SIGNED AND UNIQUE: Letter From Margaret Thatcher To The Niece Of A Family Friend, Together With The Silver Plated Coffee Pot To Which The Letter Refers

Minimum Donation €1,010.00

Margaret Thatcher writes to the niece of an old family friend, not of politics and government, but of a cake recipe and a silver-plated coffee pot, the latter still here paired with the letter, and referencing both her father and sister; such a personal letter, to a non-political figure on an entirely non-political subject, is very unusual in commerce.
“Dear Mrs. Kitching, It was a great thrill to receive your letter and I remember Mr & Mrs. Rawding very well indeed. Unfortunately, I cannot recall being given the silver teapot you mention, but it may have been my sister, Muriel, who received it for her wedding. I will make enquiries when I next speak to her… It was a generous thought of your Uncle and Aunt to bequeath you the silver water jug and I hope it will give you pleasure for many years. Thank you again for writing to me”. Thatcher, writing as a member of the House of Lords following her leaving office, also mentions her father, Alfred Roberts, who had died in 1970. “Whilst writing, may I ask a favour of you please? My father loved Mrs. Rawding’s sponge cake and for many years I had the recipe but cannot find it at present. I would love a copy of it again if you still have the recipe in your possession. I know it began with the words ‘take six eggs…’ and it was a sponge cake which kept very well for some time if placed in a tin”.
The letter was tucked inside the coffee pot (which is not in fact a water jug, as Thatcher’s letter says),and the pair only recently appeared on the market, auctioned in her home town of Grantham, and apparently indeed treasured for many years as Thatcher hoped. This unique coupling is now offered in support of our two chosen charities

Only 1 left in stock

Description

The letter is charming, but also somewhat enigmatic. Rawding is a name with some history in Grantham, cited many times in old records, but these specific Rawdings are not referenced in Thatcher’s autobiography, or in the biographies of Moore and Cambell, nor mentioned in the Thatcher Foundation’s substantial archive of material, nor the catalogue of her papers in Churchill College, Cambridge. Such family friends often do not leave much of a mark in the official histories and files, but as the letter shows, can have a lasting impact on a leader, and the-then 68 year-old Thatcher clearly delights in reminiscing about her younger years

Additional information

Weight 1.3 kg