18th century the bank prospered. Richard Hoare was knighted by Queen Anne in 1702 and became Lord Mayor of London in 1712. After Richard's death, two of his sons (Henry, known as "Henry The Good", and Benjamin) continued the business but it was Richard's grandson, Henry Hoare, who dominated the family through his wealth and personal charisma. Henry was a partner for nearly 60 years: his nickname, "Henry The Magnificent", derived in part from his influence as a great patron of the Arts, but more particularly because he laid out the gardens at Stourhead in Wiltshire, an estate bought by his father. The gardens were admired as a showplace and, although there was no record of him carrying out work there, Capability Brown, the renowned landscape gardener, was familiar with the garden. Messrs. Hoare gradually introduced all aspects of banking and, in particular, printed cheques were issued.

Famous customers of the 18th century:
Lord North (Prime Minister)
David Garrick (actor)
Eton College

19th Century

In 1829 the premises at Fleet Street were rebuilt; the new banking house was designed to accommodate the business and a private house. Following the Bank Charter Act 1833 many of the 4,000 or so private banks disappeared. In the first half of the century Hoares maintained a steady business latterly under the leadership of Charles Hoare (died 1851), the last senior partner to enjoy the practice of having the name of the bank styled after him. In the second half the partners running the bank almost brought it down with unsuccessful speculation and poor management. During the middle of the century there were two partners (Henry of Staplehurst and Peter Richard of Luscome). Both were deeply religious men but with differing views. Henry was Low Church and Peter Richard was High Church. Owing to their differences they took it in turns to run the bank, each being in charge for a six month period. Their sons, who became partners, rebelled against their deeply religious upbringing and also proved to be financially unreliable so placing the future of the bank in peril.

Famous customers of the 19th century:
Lord Byron (poet)
Jane Austen (author)

20th Century

A revival of fortunes for the bank took place in the 20th century with the early years seeing the credibility of the bank restored. After World War I most of the remaining private banks were absorbed by the larger banks. Hoares took a decision not to merge and today is the sole survivor as an independent bank. The bank was a partnership until 1929, when the partners adopted its current structure, forming themselves into a private unlimited liability company in which they were the sole shareholders.

Today the bank has approximately £4.8 billion in assets and remains under the ownership of the Hoare family. Alexander S. Hoare, the former CEO of the Bank, represents the 11th generation to manage C. Hoare & Co. He has been replaced by the first non-family member in an executive position; former head of Credit Suisse Private Bank Jeremy Marshall.

Trivia

• "My bankers are Hoares" is one of Jack Aubrey's favourite puns in several of the books from the series by Patrick O'Brian.

External links

• C. Hoare and Co. official website.

References and notes

References and further reading

• Henry Peregrine Rennie Hoare, Hoare's Bank: A Record 1672-1955 (1932, new edition 1955)
• Victoria Hutchings, Messrs Hoare, Bankers: A History of the Hoare Banking Dynasty (2005)

• Service Is Never Out of Fashion. Forbes, November 28, 2005
• Hoare & Co. Suffers Profits Downturn. Independent, August 31, 2005
• "Good Luck Rubs Off on C. Hoare & Co.," Financial Times, May 26, 2005
• Hoare Enters the Modern Age. Euromoney, January 2004
• "A History That's Still in the Making," Financial Times, November 10, 2003
• "C. Hoare to Become a 'Manager of Multi-Managers' After 300 Years," Financial Times, October 20, 2003
• Hoare Welcomes Competitors for the Posh Pound. Independent, May 29, 2001
• "Cashing in on Tradition" The Times, October 6, 1993