|
Gerard DeVisme 1725?-1797 |
Born: 1725?
Son of: possibly Philipp de Visme, Count of Vismes.
Brother of:
1. Possibly William Count of
Vismes.
2. Possibly Lewis De Visme (1720-1776).
3. Possibly
others?
Gerard married: not known.
He possibly had issue a daughter or grandaugther:
1. Emily De Visme who married Genearl
Sir Henry Murray (1784-1860), the son of the 2nd Earl of Mansfield.
2.
Possibly others?
Gerard De Visme: An Overview
We know about very little about Gerard DeVisme except for the following. Much of this I have picked up from various websites:
His family were presumably Huguenot who had fled to England from France in the late 1500s or the 1600s.
He seems to have lived most of his life in
Portugal but spent his later years in England.
His estate in Portugal
was Quinta at Benfica, near Lisbon. In 1790, he bought the Monserrate
estate, near Sintra.
From about 1794 he lived at Wimbledon Lodge near
London.
A prominent member of the British Factory in Lisbon, he made a vast fortune, possibly relating to diamonds commerce with Brazil. He was possibly the Administrator of the Crown jewels and diamond mines of Brazil. He also possibly imported redwood and presumably had many other business interests. He seems to have been involved in the building of the British Hospital in Lisbon. He was also involved in a bank Purry Mellish & De Vismes. He is mentioned in the book 'They Went to Portugal' by Rose Macaulay.
He was very rich and later in London appears to have been a partner in the banking firm of De Vismes, Cuthbert, Marsh, Creed and Co, which is recorded in the London Directory of 1797. This bank later became known as Marsh & Co but went bankrupt in 1824 after a fraud supposedly carried out by the junior partner Henry Fauntleroy. One of the creditors afterwards was De Visme & Co £754.
Gerard is possibly buried in the churchyard of St Mary's in Wimbledon. He is noted as dying in 1797 having been resident at Wimbledon Lodge, Southside.
A large portrait of Gerard, by Thomas Hickey, is in the National Trust collection at Tyntesfield, near Bristol. A second copy of this portrait, presumably also painted by Thomas Hickey, came up for Auction 14 March 2012 in Australia (Mossgreen, Lot 49).
Gerard's brother Lewis De Visme was the Secretary of the Embassy in Spain in 1765, Russia, in Turin. He was Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at the court of Sweden, Russia and Bavaria. He never married.
There is also a Lieutenant-Colonel Gerard De Visme commanding Hon. Artillery-Company 1811 (item noted in the British Library). Perhaps he was a son?
|
|
Wimbledon Villa, London Home of Gerard De Visme From 'Description
of London' |
|
|
Bookplate believed to have belonged to Gerard De Visme |
Emily, daughter of Gerard De Visme From the painting
by T. Lawrence R.A. |
If anyone can tell me more about Gerard De Visme I would be very interested to hear from you. Please contact me on jj@jjhc.info
