Peter Barrow reports that on the back of the original is a note that reads (with a few minor edits and omissions):

Born at Bury Street St Marylebone Middlesex, later lived at Devonshire Square and lived for most of his life at Lansdown Grove Bath.
His grandparents were Simon Barrow and Bailah Montefiore of Barbados.
He was the first West Indian landowner to free his slaves. He did this long before there was any compulsion to do so.
Apart from a term as Mayor of Bath (see link below) he was Master of Ceremonies there.
He was also a special diplomatic envoy between the Prince Regent and the Austrian Court. In the course of these duties, at one time he spoke his mind too freely to the Prince. In punishment he had a muzzle put on the bear in his crest!

Comment:

Though Simon Barrow of Bath was predominantly Sephardic, his paternal grandfather Simon Barrow of Barbados had an Ashkenasi name - Simon son of Baruch - which was Anglicised in Barbados to Simon Barrow. His paternal grandmother Bailah Montefiore 1720-73 was probably part-Sephardic, but the (probable) Baruch Lousada mother of his paternal grandfather was Sephardic. He married Tryphena Esther Lyon de Symons the daughter of an Ashkenasi Jew, and his father-in-law Baron Lyon de Symons in effect bears the name Simon. This suggested to us that Simon Barrow of Bath was related to his wife - if our suggestion is correct they were second cousins (once removed)!

His role of special diplomatic envoy for the Prince Regent was of course during the 1811-20 period of Britain's last regency, after which the Prince Regent became King George 4. Simon Barrow was very young at the time - between 24 and 33. He also married young in 1808 aged 21. This strongly suggests his father-in-law was not only well-connected at the English Court, but had retained his family's palace connections in Vienna. Of course, because Baron Lyon de Symons died in 1814, the advancement of Simon Barrow occurred in the 1811-14 period. Historically, this period was significant for it led up to the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815 and the Congress of Vienna held from Sep 1814 to Jun 1815. The role of the Prince Regent's special envoy may have been arranging portraiture (see note 12 below).

His father Jacob came to London from Barbados, as later did his uncle Joseph (see note 2 below), but no Barbados landholding appears their wills. However, according to recollections of Tony Harding's grandfather Rear-Admiral Barrow #338, Simon Barrow invested in a Jamaican plantation, lived there for a number of years and in 1800 received a great sendoff (which he may have done but surely not in 1800 as a 13 year-old!). Below we suggest the origin of such a Jamaica plantation and when he may have gone there (see note 5).
     
Simon Barrow of Bath 1787-1862
The original of this image is held by
Peter Barrow who inherited it from Joan Carrington wife of Reginald Lousada Barrow.
  Simon Barrow #59 served one term as Mayor of Bath in 1837 (and 6 terms as alderman from 1836)

 

Simon Barrow was born in England but his father Jacob and his uncle Joseph were from Barbados, but probably born in Livorno (see note 1 below). His long-term business partner - Emanuel Baruh Lousada #142 1783-54 (the second Peak House Lousada) - had Barbados ancestry, but perhaps the remnant Barbados relatives had little to do with the Barrows coming to Barbados from Livorno (see note 11 below). Simon was an 'esteemed friend' of Emanuel #142 appearing among the many beneficiaries listed in Emanuel's will, and they were brothers-in-law in that Emanuel's brother Moses Baruh Lousada #32 1780-1826 married Simon's sister Bella (but see note 6 below). Their business life was successful enough for them to create or enhance fine houses - Simon Barrow in Bath, and Emanuel Lousada in Sidmouth. Their business relationship continued that of their fathers Jacob Barrow #60 1752-98 and Isaac Lousada #34 1748-1831 (see note 3 below). Simon Barrow was an executor of the will of Moses Baruh Lousada in which Banks Estate of St Anns Parish in Jamaica was passed to the two oldest sons Isaac #68 and Jacob #25 (ref 85 p21). Perhaps he invested in one of the Lousada plantations (see note 5 below).

