This is a partial list of merchants who lived at one time in Leghorn and traded from there, work is always in progress. The full list contains thousands of merchants.
*** This page is not being updated, please contact me directly ***
visit Livornogen or write me an e-mail.
Edward ABBOTT (1603-1684)
John AIKMAN (1679-1752)
William AIKMAN (1695-1784)
Dirk Jacob ALEWIJN (1787-1863)
Guillaume AUBERT (?- <1773)
Thomas BALLE (c.1671-1749)
Frederick BARKER (1790-1855)
Robert BATEMAN (c.1678-1743)
John BECHER (1711- >1775)
James BIRD (1754- >1803)
Lewis BLAQUIERE (1722-1754)
Samuel BONNELL (1608-1664)
William BRODERICK (1765-1821)
Robert CAMPBELL (1779-?)
James CLEGG (?-1784)
Thomas CROKAT (1778-1861)
Christopher CROWE (1682-1749)
Joseph DENHAM (c.1742-<1801)
Antoine DESMARETZ (1744-1807)
François DESMARETZ (c.1706-1781)
Gaspard DESMETH (?-1771)
Justus Raymond DESMETH (1708-1762)
Thomas DETHICK (1622-1680)
John DRAKE (?-?)
Jean Jean DUFOUR (?-1769)
Louis DUPOUY (c.1771- >1813)
Thomas EARLE (1719-1781)
Abel FONNEREAU (1753-?)
Harry FONNEREAU (1747-1832)
Robert FOOTE (1637-1714)
Jacques FRAISSINET (c.1771-?)
Otto FRANCK (?-1780)
Simon FRASER (c.1760-1816)
Andre’ Jean “Alphonse” GIRARDOT (1793-1833)
Antoine Louis GIRARDOT (c.1762-1812)
Andre’ Jean “Maurice” GIRARDOT (1795-1854)
Chambrelan GODFREY (c.1699-1766)
Edward GOULD (1650-1728)
Edward GOULD (1677-1721)
John GRANT (1779-1870)
Pierre GRAVIER (?-1763)
Georges GUEBHARD (1777-1828)
Joseph GUIGUES (<1747-c.1808)
Bernhard Peter HAASE (1775-1824)
Christopher HANBURY (c.1661-1716)
William HANBURY (c.1659-1716)
Francis HARRIMAN (c.1682-1763)
James HARRIMAN (c.1660-1738)
Lewis HENDERSON (1780-1826)
Robert HENDERSON (1811-1868)
James HOWE (?-1760)
Jan Antonio HUIJGENS (?-1693)
William JAGO (1790-?)
John Webb JAMES (1801-1835)
Alphonse JEANRENAUD (c.1781-?)
John KLEIBER (1729-1804)
John Adolphus KOSTER (c.1751- >1820)
Agostino KOTZIAN (1792-1878)
Abraham de LA FONTAINE (c.1628-1688)
Jean Louis LAMANDE (1716- >1771)
Jean “Louis” LAMANDE (c.1675-1745)
George LAMBE (c.1658-1719)
Paul LANTHOIS (?-?)
Pierre Noel LANTHOIS (c.1760-?)
François de LA RIVE (1705-1763)
Francis LEVETT (>1726- <1786) Jr.
Thomas LLOYD (c.1701-1745)
Heinrich Christian LUTYENS (c.1725-?)
William MAC BEAN (1783-1835)
Jean MALAN (1700-1763)
Joseph MALAN (c.1720-1767)
Pierre MARCHA (1703-1771)
Origène MARCHANT (c.1598-1679)
Louis Pierre MARTIN (c.1730-1792)
Barnabas MAUDE (?-?)
Elia MESCK (c.1717-1817)
Pierre MICHON (1645-?)
Christopher MITCHELL (1674- <1707)
Samuel MITCHELL (?-1707)
Pierre MUSTON (c.1712-1771)
Jacob NADAL (1723- >1766)
Daniel OXENBRIDGE (?- <1643)
Thomas PANTON (?-1796) Sr.
Thomas PANTON (1767-1811) Jr.
