Background
Richard was the youngest son of George Flower (1715-1778), who had a stationery business in the City of London, and his wife Martha Fuller (1717-1805).
Richard was the youngest son of George Flower (1715-1778), who had a stationery business in the City of London, and his wife Martha Fuller (1717-1805).
Initially destined for an agricultural career, Richard instead went into business in Hertford, becoming a brewer and a banker. In 1803 he was able to sell up and retire to his country estate of Marden Hill, where he farmed and also pursued his political interests. They had ten children, including George Flower (1788-1862) who with Morris Birkbeck was one of the founders of the English Settlement in Illinois, Martha Flower (1800-1838) who married William Pickering (governor), and the brewer Edward Fordham.
She was the sister of two influential bankers: William Fuller, who became one of the richest men in England, and Richard Fuller, a long-serving Member of Parliament.