English School, 19th century

Born in Jamaica, Sir Manasseh Lopes came from a family of Sephardic Jews who had built up significant wealth as plantation owners in the 18th century. His father, who had settled in Clapham, died in 1796 and his fortune passed to his son, who a year earlier had married Charlotte Yeats, the daughter of John Yeats of Monmouthshire. Lopes invested in the East India Company and bought land throughout Devon, becoming one of the biggest landowners in the county. His political ambitions were realised in 1802 when he was elected as member of parliament for New Romney in Kent; he was a loyal supporter of Pitt. In a later election, in 1818, he was accused and found guilty of bribing voters in Barnstaple though many felt such corruption was widespread at the time and Lopes was unfairly targeted. After being imprisoned, he was successfully re-elected in 1826, and when he died five years later he left a fortune of over £800,000.