Redcliffe Nathan Salaman, 1874-1955

Abstract

Redcliffe Nathan Salaman was born on 12 September 1874; he was ninth of a family of fifteen, of whom fourteen, seven boys and seven girls, survived as adults. The family home at that time was Redcliffe Gardens, London, S.W., and this was the origin of Salaman’s first name. His father was Myer Salaman who was born in 1835 and died in 1896; his mother Sarah Salaman was born in 1845 and she died in 1931. Salaman’s great grandfather was Aaron Solomon, a well-to-do merchant who lived in a country house in Edmonton and who manufactured and dealt in Leghorn hats. His grandfather, Isaac, was the youngest son of Aaron, born in 1790; he left home for some reason unknown and joined the Navy as a common sailor. He was bought out by distant relatives and returning home changed his name to Salaman. Redcliffe Salaman was twice married, his first wife, Nina, whom he married in 1901, was the daughter of Arthur and Louisa Davis. Her father, an engineer, was also a distinguished scholar who specialized on the Massoretic Text of the Bible. Nina herself was an outstanding scholar of the Spanish Hebrew period; she died in 1925. By his first wife Salaman had six children, the eldest, Myer, is Pathologist at the London Hospital, Cancer Research. The second son, Arthur, is a doctor in general practice and a twin brother, Edward, died at the age of 9. The fourth son, Raphael, is an engineer, and of the two daughters one, Ruth, is an artist and the other, Esther, a singer.