| Description | This extensive sequence comprises a wide variety of material largely relating to Oswald Mosley's financial assets, and to his investments, both in real estate and in stocks and shares. Although there are several documents dating from the 1930s, the majority of the papers date from the period between 1943 and 1945, and from the early 1950s. There are no papers dating between 1939 and 1943. The material consists of correspondence from Mosley's solicitors G. B. Laurence & Co, and later Marsh & Ferriman, his stock brokers Snell, Swaffield, Sidney J. Lovell & Co, and his accountants Spofforth & Price; lists of the value of various stocks and shares of both UK companies and those based abroad, particularly North American companies in the 1930s, and South African companies in the early 1950s; share certificates and details of the dividends on Mosley's share holdings and investments; bank statements for Mosley's accounts issued by Barclays Bank in the 1930s, and the Bank of Ireland in the 1950s; deeds and associated papers, and correspondence from the Public Trustee relating to Mosley's real estate holdings.
Papers include an Opinion by G. B. Laurence on the settlement of Cynthia Mosley's will, her income from the Leiter estate, and her shares in U.S and Canadian companies, dated 1933, and a typed document recording Mosley's financial position after Cynthia's death, containing details of his debts and the income he could raise in order to pay for his children's maintenance and for the upkeep of Savehay Farm, Denham, dated 1935. Other papers dating from this period include a letter written to Diana Guinness concerning the sale of 32 Grosvenor Gardens Mews by Mosley in 1937, Mosley's tax returns for the year 1937-1938 including details of his sources of income and sums paid from his account to the B.U.F and B.U.F Districts Trusts in 1938, and statements issued by the Public Trustee of the income from the Sir Oswald Mosley Settlement Trust, and the Sir Oswald and Lady Mosley Settlement Trust in 1939, together with correspondence relating to rents from properties administered by the Public Trustee in Manchester.
Papers dating between 1943 and 1945 largely relate to Mosley's various commercial and industrial investments, and include details of the value of his shares, some of which were connected with the Mosley Settlement Trust. These papers include correspondence from his stock brokers and draft handwritten correspondence from Mosley to his solicitors and to the Public Trustee. Other material dating from this period concerns the purchase of property at Crux Easton in 1944, and the payment of War Damage Insurance on jewellery and furniture belonging to Oswald and Diana Mosley.
Papers dating from the 1950s consists of material relating to Mosley's investments in South African mines and in other industry in that country and in Southern Rhodesia, and correspondence relating to Mosley family property in Manchester administered through the Anslow Trust. This correspondence includes a letter from his brother Edward Mosley, signed 'Ted'. There is also correspondence from Captain O. M. Watts Ltd, dated 1950, concerning repairs to Mosley's yacht 'Alianora'. Other papers relate to Mosley's financial situation regarding his taxation and income from French estates and securities should he decide to emigrate to France, and correspondence from Anderson, Stanford (Removals) Ltd in Dublin, relating to the importation of Mosley's furniture and household effects through Irish Customs, 1953.
There is a small amount of material relating to Mosley's income from his publishing ventures linked to the Union Movement in the 1950s, including the Sanctuary Press, Euphorion Distribution, and the New Union Press. This includes income and expenditure accounts and associated correspondence to Mosley from H. McKechnie; a typed report on the feasibility of establishing a branch of Euphorion Books in Paris and associated correspondence from Snell, Lovell & Co, dated 1950; and correspondence relating to the publication of Hans-Ulrich Rudel's 'Stuka Pilot' by Euphorion Books in 1953, and the royalties resulting from this publication in 1958.
The file also includes some unrelated material which consists of a set of legal papers dated 1938-1939 comprising solicitors' correspondence, and copies of anonymous communications and correspondence received by Mary Russell Taviner, plaintiff in a slander suit brought against Mosley. |