Description:

Alfred Lord Tennyson
Freshwater, July 5, 1865
Alfred, Lord Tennyson Signed Check From Isle of Wight Retreat
ADS

A manuscript check signed by renowned British poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) as "A Tennyson" at lower right. July 5, 1865. [Freshwater, Isle of Wight, England.] Tennyson has also inscribed the check with approximately 20 additional words: the amount due, in both written and numerical form; the person to be paid "Mr. Charles Heard"; the date and location; and the bank's address "Olding, Osbourne & Co. / 29 Clement's Lane / London." On laid paper. The check directed the London-based bank to withdraw £30 from the poet's accounts. Endorsed and docketed verso. A violet One Penny revenue stamp is affixed at upper right. Bearing the usual clerical hand-stamps, with hashmarks touching a few letters of Tennyson's signature. Expected wear and weathering including flattened folds and a few extra wrinkles. Isolated waters spots and foxing but entirely legible. Else near fine. 7" x 4.375." Ex-International Autograph Auctions, Ltd., ca. 2014.

Tennyson issued this check order to an unknown recipient in mid-1865, just one year after publishing "Enoch Arden," a tragic poem about a missing fisherman wrongly declared dead. In 1865, Tennyson had been the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom for some fifteen years--ever since the death of predecessor William Wordsworth--and he would hold the post until his own death in 1892.

Tennyson lived off and on at Farringford House, an early 19th C. stone manor house on an estate in Freshwater Bay on the western coast of the Isle of Wight, between 1853-1892. Its gardens were arranged by Tennyson. After serving for many years as a hotel, Farringford became a historical house museum in 2017.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 7" x 4.375"
  • Medium: ADS

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April 23, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
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