About

HKB (formerly Howard Killin & Bruce grew out of three firms founded in Great Yarmouth in the mid-Victorian era by Henry Robert Harmer in 1845, Frederick William Ferrier in 1850 and Frederick Danby Palmer in 1861. These firms progressively merged with each other until they emerged as one firm after the Second World War. Through these firms, HKB traces its ancestry back to the earlier Yarmouth legal practices of Reynolds & Palmer (1765- 1787), Henry Palmer (1787-1871), Thomas Milles 1719 -1765 and John Spendlove 1683-1731.

The practice that became Wiltshire Sons & Tunbridge was begun by John Cufaude, who at the age of 24 was admitted as an attorney in 1789. He died in 1836 but the practice was continued by his son John Lomas Cufaude (1811-1872). In 1862 he went into partnership with Charles Henry Wiltshire (1834-1901). From 1869 until 2000 the senior partner had always been a member of the Wiltshire family. The presence of the firm in Lowestoft was strengthened by the acquisition of Messrs. Seago Son & Allerton there, which had been begun 102 years previously by William Rix Seago (1812- 1905).

In the year 2000 Howard Killin and Bruce merged with Wiltshires to become HKB Wiltshires.

Anyone who is interested in the history of the firm may like to speak to Derek Gunther Young whose diligent research is the basis of this short summary.

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