Maurice Benedict de Worms
Maurice Benedict de Worms | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1805 Frankfurt, Germany |
| Died | 1867 London, England |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Occupation | Plantation owner |
| Parent(s) | Benedikt Moses Worms Schönche Jeannette Rothschild |
| Relatives | Mayer Amschel Rothschild (maternal grandfather) |
Maurice Benedict de Worms (1805-1867) was an Austrian plantation owner in Ceylon.
Biography
Early life
Maurice Benedict de Worms was born in 1805 in Frankfurt, Germany.[1][2] His father was Benedikt Moses Worms (1769-1824) and his mother, Schönche Jeannette Rothschild (1771–1859).[2][3] He had two brothers, Baron Solomon Benedict de Worms (1801-1882) and Gabriel Benedict de Worms (1802-1881), and one sister, Henriette Worms (1803-1879).[2][3]
His maternal grandfather was Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), the founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty.[2][3] As a result, his maternal uncles were Amschel Mayer Rothschild (1773–1855), Salomon Mayer von Rothschild (1774-1855), Nathan Mayer Rothschild (1777-1836), Carl Mayer von Rothschild (1788–1855), James Mayer de Rothschild (1792-1868), and his maternal aunts, Isabella Rothschild (1781–1861), Babette Rothschild (1784–1869), Julie Rothschild (1790–1815) and Henriette Rothschild (1791–1866).[2]
Career
Together with his brother Gabriel, he travelled to the Far East in 1841 and purchased a plantation in Ceylon.[1][2][4] Their other brother, Solomon, also invested in the plantation.[3] Over the years, they acquired 2,000 acres under cultivation, and more than 6,000 acres of forest land.[1] It came to be known as the Rothschild Estate.[1][4] They also owned the Sogamma and Condegalla estates in Pussellawa.[2] They grew coffee and tea, especially Ceylon Tea.[2] They sold the plantations in 1865.[1]
Death
He died in 1867 in London.[1] His will included large donations to Jewish organizations.
References
- ^ a b c d e f 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia
- ^ a b c d e f g h History of Ceylon Tea
- ^ a b c d William D. Rubinstein (ed.), The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History, Palgrave Macmillan, 2011 [1]
- ^ a b Roland Wenzlhuemer, From Coffee to Tea Cultivation in Ceylon, 1880-1900: An Economic and Social History, BRILL, 2008, p. 76 [2]
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