Though Emanuel #142 remained childless, Simon Barrow with his wife (Tryphena Esther Lyon de Symons #58 whom he married in 1808) had 8 sons and 5 daughters. She died in 1828 (the death was probably childbirth-related - see note 6 below) and was buried as a Jew, whereupon he converted to Christianity with his family - after being well-known as an influential Sephardic Jew and very much part of the Jewish community (see note 4 below). He was wealthy but, according to family legend (and the modest size of his estate - see note 13 below), spent much of his wealth on most successfully securing positions for his sons in the Army, the professions and the church. Simon Barrow was uncle of Mary Baruh Lousada, Simeon Charles Lousada, John Baruh Lousada and the other children of Moses Baruh Lousada #32. His eldest daughter Tryphena Jael Louisa Barrow #26 1811-1881 married Jacob aka John Baruh Lousada #25 in 1832 and so Simon Barrow became father-in-law as well as uncle to John Baruh Lousada.

Simon Barrow appears not to have remarried, and at age 74 in 1861 he was resident at Ryde in the house of the Reverend John Simeon Barrow, his second-last son. In the household were, in addition to the 3 very young children of John Simeon, 3 young children who were born in 'the East Indies' (see note 8 below)  Also in this household was the youngest child (Emily - see note 9 below) of Samuel Barrow (see note 7 below), and her aunt Fanny Esther Barrow - Simon Barrow's 4th daughter (see note 9 below). In addition to Samuel Barrow, Australia saw many of Simon Barrow's descendants, including the Australian Lousadas all descending from John Baruh Lousada and Tryphena Barrow. Simon Barrow's 2nd daughter Henrietta Mary Barrow had an Australian son Herbert de Symons Skipper and daughter Blanche Henrietta Skipper (see note 10 below). And Australia received many descendants and other kin of Simon Barrow's cousin Judith Joseph Levi. His grave is at Ryde on the Isle of Wight (see here for the inscription).

 

Notes:

1. Simon Barrow of Barbados - grandfather of Simon Barrow of Bath - originated in Livorno and must have arrived in Barbados after 1740 which is probably close to the date of his marriage to Bailah Montefiore who was born in 1720, probably in Livorno as this is the origin of the English Montefiores. She died in Barbados in 1773, but the upper limit on their date of arrival in Barbados is 1759 when their son witnessed the will of Judith Castello. This means that while we cannot say where all their children were born it is likely that most were born in Livorno.

2. Joseph Barrow stayed in Barbados after Jacob came to England though Joseph himself seems to have been in England in 1803 and in any case died in England in 1806. An extract of his will has been uploaded. Joseph Barrow gave information during the search for his uncle Gedalia of Prague in connection with a bequest by his father Simon Barrow who died in 1801 in Barbados.

3. After Simon's father Jacob died Jacob's brother Joseph Barrow (see note 2) though still in Barbados was in 1801 appointed attorney for and business partner of Isaac Baruh Lousada. In 1799 on the Lousada side were Isaac Baruh Lousada #34 and his first son Jacob Baruh Lousada #538 b1776 who however died young late in that year. Isaac's next 2 sons came into the business to be joined by the 21-year-old Simon Barrow in 1808. In the 1810-3 period, and presumably beyond this, Simon was in business with Emanuel and Moses; but Moses died in 1826. Our working notes on the business relationship can be found here. The records show that from 1832 Simon and Emanuel were dealing with slaveholding issues especially compensation to owners after abolition (see ref 165).

4. Ref 6 p152 cites a Bridgetown minute of 26 Nov 1824 that Simon Barrow of London presented to the Kahal a Sepher Torah formerly the property of Joseph Barrow his uncle. Simon Barrow served on the Mahamad at Bevis Marks during 3 years (see note 5 below).

5. Ref 165 shows him as a co-owner of Banks, deriving the same compensation as Emanuel #142; perhaps he and Emanuel #87 bought Banks from Isaac #68 and John #25 after they inherited it from their father in 1826 with Emanuel #142 inheriting from Emanuel #87. This means that Simon Barrow would have gone to Jamaica to view the asset after 1826. However he was on the Mahamad at Bevis Marks in the years 5577 (with Emanuel #87), 5583 and 5587 (approx 1817, 1823 and 1827), suggesting that as his last child was born in March 1828 his Jamaican period must have been in the period from late 1828 (when his family affairs were stabilised after he was widowed and after his widowed sister married his wife's brother Samuel Lyon de Symons) until somewhat before abolition of slavery in 1834. Before abolition, and after the death in 1832 of Emanuel #87, Isaac #92 may have persuaded his 23 years younger brother-in-law Emanuel #142 to fund Carlisle; for Emanuel #142 but not Simon was involved in a 'Vere' plantation - possibly Carlisle in the (then) Parish of Vere - by way of equity and a mortgage, and later derived compensation from the ownership he obtained. Then in 1836 Isaac #68 married Sarah #94 and thus became the son-in-law of Isaac #92. Perhaps he sided with his father-in-law over growing financial difficulty with Carlisle in the years after abolition, and fell out of favour with Emanuel #142 who thus appointed the 2nd son of Moses #32 ie Jacob/John as his executor and the inheritor of Peak House. Before his conversion Isaac #92 was on the Mahamad in 5574, 5578 and 5583 - serving in the latter year with Emanuel #87 and Simon Barrow.

