The Schweich Family

This chapter begins with biographical information about Leopold Schweich and his family. Leopold Schweich must have been born about 1840 and probably came from a Jewish family in Kassel, Germany. In February 1862 he married Philippina Mond (1840–73), a cultured young woman and the sister of Ludwig Mond, who was himself to become a great chemist and industrialist in England. Leopold and Philippina had two children before her early death in 1873, Emil(e) (b. 1865) and Constance (b. 1869). The discussion then turns to Constance Schweich, her marriage, and her benefactions. With her close connections to the Monds it is not at all surprising that Constance Schweich made a benefaction to the British Academy, only perhaps that she was the first to do so. It remains unclear, however, why exactly she wanted to support research into antiquity for the sake of biblical study. An appendix includes letters from Constance Schweich to Israel Gollancz.