Richard Wyche

Richard Wyche was born into a merchant family engaged in the trade with the East Indies. His father was also a Lord Mayor of London. Following his family tradition, Richard became active in the lucrative trade with the East. He married the daughter of Sir Richard Saltonstall, another wealthy London merchant. His fortune could be estimated around £100,000 or £3.6bn in today’s terms.

His son, Sir Peter Wyche (d. 1643) inherited his large fortune. In 1626 he was knighted by the king Charles I and appointed his privy chamber, and later an English ambassador to the Ottoman court. His wife astonished the Sultana by making a visit to the Sultan's harem. In 1641, Wyche returned to London. The large loan that is given to the king weakened the family fortune.

He died at Oxford in 1643, before the end of the Civil War.