Sir David Barclay, 1934-2021

When Sir David Barclay, along with his twin brother Sir Frederick, bought The Spectator in 2004, the magazine came as a side dish with their purchase of the Daily Telegraph. Under their ownership, that quickly changed. The Spectator (1828) became a separate company with no financial cross-entanglements.

The Barclay method was to apply the three most valuable commodities any publication could ask for: patience, investment and editorial independence. We will leave readers to judge whether the magazine has improved under their ownership. But our sales have almost doubled, in a market that has more than halved, and we have had the resources to embrace the digital age with relish. Sir David’s opinions — and those of the rest of his family — on the politics of the day were a mystery, even to the editor of this magazine. No hints were dropped, no editorial favours asked.

In the history of proprietorship, this is unusual, even unique.