LIBERAL

[John Morley, Viscount Morley of Blackburn, Liberal politician and writer.] Two Autograph Letters Signed and an Autograph Note Signed to Lady Ilbert, wife of Sir Courtney Ilbert, Clerk of the Commons, regarding dinner arrangements.

Author: 
John Morley (1838-1923), Viscount Morley of Blackburn, Liberal politician and writer [Lady Jessie Ilbert [née Bradley] (1850-1924), wife of Sir Courtenay Ilbert (1841-1924), Clerk of the Commons
Publication details: 
ALS ONE: 19 December 1910; on embossed letterhead of United Service Club, Pall Mall. ALS TWO: 2 July 1911; on letterhead of Flowermead, Wimbledon Park, S.W. ANS: 5 July 1911; on letterhead of the Privy Council Office, Whitehall, S.W.
£60.00

See his entry, and that of Lady Ilbert’s husband, in the Oxford DNB. The three items in good condition, lightly aged, and folded for postage. ALS ONE (19 December 1910): 1p, 12mo. ‘I am sorry you have had domestic anxieties. They are the most poignant.’ He continues: ‘It would delight me to have a peaceful hour with you and Ilbert, without prejudice to Fisher and his wife.’ Signed ‘M.’ ALS TWO (2 July 1911): 2pp, 12mo.

[Lord Bryce (James Bryce), Liberal politician, jurist and British Ambassador to United States.] Autograph Letter Signed to William Sheowring declining to address tye South Place Ethical Society.

Author: 
Lord Bryce [James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce] (1838-1922), Ulster-born Liberal politician, jurist, British Ambassador to United States [The South Place Ethical Society, London; Conway Hall]
Publication details: 
9 August 1898. On embossed letterhead of the House of Commons.
£40.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded twice for postage. Signed ‘James Bryce’. Addressed to ‘W. S[?]ing Esq.’, presumably the secretary of the South Place Ethical Society. His ‘time is already so fully occupied with public & private work & engagements of many kinds’ that he ‘cannot hope to comply’ with the recipient’s request that he ‘should give an address for the South Place Ethical Society’.

['We might have paid a visit to the Pyramids': Samuel Rogers, 'The Banker Poet', member of Holland House circle, and acquaintance of Byron, Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott.] Autograph Letter Signed to 'Mrs Lister' [Lady Theresa Lewis], a flight of fancy

Author: 
Samuel Rogers (1763-1855), 'The Banker Poet', art connoisseur, member of the Holland House circle, and acquaintance of Wordsworth, Byron, Sir Walter Scott [Lady Theresa Lewis]
Publication details: 
'Friday' [no date or place, but before 1844].
£60.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient is Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), whose first husband was the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842). The present letter is written before her marriage to her second husband the Liberal politician Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863). 2pp, 32mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with traces of stub from mount adhering to one edge. Folded once for postage. A charming missive. Reads: ‘My dear Mrs Lister / I shall be delighted to come to you, if I can make my escape from where I shall be, in any decent time.

[Samuel Rogers, 'The Banker Poet', member of Holland House circle, and acquaintance of Byron, Wordsworth, Sir Walter Scott.]

Author: 
Samuel Rogers (1763-1855), 'The Banker Poet', art connoisseur, member of the Holland House circle, and acquaintance of Wordsworth, Byron, Sir Walter Scott [Lady Theresa Lewis]
Samuel Rogers
Publication details: 
No place or date [on paper with 1837 Whatman watermark].
£150.00
Samuel Rogers

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The recipient is not named, but the item is from the papers of the author Lady Theresa Lewis (1803-1865), successively wife of the novelist Thomas Henry Lister (1800-1842) and the Liberal politician Sir George Cornewall Lewis (1806-1863), all with entries in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged and folded for postage. Reads: ‘Many, many thanks for thinking of me! When I came to myself in the morning, I remembered something of a kind proposition you had made to me & resolved to call & learn more about it. / Monday the 9th.

[Violet Bonham Carter, daughter of Liberal Prime Minister H. H. Asquith, step-daughter of Margot Asquith, and wife of Maurice Bonham Carter.] Autograph Letter Signed to 'Mr. Seyers', declining 'offers of hospitality' from Monmouth Town.

