Henry Smith (moneylender)

Henry "Dog" Smith (May 1549 – 3 January 1628) was an English moneylender and philanthropist. His nickname derives from a popular legend that he spent some time as a beggar with a dog as a companion. Smith lent to notable property owners such as Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex and Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset and over time acquired estates of thousands of acres in size. In his will he left money for charitable purposes including for the benefit of the poor in a number of towns and parishes, for the support of his sister's descendants, for the victims of the Barbary slave trade and for the support of clergymen. The trust established by his endowment survives as the Henry Smith Charity, providing grants of tens of millions of pounds annually.