William Rupert Paul Cash is a journalist and author. He is the founder and Editor-at-Large of Spear's magazine. Cash is also Chairman of The Catholic Herald and is a columnist for the publication.
Career
Cash was educated at Westminster School and Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he read English Literature. Between 1991 and 1999 he worked as US correspondent for The Times and Daily Telegraph. An account of his years spent in Los Angeles was written up in his first book, Educating William; Memoirs of a Hollywood Correspondent, Cash chronicled his adventures as a British journalist in America, and his encounters with such figures as David Hockney, Elizabeth Taylor, Hunter Thompson, Tom Wolfe, Jay McInerney, and Antony Haden-Guest. The book was published in 1994 by Simon & Schuster. In 1999 Cash returned to London to write a biography of the novelist Graham Greene, with the permission of the Greene literary estate. His biography focused on his affair with the American beauty Catherine Walston. The Third Woman was published in 2000 by Little, Brown and Company in the UK and by Carrol and Graff in America. In 2000, he wrote a play, The Green Room, about the life and hospital death of the English linguistic philosopher Sir A.J Ayer, which opened at the Cockpit theatre in London and was selected as a Critics' Choice of the Edinburgh Festival by The Observer. Cash is a member of the Historic Houses Association. He is a heritage campaigner and his political interests have also focused on heritage protection campaigning and rural affairs. He has been a long-standing campaigner for promoting UK tourism and preserving the UK's national heritage. In October 2014 Cash was appointed as Heritage Spokesperson for UKIP. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Cash said his cause was about 'the preservation of and protection of England's heritage, architecture and green countryside'. He publicly resigned to join the Conservative party after the Referendum of 2016. He led the Spear's 'Save Our Historic Landscape' political campaign, which petitioned David Cameron as prime minister to increase protection for ‘historic environment' in the NPPF planning reforms. In 2014, Cash made a submission to planning minister Greg Clark arguing for stronger safeguards to protect heritage in the National Planning Policy Framework. He is the Chairman of the Addcounsel Advisory Board, private provider of individualised care for behavioural health. Cash's book, Restoration Heart, is a memoir about restoring his family home.
Journalism
Cash is a journalist and writes for the Daily Telegraph, The Times, New Statesman, The Sunday Times and The Spectator. He is the founder of Spear's business and culture magazine whose majority stake was sold to Mike Danson of Progressive Digital Media in 2010. Magazine. Cash remains a board member, director and 10% shareholder. He is also the current editor-in-chief Spear's. The international wealth management publication has been described as the 'bible of banking' by GQ magazine and is published in London and editions have also been published in Russia, the Far-East and Middle-East. Spear's is a sister title to the New Statesman for whom Cash also writes on politics. The magazine was set up in 2006 as an invitation-only subscription publication for people who have more than £5m personal net worth. In 2014, he also launched the Spear's 500 series of guides ranking and rating key firms and individuals in the private client wealth management community. Spear's has also run annual book awards. Cash previously published Annabel's Magazine, Annabel's Wine and Cellar Magazine, Aspinalls Magazine, Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Magazine and Sudeley Castle 2006 Magazine.
Personal life
Cash is the eldest son of Conservative politician Sir William Cash. Cash is married to his third wife, Lady Laura Cathcart, a society milliner and the daughter of the 7th Earl Cathcart. The couple have two children, Rex and Cosima. He lives at Upton Cressett Hall, Bridgnorth, Shropshire which he renovated in 2008–2010 using the artist Adam Dant for a series of six neo-Elizabethan murals that were described as 'daring and original' by John Goodall, architectural editor of Country Life. Cash has been a member of the fund raising committee of The Churches Conservation Trust and has raised money for various heritage organisations including English Heritage's Blue Plaque scheme. He was previously married to Venezuelan writer and philosopher Vanessa Neumann and Ilaria Bulgari.
