outside London. He substantially increased the scale of the enterprise, opening banks in Lincoln and Hull and, most importantly, the London firm of Smith & Payne. His son, Samuel Smith, is believed to have constructed Wilford House on Clifton Lane where Abel later died in 1788, aged 71. By way of marriage, he was the uncle of William Wilberforce, the noted campaigner for the abolition of slavery. Abel Smith III was the second son of Abel Smith II, a Nottingham banker and Member of Parliament. Abel was elected Member of Parliament for Nottingham; however, he died only three months later. Robert Smith, 1st Baron Carrington was the third son of Abel Smith (1717–1788), a wealthy Nottingham banker and Member of Parliament. He succeeded his elder brother Abel as MP for Nottingham. He was reelected for Nottingham in 1780, 1784, 1790 and 1796. In 1796, he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Carrington, of Bulcote Lodge. The following year he was made Baron Carrington, of Upton in the County of Nottingham, in the Peerage of Great Britain, and had to vacate his seat in the House of Commons. Samuel Smith was the fourth son of Abel Smith II, a wealthy Nottingham banker and Member of Parliament. Smith entered Parliament in 1788 as member for St Germans, and was an MP for the next 44 years, also representing Leicester (1790–1818), Midhurst (1818–1820) and Wendover (1820–1832). In 1826, being the longest continually-serving MP, he became Father of the House. George Smith was the fifth son of Abel Smith II, a wealthy Nottingham banker and Member of Parliament. Smith entered Parliament in 1791 as member for Lostwithiel, and also represented Midhurst and Wendover in a parliamentary career spread over forty years. John Smith was the sixth son of Abel Smith II, a wealthy Nottingham banker and Member of Parliament. Smith served as a Tory Member of Parliament for Wendover from 1802 to 1806 and later represented Nottingham from 1806 to 1818, Midhurst from 1818 to 1830, Chichester from 1830 to 1831, and Buckinghamshire from 1831 to 1835. Henry Smith (1794-1874) was the third son of Samuel Smith. He is known for building the Infant School, located on Main Road in Wilford, and was High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1841. Individuals Catherine Foster, an English operatic soprano internationally renowned for her roles in stage works by Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner, such