John Tobin (1763–1851) was raised in a family of merchants of Irish descent. He went to sea and worked as a merchant seaman, founding John Tobin & Co. in 1799, a company engaged in the slave trade. He was knighted in 1820, coinciding with the accession of George IV to the throne. Tobin was a great bibliophile, and his collection included manuscripts such as the Bedford Book of Hours and the Breviary of Isabella the Catholic, both of which are currently preserved at The British Library (London).