John Freame

John Freame (1669–1745) was an English goldsmith and banker. In 1690 he co-founded Freame & Gould, which later became Barclays Bank. Early life John, son of Robert Freame, was born in 1669 in Cirencester, England, and baptised on 11 November of the same year. In 1683, he was apprenticed to Job Bolton, a Quaker goldsmith based in Lombard Street. Career Upon completion of his apprenticeship, Freame gained his Freedom of the City on 7 April 1690, giving him the right to open a business within the City of London as a goldsmith, and went into partnership with Thomas Gould, a fellow Quaker. Located in a part of the City where a quarter of the population were Quakers, they were able to build up their reputation — and their business, particularly amongst Quakers. They traded as Freame & Gould under the sign of three anchors, building a good reputation. In 1728, the business moved to 54 Lombard Street, identified as the ‘Sign of the Black Spread Eagle’. Signs were used to identify buildings in an age when few people could read, and, as buildings changed hands, signs would remain.