Author: 
Violet Bonham Carter (1887-1969), daughter of Liberal Prime Minister H. H. Asquith [Herbert Henry Asquith], step-daughter of Margot Asquith, and wife of Maurice Bonham Carter
Publication details: 
22 June 1932. On letterhead of Stockton House, Codford St. Mary, Wilts.
£120.00

An opponent of appeasement and Winston Churchill's closest female friend. See her entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, folded twice for postage. Addressed to ‘Mr. Seyers’ and signed ‘Violet Bonham Carter’. She regrets that she is unable to accept his invitation to ‘come to Monmouth in November - as my plans are very uncertain - it is just possible I might be abroad then. / It is so good of the Monmouth Town [bench?] to invite me’. She ends by asking him to thank them for ‘their kind offers of hospitality’.

[Lord John Russell, Whig and Liberal statesman, twice Prime Minister.] Autograph Signature to part of letter to Rear-Admiral Sir Henry Dillon, regarding his joining the royal household.

Author: 
Lord John Russell [John Russell, 1st Earl Russell] (1792-1878), Whig and Liberal statesman, twice Prime Minister, grandfather of Bertrand Russell [Rear-Admiral Sir William Dillon]
Lord John Russell
Publication details: 
No date or place.
£35.00
Lord John Russell

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. On both sides of 10.5 x 8 cm piece of paper, cut from a letter for an autograph hunter. On one side, in a larger than usual hand: ‘Your Obed Servt / J Russell’. Beneath the signature, in a tiny contemporary hand: 'Prime Minister'. At the foot is the name of the recipient: ‘Rr. Admiral / Sir Henry Dillon Kt.’ A fragment of the letter is on the reverse: ‘[...] Albert have any [wish?] on the subject of your being in the Queen’s Household, I shall no doubt hear from His Royal Highnesss. But untill [sic] I do so, I [...]'. See Image.

[Lord Buxton, Governor-General of South Africa [Sydney Charles Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton), Liberal politician].] Autograph Letter Signed, thanking Bernard Piffard for copies of the ‘West Herts Radical’, which he hopes will prove effective.

Author: 
Lord Buxton, Governor-General of South Africa during the Great War [Sydney Charles Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton (1853-1934), Liberal politician] [Bernard Piffard (1833-1916), microscopist and entomologist]
Publication details: 
1 April 1890; on embossed letterhead of 14 Eaton Place, S.W. [London]
£65.00

Buxton was a popular Governor-General who formed an effective partnership with Botha. 2pp, 12mo. Bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Addressed to ‘B Piffard Esq’ and signed ‘Sydney Buxton’. He is obliged for the ‘copies of the “West Herts Radical”’, and is glad to hear that Piffard is ‘able to circulate such a large number in your Division’. He hopes it will have ‘a satisfactory effect on the next Election’.

[Janet Beverdige, wife of Sir William Beveridge, ‘Architect of the Welfare State’.] Typed Letter Signed to V. H. Collins, regarding her sister’s death, her book on the Beveridge Plan, Sir William’s punctiliousness and ‘the kilt’.

Author: 
Janet Beveridge [born Janet Thomson Philip, later Janet Mair] (1876-1959), second cousin and wife of Sir William Beveridge (1879-1963), ‘Architect of the Welfare State’ [Vere Henry Collins, author]
Publication details: 
20 September 1954; on letterhead of Staverton House, 104 Woodstock Road, Oxford.
£120.00

See Sir William Beveridge’s entry in the Oxford DNB: 'An overbearing and temperamental Scotswoman, Mrs Mair had come to the school [the LSE] with Beveridge in 1919 (having been his secretary and aide during the war) and was highly unpopular with many of the school's professors. Throughout the 1930s there were complaints about the ‘Beveridge–Mair dictatorship’ and a general sense of relief when Beveridge decided to leave the school to accept the mastership of University College, Oxford, in 1937.' 1p, 4to. In good condition, lightly aged, with one dog-eared corner. Folded twice for postage.

[Lord Robson [William Snowden Robson, Baron Robson], English judge and Liberal MP, Solicitor General and Attorney General.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to 'B Piffard Esq', regarding his possible candidacy in the coming general election.

