Isaac d'Israeli 1766 - 1848

Isaac, father of Sarah, was primarily a man of letters. He is most famous for writing Curiosities of Literature (1791) which was the most popular non-fiction book of its time. The royalties from this book provided him income for life. He was friends with many of the most prestigious artists of the day, including Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott.

He was very controlling of Sarah, not allowing her much freedom or independence. He did, however, provide her with an excellent home education, which is most probably where she developed her keen intelligence. Isaac was not very religious, and baptised his children in hopes of avoiding trouble for them in their adult lives. He never altered the spelling of his name, as his children did.

He was married to Miriam, mother of Sarah, Benjamin, Ralph, and James. Little is known of Miriam; she doesn't seem to have particularly interested in wither her husband's or her children's lives.

Isaac's will is a good indicator of his character. His 25 000 book library was bequeathed to Benjamin, who sold most of it at Sotheby's on March 16, 1849, the remainder was kept at Hughenden. To Mary Anne he left his prints, which included some of William Blake's illuminated works. His £10 000 estate was split between his children: 1/3 to Benjamin, 1/3 to Sarah, 1/6 to Ralph, and 1/6 to James. This same split was made of his Consolidated Bank Annuities.