Edward Lloyd (coffee house owner)

Common card · No. 451547

Edward Lloyd (c. 1648 – 15 February 1713) was the British owner of a London-based eponymous coffee house, a publisher and the origin of the names of the Lloyd's of London insurance market, the Lloyd's List shipping journal and Lloyd's Register. Little is known about Lloyd's early life until he opened his coffee house near the Port of London around 1685–1687. It became a favoured location of merchants, ship owners and sailors and Lloyd provided them with information about ship and cargo movements, maritime losses and market prices. In 1691 Lloyd moved the coffee house to larger premises on the corner of Lombard Street, in the centre of London's business and finance district. It continued to attract businesspeople, particularly in shipping, and he introduced two short-lived news-sheets—Lloyd's News and one with the running title "Ships arrived at, and departed from several ports of England". In Britain, in addition to running his coffee house, Lloyd was a churchwarden, constable and questman...

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