Author: 
Lord Robson [William Snowden Robson, Baron Robson] (1852-1918), English judge, Liberal MP, Solicitor General and Attorney General [Bernard Piffard (1833-1916), microscopist and entomologist]
Publication details: 
ONE: 26 May 1885. On letterhead of 45, Curzon Street, Mayfair. W. [London] TWO: 15 June 1885. On letterhead of 3, Plowden Buildings, Temple. E.C. [London]
£60.00

Interesting items, casting light on the nitty-gritty of Victorian constituency politics. Both are signed 'W. S. Robson' and addressed to 'B. Piffard Esq'. Both in good condition, lightly aged, with the second a little spotted. Each on a bifolium. ONE (26 May 1885): 3pp, 12mo. He has been informed 'that it is now the wish of the Watford (or Divisional) Association that I should visit the Division & address meetings there.

[Lord Simon [John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon], Liberal Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lord Chancellor.] Two Typed Letters Signed to the future Sir W. D. Ross, regarding university settlements and the foundation of Barnett House, Oxford.

Author: 
Lord Simon [John Allsebrook Simon, 1st Viscount Simon] (1873-1954), Liberal Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Lord Chancellor [Sir W. D. Ross; Barnett House, Oxford]
Publication details: 
2 May 1911 and 14 November 1914. Both on letterhead of 57 Kensington Court, W. [London]
£90.00

See the entries on Simon and Ross in the Oxford DNB. At the time of writing Ross was a Fellow of Oriel College. Barnett House in Oxford was established in 1914 as a result of an appeal to academic and political figures, mainly through the actions of another Oriel fellow, Sidney Ball (1857-1918). It was named after Canon Barnett, founder of the university settlement Toynbee Hall. Barnett House was intended as a ‘citizens’ house’ - a centre for economic and social enquiry, and between 1957 and 2004, as a department of the university, was a centre for the training of social workers. See G.

[H. H. Asquith, Liberal Prime Minister.] Autograph Signature to Printed Circular regarding 'the University Settlements' [in London's East End and elsewhere] as a solution for 'social problems'.

Author: 
H. H. Asquith [Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith] (1852-1928), Liberal Prime Minister [University Settlements; Toynbee Hall, Whitechapel; Oxford House, Bethnal Green]
H. H. Asquith
Publication details: 
Printed Circular dated 'October, 1911.' No place.
£65.00
H. H. Asquith

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The ‘settlement’ movement was the result of growing unease among the educated classes regarding the condition of the poor. The two most celebrated settlements, both still active, are Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel and Oxford House in Bethnal Green. From the papers of Sir William David Ross (1877-1971), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford. The present printed circular is 1p, 12mo. Printed on wove watermarked paper. In good condition, lightly aged and folded once. Asquith’s signature is genuine. Reads: ‘October, 1911.

[Sir William Agnew, leading London art dealer and Liberal politician.] Autograph Note Signed inviting artist and sculptor John Macallan Swan to dine with ‘Mr Leslie and some few artists’.

Author: 
Sir William Agnew (1825-1910), proprietor of the leading London art gallery Thomas Agnew & Sons and Liberal politician [John Macallan Swan (1847-1910), RA, painter and sculptor]
Publication details: 
22 August 1905. On letterhead of 11 Great Stanhope Street, W. [London]
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 1p, 16mo. In good condition, lightly aged, with thin band of discoloration beneath the last line. Addressed to ‘J M Swan Esq R.A’. Reads: ‘My dear Mr Swan / Will you dine with me on Thursday June 1st. to meet Mr Leslie and some few artists? / I should be glad if you will. / Yours faithfully / Wm. Agnew’.

[Lord Milner [Alfred, Viscount Milner], Liberal politician.] Autograph Letter Signed to 'Mr Ross' [the future Sir W. D. Ross], regarding the future of the philanthropic 'settlement' Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel.

