Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington

Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington (22 January 1752 – 18 September 1838), was a British banker and politician. He served in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1779 until 1797, when he was elevated to the peerage.

== Early Life ==

Smith was born on 22 January 1752 as the third son of Abel Smith (1717–1788) and his wife Mary (née Bird, 1724–1780). His grandfather, also named Abel Smith (circa 1690 – 1756), was the founder of Smith's Bank in Nottingham. Smith married Anne Boldero-Barnard (1756–1827), daughter of Lewyns and Anne (Popplewell) Boldero-Barnard, at Tottenham on 6 July 1780.

== Political Career ==

Smith succeeded his elder brother Abel, who died on 22 January 1779, shortly after having been elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Nottingham. In a by-election on 9 February 1779, Smith was returned unopposed to fill this vacancy. He was subsequently re-elected as MP for Nottingham in 1780, 1784, 1790, and 1796.

In 1796, Smith was elevated to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Carrington of Bulcote Lodge. This peerage was primarily granted due to his involvement in managing the personal financial matters of Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger. The following year, he was created Baron Carrington of Upton in the County of Nottingham in the Peerage of Great Britain, which required him to vacate his seat in the House of Commons. He was succeeded as MP for Nottingham by Sir John Borlase Warren.

== Later Life ==

In 1800, Smith was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and in 1812, he became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. In 1819, he was admitted as a Nobleman to Magdalene College, Cambridge. He held the position of Captain of Deal Castle from 1802 until his death.

According to the Legacies of British Slave-ownership project at University College London, Carrington received compensation under the Slave Compensation Act 1837 for enslaved persons he owned in Jamaica. The British government had issued a £15 million loan, approximately equivalent to £1.8 billion in 2023, to fund payments to slave owners following the abolition of slavery. Carrington's claims involved ownership of 268 slaves in Jamaica, for which he received a payment of £4,908 (around £588,342 in 2023).

== Family ==

Carrington's first wife, Anne Boldero-Barnard, died in 1827. In 1836, he married Charlotte Hudson (1770–1849), daughter of John Hudson and Susanna Trevelyan. At the time of this marriage, Carrington was 83 and Charlotte was 65 years old.

He died on 18 September 1838 at the age of 86. By his first wife, he had one son and five daughters. His son, Robert, succeeded him in his titles and changed his last name to Carrington the following year.