Christopher PARKER (c.1649-1693)
Corneille Paul PASTEUR (1759-1843)
Robert PERRYMAN (1693-1764)
Christophe Edouard PHILIBERT (1716-1775)
Gédéon PHILIBERT (1674-1758)
Matthew PLOWMAN (?-?)
William PLOWMAN (1646-1745)
Robert PORTER (c.1741-1813)
Samuel RAE (c.1796-1870)
Daniel RAGUENEAU (1746-1805)
Josiah REES (?-?)
Georg Wilhelm RENNER (1706-1790)
Jean Jacques RILLIET (1731-1815)
Louis RILLIET (1722-1812)
William ROBERTSON (?-1784)
Robert RUTHERFURD (1719-1794)
Robert SAINTHILL (1604-1682)
Pierre SAPTE (1732-1781)
Thomas SAPTE (1733-1793)
Harry Joseph SCROPE (c.1712-1760)
Jean Jacques SENN (1783-1861)
Louis SENN (1803- >1876)
Pierre SENN (1767-1838)
Gilbert SERLE (c.1634-1712)
Robert SERLE (c.1650- <1704)
Job THROCKMORTON (1594-?)
Conrad TOBLER (1781-1861)
David TRAXLER-OTT (1805-c.1885)
John Christopher ULRICH (1755-1835)
Matthias UNWIN (c.1700-1786)
Thomas UNWIN (1700-?)
Cornelius VANNECK ( ?-?)
Jacob Barentsz. VANNECK (?-?)
Johannes VANNECK (?-?)
Théophile VERNET (?-1756)
François VILLION (1688-1763) le jeune
Jules Auguste VIOLLIER (1810-1887)
Haughton WILLS (c.1710-c.1782)
Thomas WILSON (c.1720-1773)
Thomas WINDER (?-1733)
Fortunatus WRIGHT (1712-1757)
Thomas WRIGHT (?-?)
Johann Heinrich WULFFEN (c.1776-?)
Paul WULFFEN (c.1764-?)
Leghorn Merchant Networks 
I have been doing research on Andrew Hare of Minehead, Somerset, and later Cork in Ireland. He had business with “Martin & Godfrey”, merchants of “Leghorn” who owed him money for goods in 1719. The list above fits with Godfrey, but the Martin is too late. Could there have been an earlier Martin?
Hello, that list is just an old draft. I have continued researching since then. Send me an email if you wish my research services.
Please can you tell me if you have any info regarding Edward Mico and Samuel Mico, trading in Livorno in the 1600s? I am a Trustee of Weymouth Town Charities and Sir Samuel Mico was our benefactor. Many thanks, Stuart McLeod, Weymouth, UK (weymouthtowncharities.org.uk)
Dear Mr. McLeod, this is an ongoing research project about merchant networks, I have found that some of Mico’s business network was in Livorno, unsurprisingly though, given the importance of the city and its port in those times.
Many thanks Matteo, I should be very grateful if you or any other member comes across any references to Samuel Mico in correspondences. I am aware he knew and worked alongside Thomas Dethick. We currently have a huge gap in our knowledge about Samuel’s life between the years 1617 – 1633 when he appears in London, from nowhere, and pays a fine to become a member of the Mercers’ Company. I have wondered if he spent some years of his early life, as an apprentice, learning the trade, perhaps in Livorno? Best wishes, Stuart
Dear Stuart, for any requests write privately by email.
Would please tell me what was linked Agostino Kotzian to Maria Luisa Christophe (Marie Louise Christophe), widow of Henry Christophe of Hayti? She died on March 14, 1851 in Pisa and Mr. Kotzian was her executor.
I wrote you privately. Thanks.
[…] Leghorn’s Merchants November 2009 12 comments […]
Hello Mateo !!
LIVORNO and the HAMMEKEN family
In 1799 a war broke out between Denmark and Tunis, and as the Danish king did not like to pay customs to Tunis, and as his trade ships (about 200 a year) were passing through the strait between Tunis and Italy. A Danish admiral Steen Bille with 3 battle-ships was then there, (in year 1800); outside Tunis and instead of negotiate a solution, he start shooting at the Tunis city and kingdom.
