Another Guy to remember
We all remember the story of the South Sea Bubble and how thousands of investors were ruined when this early foray into share dealing crashed. For one man at least the bubble did not burst. Thomas Guy sold his shares in the South Sea Company before the crash and made a great deal of money. He brought this money from his erstwhile home in London to Tamworth and set up a book shop and publishing business. He was very successful at this too but earned the reputation of being penny-pinching despite financing the new Town Hall and a row of almshouses for seven poor women of the parish. This he later extended to include seven poor men. He was elected MP for Tamworth and the world was bright for him until he lost his seat in 1707. This he took umbrage to, accusing the electorate of disloyalty. He banned residents of the town from the almshouses restricting residents to those from the surrounding villages. He also took his vast fortune back to London with him and used it to build Guy' Hospital.