Backwell was the son of Barnaby Backwell, of
Leighton Buzzard. He migrated to the
City of London, where he was apprenticed to
Thomas Vyner, a prominent London goldsmith-banker, in 1635. Like other goldsmith-bankers of the era, he was also played a role in State finance. He received his freedom of the Goldsmith's Company in 1651 and had his goldsmith's shop at the sign of the Unicorn in
Lombard Street. During the time of the
English Republic (1649-1660), Edward was deeply involved in credit finance, and dealt in former Crown property that had been put on the market. During the Commonwealth, he bought the park at
Hampton Court and then resold it to the government, at a profit. Blackwell was a rich merchant of the
City of London. Following the
capture of Dunkirk in 1658 by Anglo-French forces, Blackwell was appointed Treasurer of Dunkirk, which was ceded to England by Spain. After the Restoration of the monarchy he kept the position. In 1662 he was involved in the negotiations that led to the
Sale of Dunkirk to France. In the 1650s he was involved in
bullion transactions and in 1657 helped Thomas Vyner to handle captured Spanish plate. He was also very actively involved as treasurer for the Dunkirk garrison, from the time of its capture and establishment as an English base in 1657 until its sale back to France in 1662. Together with Sir Thomas Vyner he was responsible for provision of money to the royal household and with handling bullion brought in for coinage at the Royal Mint. He continued to operate in finance during the reign of
Charles II. He was selected an
alderman for
Bishopsgate 1660–1661. Edward was a signatory to
The Several Declarations of The Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa, a document published in 1667 which led to the expansion of the
Royal Africa Company. However, in 1671 with his son John he had been appointed comptroller of customs in the port of London, and with his old master Vyner, he was from 1671 to 1675 a commissioner of the customs and farmer of the customs revenue. He went bankrupt in 1682 and went to the
Netherlands, where he died, his body being brought back to London and buried on 13 June 1683. In 1657 Backwell married firstly Sarah Brett and had one son,
John Backwell. In 1662, he married secondly Mary Leigh, who died in 1669, by whom he had three sons and two daughters. ==References==