James Forsyth was a Scotsman born in 1822 in Abernethy Morayshire.
James Forsyth – Henry Evans’ Boss
He was a coffee planter in Ceylon before he became Manager of the Wolverhampton and Staffordshire Bank, living his life after 1855 in Tettenhall, Staffs. The bank founded in 1831 had emerged from a run and closure in 1857 to become a solid and respected institution. James Forsyth would have been the Manager by well before 1876 when they opened new premises in Queen Square. This building still stands today as Barclays Bank. Forsyth was therefore the boss and likely banking mentor in the early career of Henry Evans. He was also the Godfather to Henry’s only son Charles Wilmot Evans. He died in 1909.
The damaged photo is labelled on the back ‘General Forsyth, Wilmot’s Godfather’. We do not know of any mainstream military background but it is probable therefore that he was a leading light in the Wolverhampton Volunteers.
He probably retired from the bank in 1889 when it was taken over by the Birmingham, Dudley and District Bank. In the same year he is noted amongst the guest list at the wedding of Henry Evans and Florence Marten
Sources and Notes
- The travails and successes of the Wolverhampton and Staffordshire Bank are well recorded in the Wolverhampton Chronicle. In 1857 a rescue plan was put forward by the then Chairman Alexander Hordern