6. Sadly in February 1826 his brother-in-law Moses took his own life but had served on the Mahamad 4 times - 5571, 5576, 5580 and 5585. The widowed Bella Barrow managed as best she could the unconventional marriage experience of her first daughter Bella Baruh Lousada but too late for the respectability sought by Moses Baruh Lousada. In late 1828 Bella remarried and her second husband was Samuel Lyon de Symons, brother of Tryphena the wife of Simon Barrow. Thus Bella Barrow's second marriage renewed the link between the Barrow and the de Symons families; for early in 1828 Tryphena had died - this was in the year of birth of their 13th child and the death was childbirth-related (according to the note on the back of the original image of her husband shown above).

7. In 1854, Samuel Barrow who was the 5th son of Simon Barrow, and who had been a magistrate in Tasmania and Norfolk Island, drowned in Port Philip Bay near Melbourne. Simon Barrow's 3rd son Dr Benjamin Barrow also lived at Ryde, and seemed to have played a role in the upbringing of some of the children of Samuel Barrow - for in the 1861 Census Seymour Duncan Barrow 1845-86 and Cecil Montefiore Barrow b1843 were resident at his house.

8. The 3 children born overseas were Edmund George Barrow, knighted later in life, William Brett Barrow who died at age 23 in 1875, and John Willoughby Barrow, who died young in 1764 - offspring of the 1st marriage of General Joseph Lyon Barrow, 2nd son of Simon Barrow. Charlotte Bates Barrow an offspring of the 2nd marriage of General Joseph Lyon Barrow came to Kalgoorlie with two of her sisters Edith and Esther (the latter of whom appears not to have stayed - later proceeding to Canada). Charlotte married an artist James Linton in 1902 and generated Australian Linton descendants.

9. According to Tony Harding's grandfather's notes, this aunt later brought Emily up. Emily Money nee Barrow 1854-1928 was born in Tasmania. But in 1872 Fanny Esther Barrow married Sidney James Phillips who was widowed by the death in 1871 of Fanny Emma Nunes who like Fanny Esther Barrow was a granddaughter of Baron Lyon de Symons.

10. Blanche was known by Arthur Francis Lousada because Arthur's second wife was her live-in nurse! Blanche and Edward Charles Lousada were farming neighbours across West Jindivick Road in the 1870s, travelled together on one occasion, and was buried at West Drouin Cemetery with her brother. Before this, as a teenager, she spent a period caring for her much younger cousin George de Symons Barrow as shown in his letters.

11. The Montefiore connection was more recent and perhaps Simon Barrow of Barbados, grandfather of Simon Barrow of Bath, came to London with his in-law Moses Vita Montefiore in 1752 and then proceeded to Barbados to provided a trusted trading link. The oldest son of Simon and Bailah was undoubtedly Baruch, and the next oldest seems to have been Joseph who was adult in 1759 (see note 1) and hence probably born before 1740 when Bailah was less than 20. His name suggests her father was Joseph and we illustrate the suggested connection between Bailah and Moses Vita Montefiore here.

12. Vulgarity and obesity marred the life of the Prince Regent who became George IV, but as ref 318 points out he was the last sovereign who possessed genuinely good taste in painting, architecture, music and literature. Perhaps Simon Barrow assisted in the commissioning of the portraits by Sir Thomas Lawrence of Metternich and the Archduke, now to be found in the Waterloo Room of Windsor Castle, part of a set George wanted to mark the post-Napoleonic peace and the Congress of Vienna.

13. Record of the probate of Simon Barrow: