Item 4 - Letter from College's solicitors to Hugh Shield [Bursar]

This firm of solicitors can trace its origins back to 1789 when Christopher Pemberton set up a legal practice on his own in Cambridge. On his death in 1850 the work of his practice passed to Clement Francis (who had his own legal practice in Cambridge). He worked as a sole practitioner until 1861 when he took into partnership Thomas Webster and Alfred Smith Riches and formed Francis Webster and Riches. This firm continued in business over the years changing its name to reflect the partners involved. Clement Francis died in 1880 and Musgrave needed assistance in running the business and so looked to his younger brother Walter Hamond Francis and Edmund Henry Parker. Walter Hamond was completing his articles which he did in 1882. He then work as an assistant solicitor in the firm for five years before being taken into partnership. Edmund Parker was a qualified solicitor but wanted to join Kings College as had his brother before him and needed employment to support him during his undergraduate studies. He matriculated in 1882 and entered Kings College in 1883. In June 1885 he was equal first in the first class list of law tripos. On 1st January 1887 Walter Hamond and Edmund Parker both 29 years old were admitted into partnership as Francis Francis and Parker.

One of the firm's major client's was Mortlock's Bank. A dispute broke out between the partners of the bank leading to Mr Mortlock looking for a new partner. He asked Mr Francis but he suggested Edmund Parker who left the firm in 1888 and joined the bank. Also in that year he married Ellen Francis (Musgrave and Walter Hamond’s sister). Mortlock's Bank continued to be major clients and the firm changed its name to Francis and Francis [Mortlock's Bank was one of the constituent banks that is now Barclays plc]