Lot 123 , An album containing a collection of forty eight autograph letters of past Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom,
An album containing a collection of forty eight autograph letters of past Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, together with an important letter by the Duke of Wellington (No.13), including:
Estimate £700-1,000
1. Robert Walpole (1676-1745) dated October 10th 1721
2. Henry Pelham (1694-1754) dated July 1748
3. Thomas Pelham Hollies (1693-1768) and on the same document: Henry Bilson Legge (Chancellor of The Exchange) and George Henry Hay, 8th Earl of Kinnoull, styled as Viscount Dupplin, dated 16th July 26th 1755
4. George Grenville (1712-1770) and Sir John Turner and James Harris, on the same document, dated July 26th 1764
5. William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708-1778)
6. William Bentinck (1738-1809) Duke of Portland, dated 26th November 1738
7. William Pitt The Younger (1759-1806) from Pembroke Hall, dated 29th June 1802
8. Henry Addington (1757-1844) 1st Viscount Sidmouth, two letters and a receipt
9. William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville (1759-1834) from Whitehall, dated March 12th 1793
10. Spencer Perceval (1762-1812) To His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, dated 3rd February 1810
11. Robert Banks Jenkinson, Earl of Liverpool (1770-828) dated 25th November 1812
12. George Canning (1770-1827), dated 13th March 1826 and one other from Downing Street, dated 3rd April 1823
13. Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) from Walmer Castle on 8 pages folded to quarto, to an unknown recipient concerning the attributes of a militia. "My Lord, I have had the honour of reading your Lordships' Letter of the 26th Sept' and ... that you do me justice in believing that I am .... to give every assistance in my power to enable you to decide upon the formation of a Peace Staff for the Militia. Although it has not lately been deemed necessary to call out the Militia for training; and such training may not be desirable the under lasting circumstances; and Parliament might not be disposed at present to grant the money to deploy the defence, unless the minister could state the powers at which I cannot think it safe that the country would be deprived of the means of using the militia. Without training a large defence I do not see the way to keep up a staff which would be capable and able to organize ... and ... at any moment after a long period of peace and ... ... of training. Men may be disiplined a ... to your Lordship by general ... but they might not, and probably would not be fit for the perfomance of the duty of .... training and disiplining the militia ... better plan might be useful; as well as ... by your Lordship by ... the Colonels of the Militia ... be required to select the ... officer for the peace Staff of the Militia from among the .... .... in the Country if any ... be found qualified" dated 1st October 1835 and another, also from Walmer Castle to the Commissioners of Woods, dated 9th October 1843, concerning the encroachment on Chelsea Hospital.
14. Charles Grey - Viscount Howick (1764-1845) dated Dec. 17th ?
15. William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne (1779-1848) dated 6th April 1833
16. Robert Peel (1788-1850) dated March 13th ? and a 4 page letter from Whitehall dated March 5 1845
17. John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792-1878) dated April 18th 1839, 1 page quarto, "My dear Ebrington [Hugh Fortescue, styled Viscount Ebrington] I have no doubt that we shall have a majority of 18 or perhaps 19 on my resolution. What will become of the Government afterwards is more than I can say - But the spirit is much better than it was."
18. Edward Henry Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (1799-1869) from St James's Square dated August 5th 1846 to J.B. Murray
19. George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen (1784-1860), from Argyle House dated 25th October 1821?
20. Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784-1865) from 94 Piccadilly, dated June 25th 1839) "As matters of considerable importance will come under discussion in the House of Commons when Parliament meets again on the 30th of this month, I shall be greatly obliged by your early attendance in the House" and another "Lord Palmerston presents his compliments", dated 23rd May 1858
21. Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beconsfield (1804-1881) dated October 1867 and another January 28th 1865
22. William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898) from 11 Downing Street, dated October 12th 1860 - to a Rev. C. Kingsley "I return the translation of Homer", with envelope
23. Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne - Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, two letters, one from Hatfield House, dated October 7th '97 another from the Foreign Office dated November 22nd 1898
24. Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, two letters, dated July 24th 1882 and December 11th 1904, the latter with envelope
25. Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930) from 10 Downing Street, dated July 22nd 1902, a signed slip from an autograph book and a note on Grand Hotel, Littlestone on Sea letterhead, signed AJB
26. Henry Campbell-Bannerman (1836-1908) dated 26th February 1903
27. Herbert Henry Asquith (1852-1928) from 10 Downing Street, dated 2nd October 1916
28. David Lloyd George (1863-1945) from 11 Downing Street, dated October 26th 1911
29. Andrew Bonor Law (1858-1923) from Pembroke Lodge, Kensington, dated 22nd July 1910
30. Stanley Baldwin (1867-1947) from Chequers, dated 21st November 1925
31. James Ramsay MacDonald (1866-1937) to [Emanuel "Manny"] Sinwell, from The Hillocks, Lossiemouth, dated 11th August 1925 and another (typed) dated July 4th 1927
32. Arthur Neville Chamberlain (1869-1940) to Right Hon. C. Addison, M.P. dated April 13th 1919
33. Winston Leonard Spencer - Churchill (1874-1965), a typed note from 10 Downing Street, "I have been deeply touched by all the messages of goodwill which have reached me at this time" dated May 1945 and another from his secretary A.D. Curtis dated 12 August 1947
34. Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl of Attlee (1883-1967), two typed letters from 10 Downing Street, dated 30th October 1945 and 10th April 1946, with envelope
35. Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon (1897-1977) from the Foreign Office, dated 8th April 1953, with envelope
36. Maurice Harold Macmillan (1894-1986), dated 14th December 1948
37. James Harold Wilson (1916-1995), "Tempus Rerum Imperator" his garter motto "Time is the ruler of all things and all people", undated
38. Alex Douglas-Horne (1903-1995), dated August 1st 1977, together with a separate signature
39. Leonard James Callaghan (1912-2005), on a booklet relating to 10 Downing Street and on a birthday card
40. Edward Richard George Heath (1916-2005), from the House of Commons, dated 27th April 1978, together with a signed photograph
Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging. Interested bidders are strongly encouraged to request a condition report on any lots upon which they intend to bid, prior to placing a bid. All transactions are governed by Gorringes Conditions of Sale.
Sold for £5,000