Samuel Tomkins (1810–1878)[1] was an English private banker, known for his part in the final years of Willis, Percival & Co.; and also as a Freemason and art collector.
He was the son of Samuel Tomkins the elder (died 1849, aged 87)[2] of Russell Square and Willis, Percival & Co., and his wife Eliza Alicia Isabella Smith (died 1856 at age 79), daughter of the Irish naval officer Edward Tyrrell Smith and his first wife Maria Nevin.
[3][4] One of his brothers was the medical man John Newton Tomkins (1812–1876), who became resident surgeon at the National Vaccine Establishment, Russell Place, Fitzroy Square; Mary Jane Tomkins, a sister, was a poet and wrote for Household Words, married Gustave Plarr from Alsace, and was mother of Victor Plarr.
[13] Willis, Percival & Co., which over time traded under numerous names,[14] was a Lombard Street bank with origins in a goldsmith Thomas Williams of the 17th century, at the sign of The Crown.
[24] A commentator in The Accountant in March had opined that the probate valuation of Willis's estate was low, indicating problems at the bank.
Hampshire and North Wilts were interested in joining the clearing house system, but as a joint-stock company had initially encountered resistance from the private bankers.
[28][30] Investigation by the liquidator showed that a clerk for the bank, John Dawson Shepherd, had embezzled over £7,000, as was discovered in March 1877.
Accounts including for the Grand Lodge and the Royal Masonic Institution for Boys in Wood Green were caught up in the bank [34] A fund was set up to cover these losses.