1702-1712
HOARES IS KNIGHTED
1800 ’ s
A CENTURY OF STRIFE
1900s
WAR AND THE BLITZ
Following the great success of the bank , Richard Hoare was knighted by Queen Anne in 1702 . His popularity and sense of fair play , as well as his interest in his immediate communities , led to his election as Lord Mayor of London in 1712 .
During this period , the bank entered a turbulent time , caused by dishonest directors and a series of family feuds that saw members of the Hoare family disagree on the direction of the bank . In 1825 , William Christmas embezzled £ 1,000 from the bank to fund his affair with an actress . He was sentenced to be transported for 14 years and his father was asked to make good the bank ' s losses .
Central London was the target of numerous bombings during the Blitz , so although the bank ’ s credibility had recovered from the previous problems , and it had survived being absorbed by larger banking corporations , it now faced a physical threat . Most staff were evacuated from the headquarters at 37 Fleet Street . The building was almost destroyed by fire , but was ultimately saved through the swift actions of its employees .
2000 ’ s
CRYPTOCURRENCY
AND FINTECH
Hoare sold its Wealth Management business to Cazenove Capital Management , owned by Schroders in October 2016 . In 2018 Rennie Hoare was appointed a shareholding partner , in an effort to bring “ millennial thinking ” into the bank and to lead Britain ’ s oldest independent bank towards digital transformation . In March 2019 , the bank opened a branch in Cambridge , its first ever office outside London .