Autograph Letter Signed

An Autograph Letter Signed (ALS) by King George VI (then Prince Albert of York), expressing his gratitude toFred H. Young, senior partner at the Royal Family's then preferred carpet manufacturer James Templeton & Co, for carpets provided for 145 Piccadilly W.1 and the Royal Lodge, Windsor.

ALS. 2pp. on 1 folded sheet of 145 Piccadilly W.1. headed notepaper, dated May 15th 1933, a single fold on each sheet of paper, a little toning, near fine.

Addressed to Mr. Young, the letter reads as follows:

"Dear Mr. Young,

I must write to thank you on behalf of my wife & myself for the beautiful carpet which now adorns one of the rooms in Royal Lodge at Windsor. Mr. Glass has been down to inspect it, & he was very pleased with it.

We are delighted with it & also with the other one which we ordered from your firm which was made [for] our large drawing room.

again very many thanks

yours very sincerely

Albert"

The Glasgow based firm, James Templeton & Co, had a long history of providing carpets for the Royal Family. In 1841, the firm made a carpet that was used in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, for the baptism of King Edward VII (1841-1910) on 25th January 1842. In 1910, they were commissioned to make carpets for the coronation of King George V (1865-1936). James Templeton & Co provided the carpet for King George VI's 1937 Coronation, which featured the Royal Coat of Arms and a border of Tudor roses. The company's staff magazine, The Templetonian, wrote of the commission:

"It was felt that for the Coronation an appropriate cover in colour should be specially created, and according designs were invited from members of the staff… and finally Mr J. M. McCreery's design was selected. He has managed to incorporate in his design, in an appropriate way, features symbolic of both the Coronation and Templeton's."

King George VI, as former president of the Industrial Welfare Society, was keen to recognise the work of factory workers in Britain and invited four representative factory workers from different parts of the country – a man, a woman, a boy and a girl – to attend his Coronation at Westminster Abbey. James Templeton & Co nominated Miss Lizzie McCulloch, who had woven part of the coronation carpets, and she was chosen for the honour.

The recipient of the letter, Fred H. Young, "joined Glasgow carpet manufacturer James Templeton & Co Ltd in 1893 where he gained experience in many departments, eventually taking charge of the spool Axminster section. He was made partner in 1897 and became senior partner after the death of his brother D. H. L. Young in 1921.

By the late 1930s, the company employed 4,500 men and women, established warehouses in London and Manchester, and developed an international presence through their offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Wellington and Montreal. The company also began to experiment with new manufacturing techniques such as woollen yarn spinning to accompany traditional Axminster, Chenille and Wilton methods." (University of Glasgow.)

When Fred H. Young died in 1943, the King sent the following personal message to his widow:

"The Queen and I send you our sincere sympathy in the sad loss you have suffered through the death of your husband."

Mr. Glass who the King refers to in the letter was John Pomeroy Glass who became a partner at James Templeton & Co in 1921. His Father Thomas Glass had also worked for the company, retiring as a partner in 1926.

Sadly, James Templeton & Co is no longer in business.

Just three years after the date of the letter, King Edward VIII abdicated and Prince Albert acceded to the throne, taking the regnal name King George VI, reigning until his premature death in 1952.

(University of Glasgow.) (Trade House Library.) (Young, Fred. H. A century of Carpet Making. 1839-1939. Published by Collins, 1943.)

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