Aaron Franks

Aaron Franks was a highly successful jeweler in London. His father, Abraham, was a founder of the London Ashkenazi community admitted to the Royal Exchange in 1697. As his father, Aaron was closely associated with the affairs of the Great Synagogue. In 1745 he took the lead in the attempt to secure the intervention of the English court on behalf of the Jews expelled from Prague. Aaron was so wealthy that he has distributed £5,000 yearly in charity without distinction of race or creed. In his country home in Isleworth on the banks of the Thames, he gave musical receptions and entertained the aristocracy.

When Aaron died in 1777, he was worth around £500,000 representing about 0.27% of the then £180m net national income. In 2010 equivalent would be around £2.9bn.