Author: 
Lord Milner [Alfred Milner (1854-1925), 1st Viscount Milner], Liberal politician, Governor of the Cape Colony and first Governor of the Transvaal [Sir W. D. Ross (1877-1971), Oxford Vice-Chancellor]
Publication details: 
14 October 1913. 47 Duke Street, S.W. [London]
£56.00

See the entries for Milner and Ross in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Addressed to 'Dear Mr Ross' and with good bold signature 'Milner'. The subject of the letter is the philanthropic ‘settlement’ Toynbee Hall in Whitechapel, founded in 1884 by Canon Barnett and Henrietta (DBE), his wife.

[Lord Bryce (James Bryce), Liberal politician, jurist and British Ambassador to United States.] Three Autograph Letters Signed to 'Ross' (the future Sir W. D. Ross), on East End philanthropy, Oxford, and the war.

Author: 
Lord Bryce [James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce] (1838-1922), Ulster-born Liberal politician, jurist, British Ambassador to United States [Sir William David Ross (1877-1981), Oxford Vice-Chancellor]
Publication details: 
1914, 1915 and 1917. The second on letterhead of Hindleap, Forest Row, Sussex; the third on embossed letterhead of the House of Lords.
£150.00

See the two men's entries in the Oxford DNB. The three items are in good condition, lightly aged and worn; the second is lightly spotted. Each is folded once. All three signed 'Bryce'. ONE: 13 February 1914. No place. 3pp, 12mo. On bifolium. Begins: 'My dear Ross / I should like [to] help in so good a cause, but cannot possibly venture to make any promise for a date so distant as Nov. next. It would be a tempting of Providence as we say in Scotland.' He is not even certain whether he will be in England then, 'and there is nothing one has more to avoid than the breaking of promises'.

[Lord Haldane [Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane], Lord Chancellor.] Autograph Letter Signed to 'Mr Hurd' (i.e. the future Sir Archibald Hurd), regarding his essay on defence against German invasion, and Sir Arthur Wilson.

Author: 
Lord Haldane [Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane] (1856-1928), Scottish Liberal and Labour politician, philosopher, and Lord Chancellor [Sir Archibald Hurd (1869-1959), naval strategist]
Publication details: 
9 January 1911. On letterhead of Cloan, Auchterarder, N. B. [North Brition, i.e. Scotland]
£80.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. On first leaf of a bifolium. In good condition, lightly aged, with the blank second leaf carrying some traces of pink paper mount. Written a couple of months before Haldane’s acceptance of a peerage, so that he could become leader of the Liberals in the House of Lords, and in response to Hurd’s essay ‘The New Policy of Imperial and Home Defence’, published in the January 1911 number of ‘The Nineteenth Century and After’.

[Jesse Collings, Liberal politician, advocate of free education and land reform.] Five Autograph Letters Signed to Bernard Piffard, regarding opposition to Lords of the Manor over enclosures, and 'Allotments and Small Holdings Associations'.

Author: 
Jesse Collings (1831-1920) of Birmingham, Liberal and Liberal Unionist politician, advocate of free education and land reform [Bernard Piffard (1833-1916), entomologist]
Publication details: 
Between 27 July 1885 and 22 March 1886. All from Edgbaston, Birmingham (the second a letterhead).
£150.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. From the Piffard papers. A total of 9pp, 12mo. The recipient is 'B. Piffard Esq.' and the letters are all signed 'Jesse Collings'. ONE: 27 July 1885. 2pp, 12mo. He apologises for the delay in replying: 'I have been so over-pressed with Parliamentary and other work.' He will go into the matter of Piffard's letter at the 'Committee meeting of our Allotments & Small Holdings Association' that very day.

[Sir Edward Grey [Viscount Grey of Fallodon], Foreign Secretary during First World War.] Autograph Letter Signed to the ?Provost? [of Oriel College, Oxford, Sir David Ross], regarding what is probably not ?a matter for the head of a College'.

Author: 
Sir Edward Grey [Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon] (1862-1933), Liberal Party politician, Foreign Secretary for much of the First World War [Sir David Ross [W. D. Ross] (1877-1971)]
Publication details: 
30 November 1922; on letterhead of Fallodon, Christon Bank, Northumberland.
£45.00

See the entries for Grey and Ross in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Reads: ?My dear Provost / Probably you will not think that the enclosed requires any answer or that it is a matter for the head of a College but as it concerns a member of Oriel I send it on to you / Yours very truly / Grey of Fallodon.?

