Post under construction
The Monument to George Middleton (1683? - 1746).
Goldsmith and Banker of London.
Above the South doorway.
It is tempting to suggest that this is an early monument by John Ford I of Bath which utilises a bust that had previously decorated the Middleton family home.
It is unclear why Middleton was buried in Weston but it is most likely that he died whilst staying in Bath and taking the waters.
It is interesting to speculate whether he was involved in the financing of the early developments in Bath.
It is a rather severe Gibbsian style monument but with a fine marble bust and a cartouche with an asymmetric Rococo flourish.
For James Gibb's Monument designs which were fashionable throughout the mid to late 18th century see -
https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/06/some-monument-designs-by-james-gibbs.html
The very fine and handsome marble bust is the most intriguing element on the monument and it poses the question - which sculptor was responsible?
There are several candidates - Henry Cheere (no known inscribed busts), Peter Scheemakers, Michael Rysbrack - it is perhaps too early for Joseph (Giuseppe) Plura who had settled in Bath in about 1749 - Plura appears to have accompanied the sculptor Prince Hoare on his return from Italy to Bath and to have carved much of his work - he was the son in law of John Ford I - there are no other sculptors working in Bath who were capable of sculpting such a fine portrait and it was almost certainly carved in London.
Could it be a bust by Louis Francois Roubiliac (fl.1730 - 1762)? whose workshop and residence was on the east side at the top of St Martin's Lane, Westminster (from Xmas 1740) alongside that of Thomas Chippendale and only a stones throw from the premises of Messrs Middleton and Campbell in the Strand.
Equally it could be by Michael Rysbrack (1694 - 1770).
The other possible candidate is Joseph Plura who was working with Prince Hoare afrom 1749 - it could possibly have been taken from a portrait (now missing).
It has so far not been possible to get any good close up photographs of this bust but I live in hope.
It is very high up and a scaffold tower would make life easier.
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Here are some loose and unedited notes giving some brief biographical details of George Middleton.
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George Middleton, (1692–1747), was the fifth of the eighteen children of Dr George Middleton, principal of King's College, Aberdeen, and his wife, Janet Gordon of Seton, who died in 1753 at the age of 101.
"b 1662 St Andrews University MA 24 July 1680. Had testimonial for licence, 7 Aug 1684 from Presbytery of St Andrews. Inc. Leslie (about) 1685-1692. Cme under a sentence of deprivation from the Privy Council, 22 August 1689, for neither reading the Proclamation of the Estates, nor praying for William and Mary but for James VII. he was prohibited by the Privy Council, Dec 1692 and became factor to Lord Kinnaird at Dundee., 28 May 1702. With his wife he gave an annual rent of 400 merks Scots to the Professors of Philosophy in the Univ. of St Andrews, 25 May 1702. In 1716 he was Asst. at the meeting house in Skinner's Close, Edinburgh.
He was prosecuted with other
Edinburgh clergy in 1716 by order of the Commission of the Justiciary for not
praying for king George; he was prohibited from the ministry and fined. He was
prosecuted before the Lords of Justiciary, convicted a second time, 19 June
1717, for not praying for King George in terms of the Act of Toleration and
discharged from preaching or exercising the ministry. Asst. Carubber's Close,
Edinburgh, 1720-1727. One of the Edinburgh clergy who met in March 1720 to
elect Bishop Rose's successor. He and Cant were supporters of the Usages and
opposed Gillan's election as Bishop in 1727; the result was the deposition from
the Carubber's Close meeting house of both Middleton and Cant (Gillan had been
a Royal nominee). Middleton resided for a few years in or near Edinburgh
thereafter. He was censured in 1733 by Bishop Freebairn for celebrating
irregular marriages, whereupon he began to pray for King George; this probably
hastened Middleton's departure for England. d 1736, Bristol, Glos. marr (1)
Margaret Orme; (2) before 17 Aug 1721 Margaret Forbes, widow of John Forbes of
Knaperny.."
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John Campbell
Middleton's partner was John Campbell (a cadet of the ducal house of Argyll), who died in 1712, and who lies buried, along with his wife, in the churchyard of St. Paul's, Covent Garden. He appears to have been a man of wealth, substance, and probity, and at his death he constituted his " faithful and honest partner," George Middleton, of Errol, his sole executor in trust for his four children, William, Mary, George, and Elizabeth, until such time as his eldest son should be of age.
