{{Short description|English merchant, slave trader and Lord Mayor of London}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} [[File:Statue of Robert Geffrye, Museum of the Home.jpg|thumb|The statue of Alderman Sir Robert Geffrye at the Museum of the Home, after a 1723 original by John Nost]] '''Sir Robert Geffrye''' (also spelled '''Geffrey''' or '''Geffery''') (1613–1703) was an English merchant, slave trader,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/museum-of-the-home-london-robert-geffrye-slavery-b966678.html|title = Museum of the Home considers moving controversial slave trader statue|newspaper=Evening Standard|first=Josh|last= Salisbury|date = 17 November 2021}}</ref> and Lord Mayor of London for 1685/86.<ref name="auto">"Geffrey, Robert", ''Dictionary of National Biography'', 1885–1900, Volume 10 (wikisource).</ref>
== Life == Geffrye was born to poor parents at Landrake, near Saltash, Cornwall, and moved to London, where he became an eminent East India merchant. Later residing in a townhouse on Lime Street in the City of London, he twice served as Master Ironmonger,<ref>[https://www.ironmongers.org/about-us www.ironmongers.org]</ref> was knighted in 1673, became Sheriff of London in 1674 and was elected Lord Mayor of London for 1685/86.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/nov/18/museum-of-the-home-considering-moving-statue-slave-ship-owner-robert-geffrye www.theguardian.com]</ref>
Elected President of Bridewell and Bethlehem Hospitals in March 1692–3, Geffrye was a significant trader in tobacco,<ref name="auto"/> part of whose investment was in the Atlantic slave trade as well as partial ownership of a slave ship, the ''China Merchant''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Museum to keep slave-trader statue on building |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-53592951 |access-date=29 August 2020 |work=BBC News |date=30 July 2020}}</ref>
Married in 1651 to Priscilla (died 1676), daughter of Luke Cropley, a City lawyer and brother of Sir John Cropley, Sir Robert and Lady Geffrye had no children.<ref>[https://www.burkespeerage.com/ www.burkespeerage.com]</ref>
On his death Geffrye left about £10,000<ref>{{Cite ODNB|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-10502|title=Geffery [Geffrey], Sir Robert (d. 1704), merchant|year=2004|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/10502|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8|last1=Grassby|first1=Richard}}</ref> divided in legacies to friends, relatives, hospitals and clergymen's widows, and in establishing certain trusts under the charge of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers. A service was to be provided twice daily in the church of St. Dionis Backchurch, a school to be maintained at Landrake, and the poor of St Erney and Landrake to be relieved.<ref name="auto"/> The remainder was dedicated to 14 almshouses, mainly for widows of ironmongers, being constructed in 1715 at Shoreditch. These buildings were sold in 1910 and now house the Museum of the Home (''formerly'' the Geffrye Museum), which has displays scenes of domestic life from 1600 to the present day.<ref>Mark Brown, [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/nov/27/geffrye-to-reopen-as-museum-of-the-home-after-18m-overhaul "Geffrye to reopen as Museum of the Home after £18m overhaul"], ''The Guardian'', 27 November 2019.</ref><ref>David Sanderson, [https://www.thetimes.com/article/tongue-twister-museum-clears-its-name-lxhx5qgm3 "Tongue-twister Geffrye Museum of the Home clears its name"], ''The Times'', 27 November 2019.</ref> New almshouses were built at Mottingham in Kent, sold in 1972 to the Greater London Council. Sir Robert Geffrye's Trust continues to maintain almshouse in Hampshire – at Basingstoke that opened in 1984, also being refurbished and reopened in 2023. They give sheltered housing to 65 retired people of limited means.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gefferysfields.org/accommodation' Company}}</ref> There is also a Sir Robert Geffrye's School in the village of Landrake, Cornwall.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sir Robert Geffery's School |url=https://www.ironmongers.org/company_sir_robert_gefferys_school.htm |website=www.ironmongers.org |access-date=1 November 2020}}</ref>
==See also== * Ironmongers' Company
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Cornwall|London}} * {{Commons category inline}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geffrye, Robert}} Category:1613 births Category:1703 deaths Category:People from Landrake Category:17th-century lord mayors of London Category:British East India Company people Category:17th-century English slave traders Category:History of Cornwall Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Masters of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers Category:Politicians from Cornwall Category:Sheriffs of the City of London