This set the Consul Hammeken (Louis Joseph H.), in a very bad situation at once – He was very young (22 years old), but might have got some help from his mother (Elizabeth Gordon, daughter of the late Charles Gordon, British Consul at Tunis). The story is long and coming home, the Admiral Steen Bille wrote a book about these events, but it was wrong a coloured in his favour, so Louis Joseph Hammeken got angry and wrote a script correcting the admiral’s information.
About 1801 the family Hammeken (including Elizabeth, the mother, and the 4 younger children, as the older one, Louis Joseph, with his Consul’s diplomatic immunity stayed in Tunis, and George Louis, the 2nd oldest, and my direct ancestor, was at the time living and studying at Copenhagen, in his uncle’s Nicolas Suenson* house), had and needed to leave Tunis and went by ship to Livorno, Italy (probably with help of the Danish and English Consuls), where they stayed 1-2 year before traveling on to Copenhagen
(Info, from Bent Hammeken, Mar 2000)
*Nicolas Suenson (1731 Bergen, 1805 Copenhagen), was the son of Margaret Hammeken and Svend Nielsen
Hi Georgie,
thanks for some new details and the story of the events related to Admiral Bille.
Please disregard some of the facts in the above mail! Some glaring ancestral errors!
Will advise.
Ciao!
Hi Collin, I wrote you privately. I think I finally understood how the family is composed and how your branch and the Livorno branch are connected. It took a couple of days and I also needed to buy a few wills from the National Archives but now it should be ok.
Ciao Matteo!
Ok! I need to look at our family tree again! All our UNWIN family originated from Castle Hedingham.
There is ostensibly an authoritative family tree that was published by Sir Stanley Unwin (Of the Publisher: Allen & Unwin) in 1947 that goes back to 1475. There is a Mathius Unwin of Castle Hedingham in my direct ancestry in this tree.
(I have not yet found a Matthius b. about 1700 in my family research. Matthius is also another form of the name Matthew.))
I have a copy of a will for A Mathius Unwin of Castle Hedingham dated 1686 which doesn’t agree with our family tree date of death! SO I have some more investigative work to do before I can confirm my tree. I will pick up the printed copy from my father tomorrow.
I will then look in detail to see if I can find YOUR Matthius – as the tree details ALL the Unwins who originated from Castle Hedingham.
Last night, I found a genealogy site linked to this site. It was late I am afraid I cannot remember it! BUT it turned up a single UNWIN relative to the leghorn search. I recall that the father’s name was John. I can tell you that the Thomas Unwin I mailed you about, had a father John and a mother, Elizabeth.
I can also confirm that THOMAS UNWIN was a wealthy man and he owned Black Notley Hall which is 16kms from Castle Hedingham. Coggeshall is c.18kms from Castle Hedingham.
His sons were: a clothier, a brewer and son Jacob, who went on to found Gresham Press (which became Allen & Unwin, the world renowned publishers. We wondered where the wealth appeared in our family history. Perhaps Thomas’ business acumen in Leghorn ‘made the family fortune’!
My ancestor was the clothier. He was also described as a wealthy gentleman. His grandson also left a substantial will. Unfortunately, this man’s son, who was my great, great grandfather, seems to have bought land and ended his life penniless and homeless, turning up at different relatives’ houses to stay! I could have been an heir to a part of the Leghorn family fortune!
Please let me have an email address for you, Matteo as I am completing the family tree on ancestry.co.uk and will happily mail you an invite to view it. It may help establish Matthius and Thomas for you.
Have a great weekend!
Collin.
Clarification for listing above for:
THOMAS UNWIN
Birth
10 DEC 1700
in Coggeshall, Essex, England
Death
12 NOV 1776
in Coggeshall, Essex.
Is one of my ancestors. The following information was found on the Essex County Council website:
“Reference Code D/DMh/B1
Dates of Creation 1737
Extent 1
Scope and Content
Agreement between (i) Thomas UNWIN and Samuel Lloyd, leghorn merchants, and (ii) Sir John Thompson, alderman of City of London, Joseph Hankey, alderman of City of London, Thomas Morson of Chiswick, brewer, and Robert Godfrey, son of late Robt. Godfrey, cornfactor and merchant of London, for the employment and instruction of Robert Godfrey for 5 years by Thomas UNWIN and Sam. Lloyd in their trade of leghorn merchants as carried out at the House of Leghorn in Italy.
