John Gurney (1749–1809)

When he died childless in 1802, members from another branch of the family succeeded him and John and his brother Richard (1742–1811) became partners in the bank in 1803.

Catherine's sister was Priscilla Wakefield, a writer on feminist economics and children's literature.

When John Gurney's wife died in 1794, Elizabeth as became partly responsible for the care and training of her younger siblings.

In the 19th century, the Gurney family was known for its wealth: In Gilbert and Sullivan's 1875 comic opera "Trial by Jury", a character describes his accumulation of wealth until at length I became as rich as the Gurneys.

John Gurney and his wife Catherine Bell had 13 children, of whom several died young.