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THE MURAS GROUP - The History of Muras
AN HISTORICAL SYNOPSIS - by
Graham St Clair Wycherley, senior partner until 1994
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| Graham St Clair
Wycherley |
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The
firm was born in 1880, the same year in which the Institute
of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales received its
Royal Charter. Of the original partners, the name of Muras has
been retained throughout its existence. The number of partners
currently stands at eight and their expertise provides a wide
range of activities beyond that of the traditional accounting,
audit and taxation advice.
Originally based in Queen Street,
Wolverhampton, the firm, by 1903, acquired offices in Lichfield
Street, Wolverhampton and Colmore Row, Birmingham. Around 1928
the offices reverted to Queen Street which remained the base
of operations until 1968, at which time the amalgamated firms
of Muras & Co, T.E Lowe & Co and Baker Jones & Co
(Muras Baker Jones & Co) moved to new premises - Bradburn
House, Darlington Street, Wolverhampton. In addition to the
offices in Wolverhampton, the firm had held for a time offices
in Bridgnorth, Pershore and Dawley (Telford). In 1997, the firm
moved to its current location in Bath Avenue, Wolverhampton.
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| Robert Muras |
SOME PAST PARTNERS
Robert Muras
started his life with Dutch Railways, but in 1880 changed direction,
paid 10 guineas to the Institute of Chartered Accountants, which
had received its Royal Charter in that year, became a founder
member of that Institute and set up in Partnership with Thomas
Strange Hatton in Queen Street,
Wolverhampton.
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| Nelson George
Harries |
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| John William
Molineaux |
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Thomas Hatton
was at that time the Burgess's Auditor of Wolverhampton and
previously founder of an organisation known as the Bilston and
District Provident Society of which he was Secretary for 38
years. He died in 1888 and Robert Muras continued until 1895
when he was joined by Nelson
George Harries.
One of Harries' articled clerks
was Gilbert Garnsey, later Sir Gilbert Garnsey, who obtained
a double first in his examinations and who also played soccer
for Aston Villa's second eleven between 1902 and 1904.
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| Alfred Masefield
Baker |
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| Laurence Fletcher
Jones |
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Gilbert
Garnsey later moved to Price Waterhouse becoming a partner of
that firm in 1913. Francis Walford
Higginson, another of Harries‚
Articled Clerks qualified and in 1903 became a partner of the
firm. However, in 1906 he left to join Deloittes and eventually
moved into commerce.
Robert Hope Johnson,
a renowned expert in tax avoidance, was admitted into the partnership
in 1909, followed in 1918 by John
William Molineaux, an incessant smoker
of Perfectos cigarettes! In 1927 Ralph
Legge joined the firm, followed in
1934 by Edward Robert Cowin
known for his ability to persuade articled clerks into playing
hockey for Wombourne Hockey Club.
John
Stanley Holloway, who had served in
the Army throughout the second World War, joined the firm in
1947 and became a partner in 1949. John Holloway a county hockey
player continued the practice of encouraging new members of
staff to play for Wombourne. October 1952 saw the admission
of Graham St Clair Wycherley
as a partner at the tender age of twenty three.
Graham
continues to be involved with the firm on a consultancy basis.
The amalgamation, in 1963, of Muras & Co and Baker Jones
& Co gave rise to the firm being enhanced with Alfred
Masefield Baker and Laurence
Fletcher Jones.
Two years on saw the admission of
John Sayce Whitehouse
and Donald Sheldon
as partners, closely followed by Robert
Bromley through the absorption of
T.E. Lowe & Co. In 1970 James
Anthony Elliott joined the partnership,
since which time there have been changes through retirement
and admissions resulting in the existing number of partners
being able to offer a consistent and in-depth range of assistance
and advice to clients.
To find out more about Muras
Baker Jones now, please explore the links. |
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