He also entrusted to him his whole estate to trade with during his son's minority, on the condition that a fourth of the profits accrued to Mr. Middleton, the rest being added to the shares of his children. After Mr. John Campbell's death, the business appears to have been carried on in conformity with his will by Mr. Middleton, single-handed, till 1729, when George Campbell, the younger reached his majority and became a partner.
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I can't pretend to understand the ins and outs of 18th Century Banking and Finance but for an excellent expose of Middleton and the South Sea Bubble and his relationship with John Law, William Law see -
https://thebhc.org/sites/default/files/beh/BEHprint/v023n2/p0027-p0060.pdf
https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~wwwecon/CDMA/papers/wp1109
https://economics.ucr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Neal.pdf
https://libmind.github.io/j45_john_law/
Larry Neal (1990), The Rise of Financial Capitalism:
International Capital Markets in the Age of Reason, Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Larry Neal (1994) “‘For God’s Sake, Remitt Me’: The Adventures of John Law’s Goldsmith-Banker in London, 1712-1729,” Business and Economic History, 23:2, pp. 27-60.
Larry Neal was past president of the Economic History Association and the Business History Conference and former editor of Explorations in Economic History.
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George Middleton was originally of Errol, Perth and Kinross, Scotland was a son of Patrick Middleton, M.A. (1663 - 1736) and Margaret Orme, Grandson of the Earl of Middleton he was husband of Mary Campbell, daughter of his business partner John Campbell.
His brother John (1678 - 1739) was MP of Seaton Fettercairn. Aberdeen - see -
https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1715-1754/member/middleton-john-1678-1739
Coutts website states "In 1692, John Campbell of Lundie in Scotland sets up as a
goldsmith-banker on the Strand, London. Under the now-iconic sign of ‘The Three
Crowns’, Durham Yard he offers a full banking service.
John Campbell was the son of Colin Campbell of Lundie . Campbell was apprenticed to John Threipland and the indentures were booked on 3 Dec.1679 [EGMv1 Bf125v]. Campbell was Threipland’s final apprentice.
Queen Anne commissions Campbell to make collars and badges for the Order of the Thistle.
In 1708 (?) Campbell takes on another Scottish goldsmith, George Middleton of St Martin's Lane, as partner. Campbell dies in 1712. He left at least three children, George Campbell, his son and successor, and two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. George Middleton marries his daughter Mary.
Middleton assumed sole control of the company upon Campbell's death in 1712.
Shortly after Middleton married Campbell's daughter, Mary, he quickly attracted a large aristocratic clientele.
Middleton was forced to stop payment temporarily during the 1720 financial crisis, but subsequently recovered and took into partnership his brother-in-law, George Campbell, in 1727 and his nephew, David Bruce (d.1751), in 1744.
James Coutts married Mary Peagrum, niece of George Campbell, in 1755. Mary was the daughter of Elizabeth Campbell and John Peagrum.
Thomas Coutts joined the Banking house in 1761 at the invitation of his brother James, who asked him to join the partnership following the death of George Campbell.
After years working in partnership with James, Thomas became Senior Partner in 1775 when his brother succumbed to illness. James died in Gibraltar in 1778.
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The Will of George Middleton.
PROB-11-752-281. 16 September 1746.
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George Middleton had property at Twickenham - Roger Morris the architect who produced two pattern books worked as a surveyor. His commissions included overseeing work at Culverthorpe Hall, Lincolnshire, for Sir Michael Newton in the early 1730s; assessing a model of the Mansion House, London for the City of London in 1740; surveying brickwork for the banker George Middleton in Twickenham in 1743.
info above from - https://www.archinform.net/arch/45814.htm
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George Middleton house at Gt Marlborough St.
“No. 48 Great Marlborough Street (Formerly No. 43).
From early on, Argyll and Ilay’s residences had also established a localised sense of Scottish political identity in London. Their brother-in-law, James Stuart, 2nd Earl of Bute, was living on Great Marlborough Street in 1716 as would Argyll’s military allies John Murray, 2nd Earl of Dunmore (1716-1721), John Gordon, 16th Earl of Sutherland (1717-1722), and Sir James Wood (1735-1736), as well as Ilay’s Scottish banker, George Middleton (d.1747).128 Next door to the duke’s house in 1732 were two more close military associates, General John Middleton and Colonel John Campbell of Mamore, later 4th Duke of Argyll
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George Middleton at Kenwood House.
