Printed from Woolley & Wallis

Description

An important archive of autograph and initialled MS letters to George Wyndham written between 1891 and 1912, by various political and social personalities of the day, and on a range of subjects, including:

Winston Spencer Churchill, Liberal MP and future Prime Minister, three letters, 20th-25th July 1905, agreeing to pair¹ with Wyndham in a House of Commons vote, then withdrawing his agreement as he will be compelled by the political situation to attend the House of Commons: "My Dear George, I will pair with you from the 27th July till the end of the session for certain", signed "Yours ever, Winston"; "My dear George, I fear our plan for pairing must fall to the ground after last night's vote....nothing happens but the unexpected", signed "Yours ever Winston Churchill";

A.G.V. Peel, son of Robert Peel, 17th February 1891, congratulating Wyndham on a speech², for himself and his father: "I had the pleasure of hearing our speech last night and I hope that I may be allowed to say how much I appreciated it. I should imagine that the occasion was particularly trying with a House, to begin with, more hostile than friendly.....my father thought so highly of your speech that he has asked me to congratulate you on his behalf.", on House of Commons Library embossed paper, signed "Sincerely yours A. G. V. Peel."

Austen Chamberlain, MP, half-brother to Neville Chamberlain, two letters, October 1905, discussing a local election in Lincoln.

Reginald Pole-Carew, 26th December 1905, asking Wyndham's advice on the subject of Women's Suffrage: "..I think women are better employed at home than on the hustings [?] - at the same time it has always seemed odd to me that a well educated woman with a [?] stake in the country should be allowed no voice in its management - while an ignorant beast of a man with a latch key has one."

Joseph Chamberlain, 15th January 1906, congratulating Wyndham on his General Election success amid a general Conservative loss: "Your election was a gleam of light amidst all the gloom of Saturday... from the first my opinion has been that Balfour should have fought on fiscal reform for all he was worth..", signed "Yours very truly J. Chamberlain"

Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth, First Lord of the Admiralty, 19th March 1908, discussing the installation of Thomas, 1st Earl Brassey, as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports: "I am afraid April 21st Tuesday is very inconvenient for the Fleet to take any port in the function. Easter leave is a regular custom and it would be horribly unpopular either to give it up or to call the men and officers back in the middle of their leave.", on Admiralty letterhead, signed "Tweedmouth".

Winston Churchill, 11th August 1908, discussing a speech to be given in Dundee: "My dear George, I have to make a speech in Dundee on the 8th & 9th of October, but otherwise shall make no engagements in Scotland before the end of the year.", on Blenheim Palace letterhead, signed "Winston Churchill"

and others, including Lord Castletown, the 3rd Lord Lansdowne, Sir M. Hicks Beach, Timothy Michael Healy.

1) Pairing was an arrangement by which an MP who was unable to attend a vote might prevail upon a MP from an opposing party to abstain in order to maintain the voting balance.
2) It is not clear what this speech was about, but the Commons sitting of the 16th February 1891 included a discussion of Irish land reform.