The Richest of the Rich: The Wealthiest 250 People in Britain Since 1066 - Hardcover

Fascinating glimpse into history The Richest of the Rich: The Wealthiest 250 People in Britain since 1066 By Philip Beresford and William D Rubinstein This is a superb book: the first comprehensive and rigorous study of Britain s richest people throughout history, from the time of William the Conqueror to the present. The authors are Britain s two leading experts on the subject; their findings fascinating. To be able to compare people s wealth over time, and adjust for inflation, purchasing power and drastically different levels of wealth, Philip Beresford and William D Rubinstein followed a simple yet powerful formula. They took individuals share of the net national income during the time in which they lived and expressed it in today s terms as a percentage of Britain s £1.1 trillion or so gross domestic product. The minimum wealth required to enter the immortal list is over £2.5bn in today s money. The richest Briton of all time is Alan Rufus, who died in 1093 and was the most senior Breton in England at the time. A vicious warrior, his land was worth £11,000, a massive 7.33% of net national income and £81.3bn in today s money. The list is dominated by early and medieval figures such as Rufus, William of Warenne, Robert of Mortain and the like. Lashki Mittal, the richest man alive today in Britain with £19.2bn, ranks just 20th. Only 18 current billionaires make it to the top 250. The book s easy style and lucid prose make it perfect Christmas reading. --Allister Heath, The Business

This is a comprehensive study of Britain's 250 richest people in history, from the time of William the Conqueror to the present. 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. It includes people like: William of Warenne, the Earl of Surrey in the 1050s, who if he were alive today would be worth nearly GBP74bn - 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 GBP24bn - Not that his fortune was much use when he was murdered in his own cathedral on the orders of Henry II; Robert Spencer, forebear of Princess Diana, who made a fortune in the wool trade, owned vast tracts of land in the colony of Virginia and accumulated a fortune equivalent to GBP19bn in today's money; and, John Scott, a celebrated gambler whose skills and luck helped him to a GBP500,000 (GBP3.1bn) fortune - "As rich as Scott" was a popular saying of eighteenth century society. 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. If you are interested in business, society and the shifting patterns of advantage then you will find this book absorbing, intriguing and insightful.