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Press releases
Press Release
Friday 19 October 2007
The Richest of the Rich
Harriman House
Rich list reveals the wealthiest man in British history
- William the Conquerer's nephew amassed £81 billion fortune
When we think of money makers, the names Bill Gates, Roman Abramovich and Lakshmi Mittal spring to mind. But their wealth is insignificant compared with that of a little known French immigrant. Harriman House have published a comprehensive study of Britain's 250 richest people in history, from the time of William the Conqueror.
In this new book, Philip Beresford, the author of The Sunday Times annual "Rich List" and history expert William D. Rubinstein, have turned their attention to the wealthiest individuals in British history, revealing how they made their fortunes, the role played by luck, contacts and violence, and how successful they were in hanging on to their gains.
Topping the list is Alan Rufus who, when he died more than 900 years ago, was worth £81 billion in today's terms. His fortune included 250,000 acres of land across Yorkshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and London. He also built Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire for himself. Other names who made it into the book include:
- William of Warenne, the Earl of Surrey in the 1050s, who if he were alive today would be worth nearly £74bn - over three times richer than Britain's current richest man (steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal).
- Archbishop Thomas Beckett, who took 250 servants with him on a visit to Paris in 1158, and was worth over £24bn. Not that his fortune was much use when he was murdered in his own cathedral on the orders of Henry II.
The study looks back to the Norman conquest of 1066, and the authors provide a fascinating account of personal wealth and influence, noting how, throughout history, the opportunities for aggrandising wealth have been changed by technology, demographics, taxation, politics and war.
William D. Rubinstein says: "One of the most interesting findings is that the comparative levels of wealth of the very wealthiest persons has consistently declined over the centuries since the Middle Ages; wealth has not gone into fewer and fewer hands, as Marxists and others have predicted.
In fact, because of high taxation and death duties, the very rich almost disappeared from Briatin in the 15 years after World War Two. Only in the past two decades have they risen again. I have been studying the very wealthy in the UK since the early 1970s, and it took around four months to research this new book."
"Nobody is likely to be as rich as Alan Rufus again," added Philip Beresford.
Ends
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Philip Beresford compiles the annual "Rich List" for The Sunday Times. He was previously editor of Management Today and industrial editor of The Sunday Times before taking up wealth-tracking full time.
William D. Rubinstein is Professor of History at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He writes on a wide variety of topics, including elites and the wealthy in Britain and Australia.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
More details can be found online at: www.harriman-house.com/richestoftherich
For further information on this book or its author, please contact Helen McCusker in the PR department at Harriman House:
Tel: +44 (0)1730 233885
Email: pr@harriman-house.com
Harriman House Ltd, 3A Penns Road, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 2EW
