Sir Thomas
Gresham was an English businessman and financier. He worked for England’s King
Edward VI, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I.
Gresham was born
in 1519 in London. After college, he worked as an apprentice for Sir John
Gresham who was the founder of Gresham’s School. According to his own
testimony, Gresham’s apprenticeship lasted for eight years.
In 1551, the
King’s merchant in the Low Countries, Sir William Dansell was reported to have
mismanaged the King’s interests and brought great embarrassment to the English
government. The King sought Gresham’s advice. He raised the value of the pound sterling on the
bourse of Antwerp. This scheme was believed to be cunning, nevertheless it
helped discharge King Edward VI’s debts.
Since then, the
government sought Gresham’s advices in all its financial dilemmas. On various
occasions, he was sent to represent the King in diplomatic missions.
It was unclear if he was paid for his services but he received a number of
grants in land.
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