Matthew Shiffner.

About Matthew Shiffner

Matthew Shiffner was a Russian-born merchant, of German Baltic origins. He became a naturalised British citizen in 1711, before exploiting family connections to rise to prominence as a leading merchant in Russia; his links with the Russian Company allowed for him to become a major exporter of Russian goods to Britain in the 1730s. As favour at the imperial court changed from 1740, he moved over to London, where he ran his affairs from offices on Broad Street until his death.