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Auction: 16043 - Autographs, Historical Documents, Ephemera and Postal History
Lot: 80

Documents
Percy Illingworth M.P.
The collected papers of the Liberal politician, Percy Illingworth from his service in the Boer War to Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury.


1900 Boer War papers are mostly his letters home, with envelopes, several from Cape Town plus others from Bradford and Kroonstad, O.R.C. and "On Active Service" letter "With General MacDonald, Golden Gate Pass" giving a graphic account of the engagement there (with transcript). There are also some personal photographs, a telegram reading "Return immediately election October ...", his military appointment (rubber stamp of Edward) and his discharge papers and his notes for his election address.


The political letters mostly span the years 1913-15 and includes A.L.S. signed by the prime minister H.H. Asquith (4, two initialled), a booklet dedicated to him, signed by Asquith and A.L.S. from his wife Margot (3) and a photograph (with negative) of Asquith with his children.

Further Asquith items - an A.L.S. recalling parliament (an original, not the usual printed copy), draft speeches in the Prime Minister's hand to Parliament in July 1914, "We have just heard—not from St. Petersburg, but from Germany—that Russia has proclaimed a general mobilisation of her Army and Fleet, and that in consequence of this, martial law was to be proclaimed for Germany. We understand this to mean that mobilisation will follow in Germany if the Russian mobilisation is general and is proceeded with. In the circumstances, I should prefer not to answer any questions till Monday"; August 1914 paying respect to the King of the Belgians for their " ... heroic resistance offered by his army and people to the wanton invasion of his territory ..." 1913 (5 May) on Montenegro, "A communication has been received from the King of Montenegro to the effect that Montenegro puts the fate of the town of Scutari in the hands of the Great Powers. This is very satisfactory news, and is a decision on which the King of Montenegro is to be congratulated, both in the interests of his own country and of international peace." and 1913 (19 June) the amended resolution for Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company agreement.


1914 (4 July) A.L.S. with envelope from David Lloyd George whilst Chancellor of the Exchequer; 1914 (11 November) letter and envelope from the War Office including an enlisting leaflet, "The Kaiser's Insult to The British Army".


Percy Illingworth died suddenly in January 1915 due to food poisoning from a bad oyster. He had been nominated to the Privy Council but died before he could be sworn in. There is a telegram of congratulations from Robert Balfour and other congratulatory letters plus large group of letters of condolence to his wife with many from ministers as well as four from the Prime Minister, Asquith and one from his wife, Violet, Wedgewood Benn (3), messages from the King and Queen, Lloyd George's wife.


There are also five volumes of press cuttings 1906-15 plus other printed ephemera including menus, election and campaign propaganda and invitations to Downing Street including a specially printed "Spy" caricature signed by Augustine Birrell, A.L.S. from Asquith asking him to move the address in reply from the speech from the throne - the first state opening of parliament by K.E.VII, 1913-14 cuttings include Home Rule, the Marconi scandal, Irish Bill and Churchill's speech on Ulster, 1914 with photographs of the recruiting campaign at Shiplet, pencil notes for the speech by Sir Ellis Denby, chairman of Shipley Liberal Association and the death of Illingworth, finally a volume devoted to the press tributes and obituaries. There is also a small leather bound album which is dedicated to the 1913 cabinet 'holiday' at Brodick Castle on Arran.


There is also a collection of medals:

Pair: Lance Corporal P.H. Illingworth, 9th Company Imperial Yeomanry
Queen's South Africa 1899-1902, two clasps, Cape Colony, Wittenbergen (14204 Pte. P.H. Illingworth. 9th Coy. Imp: Yeo); Yorkshire Imperial Yeomanry Medal for South Africa 1901-02, 3rd Battalion (Lce Corpl P.H. Illingworth), extremely fine, with the assocaited miniature Queen's South Africa Medal, this in Spink, London case, together with four associated medallions:

The Cobden Medal, silver, this engraved 'Percy Holden Illingworth, Lond. Int. Coll. 1885', in its Wyon, London, case of issue

Jesus College Boat Club, 'Trial Eights', 1888, bronze, with the dedication plate engraved within the lid placing Illingworth in seat 2 of the coxed eight, at a weight of 10.4.

Cambridge University Boat Club, Jesus College Boat Club 'Head of the Lent Race', 1888, silver medallion in glazed lunette, with the dedication plate engraved within the lid placing Illingworth in seat 6 of the coxed eight for Jesus College, at a weight of 10.5the case damaged

Cambridge University Boat Club, 'Trial Eights, Winning Crew', 1892, silver medallion in glazed lunette, with the dedication plate engraved within the lid placing Illingworth in the bow seat of the winning coxed eight crew, at a weight of 11.3, the D. Munsey, Cambridge, case damaged


The Cobden Club was a political gentleman's club founded in London in 1866, for believers in the Free Trade Doctrine, with Liberal Politicians the core of membership. Bronze and Silver prize medals are encountered and associated with the early period of the club, which ceased to exist during the the 1970's.

Illingworth was later selected as the 'Spare Man' for the 1893 Boat Race, however his services were not employed as Cambridge were defeated by 1 ¼ lengths.



An important politacal archive, providing an insight into the career of a significant Liberal politician. Photo

Percy Holden Illingworth (1869 – 1915) was a British Liberal politician. In 1906 Illingworth was returned to Parliament for Shipley, and served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Chief Secretary for Ireland (James Bryce and Augustine Birrell respectively) from 1906 to 1910. From February 1910 to April 1912, he was a Junior Lord of the Treasury under H. H. Asquith. In 1912 Asquith appointed him Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury

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Estimate
£5,000 to £6,000