| Code | DS/UK/32 |
| Corporate Name | A Ruffer & Sons Ltd |
| Dates | 1872 - 1964 |
| OtherFormsOfName | Aynard & Ruffer |
| Activity | The accepting house A Ruffer was founded in 1872, and specialised in financing the Anglo-French and Belgian wool trade. It was a pre-moratorium acceptance debtor to the Bank, and in September 1922 it had to look to the Bank for a loan to clear the outstanding debt. By the time this was due it was clear that longer-term support was needed and A Ruffer & Sons, which was at that time a partnership, was incorporated as a limited company, the Bank taking £700,000 ordinary shares out of a total of just under £1 million in settlement of the firm's debt. The Bank's shares were held by the Securities Trust in the names of certain directors of the firm. Ruffer sustained losses in 1930 and 1931 but managed to survive until World War Two. Deteriorating conditions in France and Belgium and the call-up of some of the directors made winding-up inevitable. Voluntary liquidation came in 1941, and the little banking business that remained was transferred to Glyn Mills (the other major Securities Trust shareholder) in 1946. The company was finally dissolved in 1964. |
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