Barney Barnato - Background

Background

Barney Barnato claimed he had the same birthday as Cecil Rhodes (5 July 1853). Most biographies give his date of birth as 5 July 1852. However, his birth certificate (supported by census data) shows he was born Barnet Isaacs in the City of London on 21 February 1851, the son of Isaac and Leah Isaacs. He was educated by Moses Angel at the Jews' Free School. He had a hard life, and is reputed to have begged pass-outs from theatre-leavers at the Garrick Theatre in Leman Street, to sell them on to others for a halfpenny. For a while he became a prizefighter and music-hall turn.

Isaacs joined his brother Harry in the Cape Colony in 1873 during the "diamond rush" which accompanied the discovery of diamonds at Kimberley. His brother had gone out in 1871 and had been working as a comedian and conjurer, and his younger brother wanted to join in, calling out, "And Barnett, too!" The oft-repeated phrase evolved, to the point which Isaacs changed his name to Barney Barnato. He was married to Leah (daughter of Solomon) Harris.

Barney Barnato entered business as a dealer in cigars which were in short supply in the diamond district. He used this to establish a wider business buying other supplies for the miners and brokering diamonds to buyers in Capetown. From there the brothers started buying worked over claims and mining for smaller stones than previous operators. They then used profits to buy larger more successful mines.