The property was owned by the Earl of Ilay, who let the property to George Middleton. Middleton was responsible in c 1726 for planting the lime avenue which ran west from the south front of the house as a continuation of the terrace. Both the Earl and his nephew, John Stuart, third Earl of Bute (who lived at Kenwood from c 1747), planted exotics at Kenwood:.
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This record below is held by The London Archives: City of London - Reference: ACC/0202/001
Release
[lease missing] and covenant to surrender copyhold.
Date: 1749.
1. Mary Middleton of Twickenham, widow, George Campbell and David Bruce of the Strand, bankers.
2. John Dalrymple of Stair [Ayrshire], esq.
3. Hon. William Martin, Admiral of the Blue Squadron of H. M's fleet.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/48fb8250-0d6a-4ae3-8ed6-2e9d8dce2524
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of tangential interest.
There are numerous records referring to George Middleton accessible via The National Archives website.
This document accessed below refs. the surgeon Alexander Small (1670 - 1752) who we have already met in these pages ref. a Terracotta Bust of Small by Roubiliac in St Mary the Virgin Church, Clifton Reynes, Bucks.
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10498070
How did Alexander Small make his money?
see - for much more on Alex. Small
https://bathartandarchitecture.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-bust-of-alexander-small-on-monument.html
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Patrick Middleton MA. born 1662 - died at Bristol 1736. Father of George Middleton
Educated at Univ. of St Andrews; 1685 M.A. (24th July 1680); had testimonial for licence 7th Aug. 1684 from Presb. of St Andrews; adm. about 1685 ;
Deprived by Privy Council, 22nd Aug. 1689, for neither reading the Proclamation of the Estates, nor praying for William and Mary but for James VI I. was prohibited from exercising the ministry by the Privy Council Dec. 1692 and became factor to Lord Kinnaird at Dundee 28th May 1702.
With his wife he gave an annual rent of 400 merks Scots to the Professors of Philosophy in the Univ. of St Andrews 25th May 1702.
He had a meeting-house in Skinner's Close, Edinburgh, in 1716, and was prosecuted before the Lords Of Judiciary, convicted 19th June 1717 a second time for not praying for King George in terms of the Act of Toleration and discharged from preaching or exercising the ministry.
He died at Bristol in 1736.
He marr. (1) Margaret Orme : (2) pro. 24th Aug. 1721, Margaret Crawford, widow of John Forbes
of Knaperny. Publications—A Dissertation upon the Power Of the Church (London, 1733); A Short View of the Evidences of the Christian Religion (London, 1734).
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George Middleton was father of Margaret Middleton and Elizabeth Middleton, brother of John Middleton, M.D.
George Middleton was the partner of John Campbell (d.1712) a founder of what later became Coutts Bank, Middleton was the executor of Cambell's will.
George Middleton married Mary Campbell daughter of his partner John Campbell in 1712.
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George Middleton, and Messrs Coutts,
and Banking in early 18th century London /Westminster -
Much of the information here from
A Handbook of London Bankers, with some account of their predecessors, .... By Frederick George Hilton Price. pub 1891 - available via Google Books.
The widely known banking-house of Messrs. Coutts and Co. was originally established by goldsmith George Middleton, who kept a shop at the sign of the Three Crowns near St. Martin's Church, on St. Martin's lane.
The first mention of this goldsmith occurs in or about 1692, when he had a partner John Campbell. Messrs. Middleton and Campbell were carrying on business as goldsmiths and bankers.
John Campbell was later at the Three Crowns, next to the Globe Tavern (corner of Craven Street) in the Strand, hard by Hungerford Market, in 1692.
In 1694 an advertisement in the London Gazette? for something lost directs the inquirer to apply to Mr. "Camels," at the Three Crowns.
We also see by the London Gazette that he was there in 1696 and 1702.
It is interesting to place upon record, on the same authority, that in January, 1683, John Wright, a haberdasher, was at the Three Crowns, near Durham Yard, in the Strand; thus proving that that was the sign of the house before Middleton or Campbell moved to it. On the other hand this is most likely a coincidence.
Another early note of this business, exposing a fraud, is to be found in the following advertisement, which appeared in the London Gazette of February 2011.
"Whereas On Monday, 27th January, about 10 in the morning, a gentlewoman stept in a hackney coach at Mr. John Campbell's, goldsmith, at the Three Crowns in the Strand, and brought a note of Mr. Campbell's hand for £100 which she there exchanged for a Bank of England of the same value, and about half an hour afterwards the said £100 was paid by the Bank to a woman: If any person will discover the woman to Mr. Campbell so as that the £100 (which was fraudulently received) may be recovered, such person shall receive from Mr. Campbell 140 as a reward."
This is certainly one of the earliest instances of a fraud being perpetrated upon a banker by a well-dressed woman.
A curious advertisement, that appeared in a weekly paper called The British Apollo for
March 2, 1711, ran as follows -
"This day subscriptions are taken in upon Birth and Marriages, at the Three Crowns, next DurhamYard in the Strand, for 6 weeks, and Servants 3 months upon a dividend. Likewise subscriptions are taken in upon marriages, upon a claim for a month. Trustees being chosen, and undeniable security is given for the performance of the same. Proposals are to be had at the Office Gratis."
The next advertisement selected by us is of a different character. It appeared in the Daily Courant of January, 1714 :
"To be sold a good brick house, etc., at the end of the five fields going to Chelsea. Apply to George Middleton at the Three Crowns."
Apart from the interesting nature of the advertisement, it is valuable as proving the fact that George Middleton was there at that time, he being the sole partner.
John Campbell died in 1712, and was buried in St. Paul's Churchyard, Covent Garden ; and George Middleton, whom he left as his sole executor, married his daughter Mary Campbell.
Her sister Elizabeth married John Peagrim, and Middleton took his son George Campbell into partnership
It has been my good fortune to see a large number Of Old cash-notes and drafts Of Messrs. Childand co. (between 1706 and 1748) bearing endorsements of this firm; some of which show the autographs of George Campbell (many of them witnessed by David Bruce, who afterwards was admitted a partner) and of Ralph Bullock, who signed for the house from 1743 to 1761.
in 1746 George Middleton died, and George Campbell associated himself in partnership with his clerk, David Bruce, who had witnessed the signatures of customers for the past twenty years.
In 1753 the business appears to have been solely in the hands of George Campbell. About 1755, however, he took James Coutts into partnership.
He had clerk in turn to Middleton and Campbell, Campbell and Bruce, George Campbell, Campbell and
Coutts, and Coutts and Coutts.
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The New Exchange on the Strand survived until 1737, eleven houses were built on the site, the centre and largest of which (afterwards numbered 59, Strand) was leased to George Middleton, goldsmith, the flourishing banking business of the firm of Middleton and Campbell being moved thither from the Three Crowns near Hungerford Market.
Middleton died in 1746, and his brother-in-law, George Campbell died in 1761.
Info from Survey of London: Volume 18, St. Martin-in-The-Fields II: the Strand, ed. G.H. Gater & E.P. Wheeler (London County Council; British History Online) (1937) The New Exchange (The site of Nos. 54–64, Strand).
Neither of them left a male heir, and the firm passed at length into the hands of the brothers, James and Thomas Coutts, the elder of whom had married George Campbell's niece Margaret daughter of George Middleton.
No. 59 remained the "shop" of Coutts' Bank until 1904. The premises were extended to include Nos. 58, 57 and 56 early in the nineteenth century.
Thomas Coutts entered into the Banking house having married Margaret daughter of George Middleton. He then became partner with his brother James of the banking house in the Strand, which had previously been carried on under the title of Middleton and Campbell; and, finally, on the death of his brother, in 1778, he became the sole manager of this extensive concern.
info here from various sources including - Somme Olde Curiosities [private banking houses of London] by a knyghte offe ... By William Howarth (F.R.Hist.).
On 19 June 1742 Mrs. Anne Smyth made her will, of which she
appointed the Right Honourable William Pulteney, afterwards Earl of Bath George
Wilson of Symonds Inn gent. and Alexander Small of York Buildings, St. Martin
in the Fields, surgeon, executors.
The bust of Alexander Small (d. 1752) in St Mary the Virgin Church, Clifton Reynes Bucks is by Roubiliac.