[Viscount Sydney [John Robert Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney], Liberal politician, twice Lord Chamberlain of the Household and twice Lord Steward.] Part of Autograph Letter, with Signature, regarding the killing of rabbits.

Author: 
Viscount Sydney [John Robert Townshend, 1st Earl Sydney] (1805-1890), Liberal politician, twice Lord Chamberlain of the Household and twice Lord Steward
Sydney
Publication details: 
No place or date.
£50.00
Sydney

On 11 x 6 cm piece of aged paper, with patches of discoloration and traces of mount on reverse. Good clear firm and undamaged signature on front: ‘[...] I am Sir / Yr Obt. Sert. / Sydney’. The reverse reads: ‘[...] ristricted from killing rabbits on the land lately taken on lease from me and also from ploughing up any part of it but I hereby give you leave to kill rabbits or any [...]’. See Image.

[‘The greatest force in British politics between the decline of Gladstone and the rise of Lloyd George’: Sir Joseph Chamberlain, father of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.] Autograph Note Signed to Leopold Maxse, regarding a ‘seat’.

Author: 
Sir Joseph Chamberlain (1836-1914), British politician, by turns Radical, Liberal Unionist and Conservative; father of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain [Leopold Maxse (1864-1932), editor of the Nati
Publication details: 
25 January 1881. On letterhead of 72 Prince’s Gate, S.W. [London]
£50.00

According to A. J. P. Taylor, Chamberlain was ‘the greatest force in British politics between the decline of Gladstone and the rise of Lloyd George. See his lengthy entry, and that of Maxse, in the Oxford DNB’. 1p, 16mo. In good condition, lightly aged. With one central vertical fold from postage. Reads: ‘My dear Maxse / I have been away but will try & get a seat for Thursday & write to you again / Yours sincerely / J. Chamberlain’. Postscript at head of page: ‘Can you dine with me here on Friday at 8 p.m?’

[Sir Donald Currie, Scottish shipowner.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to James F. Hutton, regarding a meeting with the Dutch king and the appointment of a deputation to wait on him regarding the modifying of conditions.

Author: 
Sir Donald Currie (1825-1909), Scottish shipowner and Liberal politician, proprietor of the Castle Line [James Frederick Hutton (1826-1890), Manchester shipper and Conservative politician]
Publication details: 
17 and 29 March 1879; both on letterhead of 3 & 4 Fenchurch Street, London, E.C.
£90.00

See Currie’s entry in the Oxford DNB. Both he and the recipient Hutton had South African interests. Both items in fair condition, lightly aged and worn, and each with pinholes at head from being attached, and folded for postage. Each is signed ‘Donald Currie’. ONE: 17 March 1879. 1p, 12mo. Addressed to ‘James E [sic] Hutton Esqr.’ He received Hutton’s ‘kind message’ and ‘called on the King. To-day I met the Duke of Sutherland.’ He will write to him again ‘in a day or two’. ‘Are you to be in town soon?’ TWO: 29 March 1879. 2pp, 12mo. Headed ‘Private’, and addressed to ‘J. F. Hutton Esqre.

[The Earl of Rosebery, Liberal Prime Minister.] Letter in a Secretarial Hand, signed by him, regarding appointment to a post at the Treasury, with a dinner invitation to Sturgis and his wife (George Meredith’s daughter).

Author: 
The Earl of Rosebery, Liberal Prime Minister [Archibald Philip Primrose (1847-1929), 5th Earl of Rosebery; Henry Parkman Sturgis (1847-1929), American-born banker and Liberal politician]
Publication details: 
27 April 1895; on letterhead of The Durdans, Epsom.
£56.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. With mourning border. On first leaf of a bifolium. In good condition, folded once for postage. All in a secretarial hand, except the signature ‘Rosebery’. Addressed to ‘My dear Sturgis’ - the item is from the autograph album of Sturgis’s wife, George Meredith’s daughter Marie Eveleen (‘Mariette’; 1871-1933). He regrets that he has ‘disposed of the vacancy of the secretaryship at the Treasury’. Had he not, he ‘would gladly have considered the claims of your candidate’. Ends: ‘I wonder if you and Mrs Sturgis would come and dine here some evening.’

[Baron de Barante [Amable Guillaume Prosper Brugière], French liberal politician and historian.] Autograph Letter Signed, in French, asking for assistance in getting a letter to the daughter of Madame Bouvier, who is with Princess Sapieha’.

Author: 
Baron de Barante [Amable Guillaume Prosper Brugière] (1782-1866), French liberal politician and historian
Publication details: 
18 July 1847. No place.
£50.00

1p, 16mo. In fair condition, lightly aged, with three creased from folding into envelope. Neatly written out in Barante’s distinctive neat and tiny hand. Addressed to ‘Monsieur’ and signed ‘Barante’. He is writing on behalf of Madame Bouvier, who wishes to find out where the Princess Sapieha is residing at present, as her daughter is ‘attachée à la princesse’, and she would like the enclosed letter (not present) to reach her. He would be most obliged if the recpient could help Madame Bouvier’s letter reach its destination.

[‘Nothing but death or the gout’: Lord Haldane [Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane], Lord Chancellor.] Two Autograph Letters Signed to ‘Mrs Sturgis’ [George Meredith’s daughter], about plans for visits, one preceding dinner with the king.

Author: 
Lord Haldane [Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane] (1856-1928), Scottish Liberal and Labour politician, philosopher, and Lord Chancellor
Publication details: 
ONE: 27 January [1901?]; 3 Whitehall Court [London]. TWO: 16 February [1904?]; on letterhead of 10 Old Square, Lincolns Inn, W.C. [London]
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Both letters are in good condition, lightly aged, and both folded once. Both addressed to ‘Mrs Sturgis’, and both signed ‘R B Haldane’. The year in both cases is in the first decade of the twentieth century, but the last digit is hard to decipher. ONE: 27 January [1901?]. 2pp, 12mo. On the first leaf of a bifolium. He fears that he will not reach Leatherhead (where the Sturgis had a country house) before ‘the late train after dinner on Sat. the 21st.’ He plans to ‘send down a servant ahead’, and himself ‘come at bedtime’.

[Duke of Devonshire [Spencer Compton Cavendish (1833-1908), 8th Duke of Devonshire].] Autograph Letter Signed regarding prizegiving at Derby Grammar School

Author: 
Duke of Devonshire [Spencer Compton Cavendish (1833-1908), 8th Duke of Devonshire, styled Marquis of Hartington between 1858 and 1891, aristocrat and statesman [Derby Grammar School]
Publication details: 
15 June 1901; on letterhead of Chatsworth House, Chesterfield.
£50.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium. Outer sides somewhat grubby, otherwise in good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage. Addressed ‘Dear Sir’ and signed ‘Devonshire’.

[Thomas Burt, trade union leader and Radical Member of Parliament.] Autograph Letter Signed to A.G.L. Rogers, Secretary of the Liberal Publication Department, regarding a piece of parliamentary legislation on the question of mining.

Author: 
Thomas Burt (1837-1922), trade union leader and Radical Member of Parliament; General Secretary, Northumberland Miners' Association [A. G. L. Rogers, Secretary, Liberal Publication Department]
Publication details: 
2 June 1892. On House of Commons letterhead.
£45.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. Under Gladstone Burt served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade, 1892-1895. From the papers of Arthur George Liddon Rogers (1864-1944), son of the editor of the economist Thorold Rogers, and written while Rogers was Secretary of the Liberal Publication Department (a sort of public relations department), a position to which he was appointed in November 1891. 2pp, 12mo. On bifolium. Signed 'Thos Burt'. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded once for postage.

[William Henry Gladstone, Member of Parliament for Chester, son of Liberal Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.] Autograph Letter Signed to W. Farish of Chester, with reference to ‘the Local Option principle’ with regard to prohibition of alcohol.

Author: 
W. H. Gladstone [William Henry Gladstone] (1840-1891), Member of Parliament for Chester between 1868 and 1880, son of the Liberal Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898) [W. Farish]
Publication details: 
21 January 1882; on letterhead of Hawarden Castle, Chester.
£45.00

W. H. Gladstone was the eldest of W. E. Gladstone’s eight children. See his father’s entry in the Oxford DNB, along with those of his brothers Henry Neville Gladstone and Herbert John Gladstone. 3pp, 12mo. On bifolium of grey paper. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with spike hole through one corner of each leaf. Folded once for postage. Signed ‘W H Gladstone’ and addressed to ‘W. Farish Esq / Chester’. He apologizes for having to decline Farish’s request, and is returning the card Farish has sent him.

[Sir Charles Trevelyan and the Union of Democratic Control.] Typed Note Signed ('Charles Trevelyan') to E. Dinnage of Cambridge, enclosing a receipt ‘for payment of literature already sent’.

Author: 
Sir Charles Trevelyan [Sir Charles Philips Trevelyan, 3rd Baronet] (1870-1958), Liberal politician, a founder of the anti-First World War group the Union of Democratic Control
Trevelyan
Publication details: 
11 February 1915. On letterhead of The Union of Democratic Control, 37 Norfolk Street, Strand, W.C., London.
£65.00
Trevelyan

See his entry in the Oxford DNB, which states that after his resignation from government in protest against the impending war, ‘Around him he rallied those few brave, independent spirits who shared his views. Together they helped to found the Union of Democratic Control, in A. J. P. Taylor's judgement 'the most formidable Radical body ever to influence British foreign policy' (A. J. P. Taylor, Politicians, Socialism and Historians, 1982, 103). Trevelyan became the union's principal advocate in the Commons.

[Jo Grimond, Scottish Liberal Party politician.] Autograph Card Signed acknowledging receipt of twenty pounds from Hanson Books.

Author: 
Jo Grimond [Joseph Grimond, Baron Grimond] (1913-1993), Scottish Liberal Party politician
Grimond
Publication details: 
4 August [1978]. ‘Official Paid’ card printed with ‘House of Commons’.
£35.00
Grimond

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. From the papers of Philip Dosse (1925-1980), proprietor of Hansom Books, publishers of several arts magazines. Presumably acknowledging payment for a review in ‘Books and Bookmen’. On plain ‘House of Commons’ postcard. In fair condition, lightly aged and worn, with crease to one corner going through the final flourish of Grimond’s signature. Reads: ‘4 Aug / Many thanks for cheque for £20 already acknowledged / J Grimond’.

[Margaret Lloyd George, wife of Liberal Prime Minister David Lloyd George.] Typed Letter with cyclostyled signature, asking Rev. A. H. Sayers of Monmouth to arrange for a collection in his church for the British and Foreign Sailors? Society.

Author: 
Margaret Lloyd George [nee Owen] (1866-1941), Welsh wife of the Liberal Prime Minister David Lloyd George [Rev. A. H. Sayers of Monmouth; British and Foreign Sailors? Society]
Publication details: 
7 December 1916. On letterhead of 11 Downing Street, London, S.W.
£50.00

See her entry, and those of her husband and their two daughters, in the Oxford DNB. 2pp, 12mo. In good condition, lightly aged. Folded for postage. Although Sayers? name and address are given as recipient at the beginning, the letter is clearly a circular, and the signature is cylcostyled.

[Sir Lyon Playfair, chemist and Liberal politician.] Printed offprint of synopsis of Royal Institution talk: ‘On the Food of Man in relation to his Useful Work.’

Author: 
Sir Lyon Playfair [Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair; Lord Playfair] (1818-1898), chemist and Liberal politician, born in India of Scottish extraction [Royal Institution of Great Britain]
Publication details: 
'Royal Institution of Great Britain. / Weekly Evening Meeting, / Friday, April 28, 1865.' [London.]
£45.00

See his entry in the Oxford DNB. The full lecture, fifty-four pages in length, was published for Playfair in Edinburgh by Edmonston & Douglas in 1865, with the subtitle ‘Lecture delivered at the Royal Society, Edinburgh, 3d April 1865, and Royal Institution, London, 28th April 1865.’ Although reset, the text of the present three-page synopsis does not appear to differ from the version printed on pp.431-433 of the ‘Notices of the Proceedings’, vol.4 (1862-1866). No other copy of this offprint has been traced. In very good condition, lightly aged.

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