Sir Charles Peers (1661 – 29 January 1737) was a British businessman who became the Chairman of the East India Company in 1714The_India_list_and_India_Office_list The India list and India Office list for ... - Great Britain. India Office - Google Books and Lord Mayor of London in 1715.Lord Mayors of London City of London website. He had previously served as one of the Sheriffs of the City of London in 1708–1709.
Biography Peers was born to Edmund Peers (d. 1681) and Mary Walden, in 1661, of the parish of the St. Katherine Creechurch, Aldgate ward, London.Sir Charles Peers (1661 - 1737) Family tree. Through his mother, he was a nephew of Sir Lionel Walden, who served as Mayor of Huntingdon. Peers was educated at St Paul’s School, London.
Peers was an active merchant trading between Málaga, London, and other European ports, operating both on his own account and as an agent for other merchants in England. In 1689 Peers married Sarah Baud, the niece of Lady Susanna Morden (née Brand), the wife of Sir John Morden, founder of Morden College. Through this union, Peers expanded his commercial interests, reportedly receiving a quarter share in an East Indiaman, the 'Velez Merchant' as part of Sarah's dowry.
Peers' trading accounts reveal voyages from Málaga to Amsterdam, Hamburg, Danzig, and transatlantic routes including Boston to Jamaica, with Bristol as his main English port. His trade involved commodities such as wine, sherry, fruit, oil, soap, nuts, indigo, hides, silk stockings, and clocks.
He started his career as a salter (trader of salt) and also as the London partner of William Morley and Company of Málaga, merchants and importers. He later became Common Councilman for Aldgate Ward 1701–8, and Alderman of Tower Ward 1708–37.
Peers served as Master of the Worshipful Company of Salters, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London in 1716-17.
He was a Director of the Bank of England in 1705-07 and 1708–12, a Director of the New East India Company in 1701-05 and 1706–09 and a Director of the United East India Company in 1712-15. He was Chairman of the latter for 1714-15.
He was knighted on 16 July 1707, by Queen Anne of Great Britain.City of London, St Olave's Church, Hart Street: Monographs. #39 He served as a Sheriff of the City of London (1708–1709) and as Lord Mayor of London (1715–16), of which he was granted a coat of arms reflecting his civic prominence.
See also List of Lord Mayors of London
References
External links Portrait of Sir Charles Peers, Lord Mayor of London at BBC