Merchant Venturers

Home
A rare glimpse
Why all the fuss about a bunch of strangely-dressed men?
What is the Society of Merchant Venturers?
How do you join?
The ties that bind
Connections with royals
The Society's charities
Dirty money? The Society's investments
What's the extent of their influence?
"Cause for concern"
The inner circle
The outer circle
The Antient Society Of St Stephen's Ringers
Challenge to the Merchants
About the author

The Merchant Venturers

The Society of Merchant Venturers (www.merchantventurers.com) is one of the most powerful organisations in Bristol, UK. It exerts tremendous influence over the city, controlling hundreds of millions of pounds, and counting members of the Royal Family, senior politicians, and some of the wealthiest men in the city among its ranks. But its membership list has been a closely-guarded secret for 450 years - until Bristol-based Venue magazine (www.venue.co.uk) commissioned this investigation…

If you have any information about the Merchant Venturers organisation, the charities it's linked to, or any of its members, feel free to send it to .

Published in Venue magazine, 2003
Copyright Rich Cookson, 2003

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