Sir Paul Pindar

A Northamptonshire man, Sir Paul Pindar was one of the greatest merchants of the age, who created much of his fortune in Europe and the Levant between 1583 and the early 1600s. Initially, this was in Italy where he was factor for a London merchant - Henry Parvish - but where he also acted on his own account and made himself wealthy.

In Turkey he became something of a diamond specialist, bringing back to England the 'Great Diamond' worth £35,000, which he lent to James I for state occasions. His son, Charles I, eventually bought the diamond for £18,000 but appears to have paid for it indirectly by way of grants to manage the customs and licences to produce alum.

In 1626, the king gave him the right to arrest all French ships and goods in England, for a fee. Pindar went on to become an important source of funds for the beleaguered Crown. By 1639, his loans to Charles totalled £100,000 with an 8% interest rate attached. Throughout the Civil War, Pindar supplied the king with funds, but did not suffer any consequences from a victorious parliament. He died aged 85, an unusual age to have achieved, in 1650. The front of his London house is preserved in the Victoria & Albert museum.

His fortune was put at £250,000 by contemporaries. In today's terms, this would be worth over £7.4bn.