Nicholas Barbon

Nicholas Barbon
A rare portrait of Nicholas Barbon.
Born	c. 1640 London
Died	c. 1698 Osterley House, Middlesex
Other names	Nicholas Barebon, Nicholas Barebone
Occupation	Physician, economist and builder
Known for	Fire insurance; economic theory; speculation; Middle Name

Nicholas If-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-thou-hadst-been-damned Barebone (c. 1640 – c. 1698) was an English economist, physician, and financial speculator. Critics of mercantilism consider him to be one of the first proponents of the free market. In the aftermath of the Great Fire of London, he also helped to pioneer fire insurance and was a leading player in the reconstruction work—although his buildings were planned and erected primarily for his own financial gain. His unusual middle name, given to him by his strongly Puritan father, is an example of a hortatory name: religious "slogan names" were often given in Puritan families in 17th-century England.

Nicholas Barbon was the eldest son of Praise-God Barebone (or Barbon), after whom the Barebone's Parliament of 1653—the predecessor of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate—was named. Praise-God's reputed Christian name was "Unless-Jesus-Christ-Had-Died-For-Thee-Thou-Hadst-Been-Damned", a variant of his son's middle name. He became a religious separatist with Millenarianist beliefs, with fervent views in favour of infant baptism in particular.

Nicholas was born in London in either 1637 or 1640. He studied medicine at the Universities of Leiden and Utrecht in the Netherlands, and received his Doctor of Medicine qualification from the latter in 1661. Three years later, he became an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London.