Details
MAJOR-GENERAL ARTHUR ELLIS (1827-1907)
A large collection of letters and ephemera relating to Major-General Arthur Ellis and his family, dated 1820-1911 including approximately 20 autograph letters, signed by Ellis to his son Gerald, from the Crimea, India and Vienna, giving him advice on army matters and protocol. Also included in the collection are 14 autograph letters, signed, by members of the Royal Family, all sending Lady Ellis condolences on the death of her husband in June 1907, including 3 letters from Queen Alexandra, 3 from Edward VII, two letters from Edward VII's daughters Princess Louise and Princess Victoria, two from his sisters, Princess Louise and Princess Helena, and two from the future George V and Queen Mary. A 7-page manuscript valentine poem, dated 14th February 1864, ridicules Ellis's position as Equerry to the Duchess of Cambridge: "Alas! A woeful, saddening change is come to pass; Young Arthur's breast was so replete with loyalty He sued, and won, the ample heart of Royalty ... His friends say, 'Arthur's a complete nonentity. In Royal light he's lost his own identity; We ne'er can claim him now for feast or ball He's always at his Mistress's beck and call.'"
