Martel Maides Auctions
Lot 787
A fine collection of Royal and political ephemera, primarily relating to paper correspondence between the influential Lord and Lady Tollemache and various eminent figures including Sir Winston Churchill and Viscount Cherwell, to include a hand signed letter from Sir Anthony Bevir (private secretary to Churchill from 1940 to 1945) to Lady Tollemache informing her of Churchill's nomination to the King of her forthcoming M.B.E.; two invitations for the 1937 Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth for seats A2 and A3, also to include the covering letter signed to the upper left by the King and bearing the Duke of Norfolk's signature to lower right in 'On His Majesty's Service' envelope with Earl Marshalls office stamp to front; a telegram reading 'Thank you so much = Churchill', dated 1 December 1950; a letter to Lord Tollemache on Churchill's behalf signed by John Peck, the Prime Minister's Private Secretary; a letter to Lady Tollemache signed by Viscount Cherwell on embossed paper from the offices of the war cabinet; two facsimile 'Thank you for kind wishes on my Birthday' letters from Churchill; an interesting letter to Lord Tollemache from the Ministry of Aircraft on his suggestion to convert the Lancaster Bomber into a fighting plane; a certificate 'Of the grant of the dignity of an additional member of the civil division of the order of the British empire to Baroness Lynette Tollemache'; a pencil scribed letter to Lord Cherwell from Lady Tollemache informing him of her husband's illness; two photographs of Lord Tollemache in full military attire; a selection of family seals including an agate example with castle turret stamp, two ebonised examples, one with single initial, the other with lion passant holding a cross, a white metal seal with globular onyx finial with single initial below crown, a gilt acorn seal with single initial and a miniature horn piece with engraved initial to underside; and a small letter print block, *The Tollemache family is an English noble family, initially based at Bentley, Suffolk. The family acquired Helmingham Hall by marriage in the 15th-century, which remains the family seat.
