Testimonial letter to Major-General John Hope, 1816

EDWARD AUGUSTUS Prince, Duke of Kent and Strathearn

About this Item

Testimonial letter to Major-General John Hope in favour of a former sergeant in the Royal Scots - third-person letter in a secretarial hand, with autograph front signed: 2pp. 8vo, [London] (Kensington Palace), 30 June 1816. Letter front, slightly marked, severally postmarked, addressed "London July the First 1816 John Pearson (late Serjeant in the Royal Scots) No 2. North Grays Cross Edinburgh. N.B" and signed "Kent and Strathearn". "The Duke of Kent presents his best regards to Major General Hope, and takes the liberty of addressing him this Note by the hands of John Pearson, late a Serjeant in the Royal Scots, whom, as a well-connected, respectable Noncommissioned Officer, he begs to recommend in strong terms to him, for any small appointment which he may have it in his power to give him . . ." With Hope's autograph endorsement signed on the verso: "Serjeant John Pearson's name to be noted for the first Vacancy as a Staff Serjeant on the recruiting Service in North Britain J. Hope M. Genl". The fourth son of King George III and the father of Queen Victoria, Prince Edward (1767-1820) spent most of his career in the Army, where he was notably unpopular with his men, and most of his efforts otherwise in deferring the interest payments on his vast debts. He was variously Commander-in-Chief of the forces in British North America, Governor of Gibraltar and Keeper and Paler of Hampton Court. He married in 1818, became father of the future Queen in 1819 and died, aged 52, in 1820. John Hope (1765-1836), one of the military Hopetoun Hopes, was promoted lieutenant-general in 1819 and knighted in 1821. Seller Inventory # TM00019

Bibliographic Details

Title: Testimonial letter to Major-General John ...

Binding: No Binding

Condition: Very Good

Signed: Signed by Author(s)