Inc. details of provision to be made for Robert Godfrey, work to be undertaken, money to be paid and optional clauses for release from contracts.
MATHIAS UNWIN is also an ancestor although it would appear that THOMAS UNWIN’S d-o-b has been placed alongside Matthias in error. I will attempt to clarify life details for Mathias if it is of value to anyone here.
I hope this information proves of interest and help to others.
Kind regards
Collin Unwin,
Rochford,
Essex.
Hello Mr. Unwin,
Matthias UNWIN (c.1700-1786) is buried in Livorno and he died at 86 years of age. He is from Hedingham Castle and was a merchant in Livorno for more than fifty years. The agreement you found is certainly related to him and one of his relatives, maybe a brother (Thomas).
What I don’t know is where to place your Thomas UNWIN (1700-1776) of Coggeshall…
This is very interesting so if you have any other information it’s very welcome! In the meanwhile I am trying to do some more research on the subject. Thank you.
My interest in Livorno stems from my research into a certain Montagu Wilkinson (1744-1797) who left England for Italy with his wife, Ann, and three young children in August 1789. They remained there until November 1796. He died in Vienna in June 1797.
I have collected extensive but unfortunately fragmentary material concerning Wilkinson and am trying to piece together an account of his activities in Italy. In England he had been Chief Clerk at the Signet Office at Somerset House (a lucrative sinecure which he held until his death) and a Regimental Agent. What he was doing in Italy is as yet unclear, though his purchasing busts from the sculptor Luigi Acquisti is documented and a prolonged stay in Munich in 1794, and his going on business to Saxony at that time, leads me to think that he might possibly have been dealing in statuary. He was closely acquainted with Sir William Hamilton.
The family seem to have settled first in Livorno. Their fourth child, Leopold Sheffield, was apparently born in Livorno on 13 March 1790 and was baptised there (or possibly in Pisa) on 11 April, with John, Lord Sheffield (Gibbon’s friend) and the Grand Duke Leopold acting as Godparents (the Grand Duke by proxy of course, as he had already returned to Vienna to take the Throne following the death of his brother, Emperor Joseph II). By December 1791 they had settled in Rome but it would appear that Wilkinson maintained business connections in Livorno: this is suggested in a document written by him in Rome in Feb. 1796 where he refers to papers of his “relative to my Personals in England and at Leghorn”.
I would be very grateful for any further information about Montagu Wilkinson.
Christopher Wentworth-Stanley
Here is an excerpt from the Calendar of State Papers relating to English Affairs in the Archives of Venice (Sarotti’s Dispatch to the Doge), 28: 1647-1652:
“Prince Leopold confided to me that parlaiment has selected for its minister at Leghorn accredited to his Highness, Charles Grandier, a leading merchant on that mart …”
I would be very grateful for any information concerning Charles Grandier –
Aline Grandier Hornaday ahornaday@ucsd.edu
Good afternoon. I have a letter dated “Leghorn October 31st 1763” from a Thomas Shaw to his wife. Shaw is apparently the captain of a merchant vessel recently arrived in Livorno. Shaw mentions that he will dine tomorrow with “Mr. Francks.” A similar name is on your merchants list and I thank you for publishing that list. Shaw mentions the names of other ships, the “Nancy” and the “Norfolk” but doesn’t give his own ship’s name. Are you aware of any source that lists ship arrivals and departures for Livorno in 1763?
Hello,
thank you for your message. You are right, it could easily be a Mr. Franck from the Franck & Co. firm of Leghorn, a family for which I have done some studies. As far as ships arrivals in Livorno, there are a few different indexes and manuscripts both in Livorno and in Florence (State Archives). In those lists normally there are few details on the ships and the crew, like the captain’s name and origin. I am not an expert in these lists, I am just aware of their existence in the local archives. Thanks again.
Thank you and I will let you know if I find anything.