Mocatta (also de Mattos Mocatta, Lumbroso de Mattos Mocatta and Lumbrozo de Mattos Mocatta) is a surname. The Mocatta family is a leading Anglo-Jewish family that traces its ancestry to the Sephardic Jewish communities of Spain and Portugal prior to the Inquisition. The family's forebears initially sought refuge in Amsterdam and Venice, before immigrating to England in the 1650s. They were among the first twelve Jewish families admitted by Cromwell. In London in 1671, Moses Mocatta established the firm that became Mocatta & Goldsmid; for 300 years it was the world’s leading bullion broker. Although the family sold their stake in the company in the late twentieth century and exited the bullion business, the family continues its tradition of business and charity. The family became known for philanthropy, leadership and sponsorship of arts and letters, particularly in the United Kingdom. Long involved in finance and the law, they are considered to be one of the principal families in the "cousinhood" of senior Anglo-Jewish families, the de facto Anglo-Jewish aristocracy.

The Mocatta firm

In 1671, Moses Mocatta established a business in London that became Mocatta & Goldsmid. This was the foundation of the modern gold and silver market. The Mocatta business was the world's leading bullion broker through the 18th century, and first traded with India in 1676 and with China in the 1720s. Licensed at the Royal Exchange from 1710, for more than a century, the family firm acted as exclusive bullion brokers to the Bank of England. In 1810, the Mocatta firm's managing partner appeared before Parliament's Select Committee on the High Price of Gold Bullion, when asked: 'Are there any other dealers in gold but yours', he replied, 'I apprehend none of considerable amount.' Mocatta was later involved in market stabilisations. Edgar Mocatta had a notable role in ending the Indian silver crisis of 1913. In the late 20th century, the Mocatta firm was closely involved in providing liquidity and stability following the Hunt silver corner of 1980. In association with NM Rothschild, in 1897 and 1919 respectively, Mocatta & Goldsmid established the price discovery mechanisms for silver and gold used into the 21st century. Between 1671 and the 1970s, the Mocatta firm was headed by just seven men.

Involvement in charitable and Jewish institutions

The family was involved in the establishment of Bevis Marks, the UK's oldest synagogue (1701), the Board of Deputies of British Jews (1760), and the West London Synagogue (1840). The family were active in the struggle for Jewish parliamentary emancipation. Ten members of the family have served as Chairman or President of the West London Synagogue of British Jews. Moses Mocatta served as President of the Board of Deputies, and family members have participated in communal leadership positions such as the Board of Shechita, Chairman of Jews’ College, and Elders of Bevis Marks. The family also participated in the Oxford and St George's Club (Bernhard Baron St George's Jewish Settlement) and other such initiatives for the relief of the poor. The family led the Jewish community's efforts for the relief of famine in Ireland in the mid-19th century. The family were leaders in the protest at the persecution of Jews in Romania and Bessarabia. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the family were leaders in the Board of Guardians and Trustees for the Relief of the Jewish Poor. Three members of the Mocatta family served as Honorary Life Governors of the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital, Moorfields. David Mocatta donated funding for major parts of the building of the Royal Marsden, the first hospital in the world dedicated to the study and treatment of cancer. Frederic Mocatta was a founder of the Industrial Dwellings Society, which provided the London poor with adequate housing. Today it provides low-income key workers with low-cost housing.

Eponyms

Mount Mocatta Mocatta House, Brighton Mocatta House, a London social housing project managed by the Industrial Dwellings Society Mocatta Street Mocatta Way Mocatta Mews Mocatta Place, Queensland Mocatta Place, ACT Mocatta Creek Dendrobium Manon Mocatta, a Singapore orchid named in 1965 Mocatta Committee (Treasury Committee on Cheque Endorsement) The Mocatta President's Cup Trophy at the Brisbane Golf Club The Mocatta Library at University College London (the UK's Jewish Studies Library, a collection of 185,000 items of Jewish history) The Mocatta Haggadah, a 13th Century Castilian manuscript David Mocatta, a bus named by the City of Brighton Broker's Token, 1824–34, a coin struck with the face of NM Rothschild "The Bull" and Moses Mocatta "The Bear", the leading London financiers of the day

Notable members

The family features prominently in the Anglo-Jewish "Cousinhood", the aristocracy of related, socially-prominent Jewish families that includes the Rothschilds, the Goldsmids, the Montagus, the Montefiores and the Samuels. Prominent people with the surname Mocatta include: