An 1872 signed letter together with its original mailing envelope, written by Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond (1818–1903), a senior British Conservative statesman and, at the time, leader of the Conservatives in the House of Lords. The letter was sent to W. G. Prout Esq., at: 36 Union Street Stonehouse Plymouth According to the original documentation accompanying the item, the Duke thanks Mr. Prout for a petition he had submitted and returns the petition to him. At the time this correspondence was written, the Duke of Richmond was one of the senior figures in the British Conservative Party and served as leader of the Conservatives in the House of Lords, giving the correspondence an interesting parliamentary and political context. The original envelope bears a Queen Victoria One Penny adhesive stamp, a Chichester postmark dated 11 March 1872, and a Plymouth arrival marking on the reverse. At the lower left of the envelope appears the autograph initial “R.”, referring to Richmond. The enclosed letter is signed by the Duke of Richmond. Charles Gordon-Lennox was at this date the 6th Duke of Richmond. He was not created Duke of Gordon until 1876, making the Richmond title the historically appropriate designation for this 1872 correspondence. An interesting Victorian political and autograph item comprising a signed letter together with its original postal cover, dating from the period when the Duke of Richmond was a leading Conservative figure in the House of Lords. The dimensions stated above refer to one leaf of the existing folded double-sheet letter. Envelope dimensions: 8.2 × 12.5 cm (height × width).
Auction 01: Auction 01 – Historical Letters, Documents & Autographs — Melis Antiques & Art