Sir Culling Smith

Profile & Legacies Summary

???? - 1812

Biography

London mortgagee of 'slave-property', brother of Thomas Smith of Hadley (q.v.). Although the founder of a dynasty of baronets (first Smith then Eardley), little has been found of him to date in secondary literature. He was the son-in-law of Sir Sampson Gideon (1745-1821) 1st Baron Eardley, whose three daughters including Sir Culling Smith's wife were his [Sir Sampson Gideon's] co-heirs. The History of Parliament entry for his grandson Sir Culling Eardley Smith 3rd bart. refers back to the latter's maternal great grand-father Sampson [sic] Gideon (1699-1762), the financier.

Culling Smith appears to have been a significant lender to members of the British aristocracy and gentry, including the Earl of Derby (£12,000 in 1780), the Earl of Sandwich (£12,000 in 1785) and Rt. Hon. Ralph Earl Verney (£20,000, n.d.). Culling Smith was entitled to £8000 of £12000 secured on: an estate on St Kitts; on the Blighborough estate; and property in Nicola Town 1763-1771.

Sources

EAP 148/4/4 Indenture by which John Bourryau of Blightborough [sic] in the county of Lincoln at present residing in the island of Saint Christopher leases to Culling Smith of Red Lyon Square in the Parish of Saint George the Martyr in the county of Middlesex, England, various plantations in the island of Saint Christopher, https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP148-4-4 [accessed 25/09/2018]; he also held an incumbrance on the property of Walter Nisbet (q.v.), reportedly in Jamaica but more likely on Nevis; https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/smith-sir-culling-1805-1863 [accessed 25/09/2018]; Samuel, Edgar. 2004 "Gideon, Samson (1699–1762), financier." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 7 Jul. 2019. https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-10645.

Lancashire Archives, DDK/870/1 & 2; Huntingdonshire Archives HINCH 2/48; Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, DE/F/481 and DE/F/526.

Further Information

Absentee?

British/Irish

Associated Estates (4)

The dates listed below have different categories as denoted by the letters in the brackets following each date. Here is a key to explain those letter codes:

SD - Association Start Date
SY - Association Start Year
EA - Earliest Known Association
ED - Association End Date
EY - Association End Year
LA - Latest Known Association

1763 [EA] - → Mortgage Holder

Bourryau [ St Kitts | Christ Church Nichola Town ]

- 1792 [EY] → Mortgage Holder

Gingerland [ Nevis ]

1779 [EA] - 1779 [LA] → Mortgage Holder

Mount Pleasant [ Nevis ]

In 1779 Walter Nisbet was indebted to Culling Smith for £6500 secured on his Mount Pleasant or Mo [sic] Mountain estate; Culling Smith did not regard it as adequate security and Walter Nisbet therefore assigned to him two mortgagees that he [Nisbet] and his wife Ann held on the New River estate on Nevis.

- 1792 [EY] → Mortgage Holder

New River [ Nevis ]

Culling Smith was shown in an elaborate power of attorney of 07/03/1794 as having held mortgages for £5000 and £6000 over New River and Gingerland until 1792. These mortgages were identified in a separate deed as having been pledged to Culling Smith by Walter Nisbet as additional security for £6500 lent by Culling Smith to Nisbet secured on the latter's Mt Pleasant estate.