Maundy Gregory
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(Arthur) Maundy Gregory (1 July 1877 – 28 September 1941) was a British spy, involved in the Zinoviev Letter and the disappearance of Victor Grayson, and notable for his conviction for selling honours.
He was born in Southampton, the son of a clergyman, and went to Oxford University but left without a degree. He became a teacher but later found employment in the theatre as an actor-manager. In 1909 Gregory was recruited as a spy by Vernon Kell, head of MI5. Gregory's main task was to compile dossiers of possible foreign spies living in London. Later, Gregory was recruited by Sidney Reilly, top agent of the recently formed MI6. Gregory's work as a spy provided him with information on some of Britain's leading politicians. He was especially interested in their sexual activities and it was later claimed that he used this information to blackmail them for money. Gregory now moved in circles where he made friends with the rich and famous. This included the Duke of York, who later became King George V. Another friend was David Lloyd George, the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Liberal Government formed after the 1910 General Election.
Gregory clashed with the controversial politician Victor Grayson (see his article for the full story).
After Grayson's disappearance and probable death Gregory continued to sell honours. He was involved in arranging for the forged Zinoviev Letter to be published in British newspapers, an event that helped defeat the Labour Party in the 1924 General Election.
In 1933 he was convicted under the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 of selling honours, fined £50 and jailed for six months. He remains the only person to have been convicted under this statute.
[edit] Further reading
- Tom Cullen - Maundy Gregory: Purveyor of Honours (1974) ISBN 0-370-01373-5
- John Walker - The Queen Has Been Pleased: The British Honours System at Work (1986) ISBN 0-436-56111-5
