Autograph Letter Signed ("Beatrix Heelis") to Mrs. Brodie. Castle Cottage, Sawrey, 9 October 1937
Sawrey: , 1937. Item #06743
An Unpublished Beatrix Potter Letter Concerning a Local Public Controversy in the Lake District
Discussing the Westmorland Gazette, the Queen's Institute,
and Potter's Active Role in Local Affairs at Near Sawrey
POTTER, Beatrix (1866-1943). Autograph Letter Signed ("Beatrix Heelis") to Mrs. Brodie. Castle Cottage, Sawrey, 9 October 1937.
Two-page autograph letter, signed, written entirely in ink on one side of two sheets of exceptionally thin writing paper (9 7/8 x 7 3/4 inches; 250 x 196 mm.), the versos blank. Folded for mailing with the original horizontal and vertical creases, a few light wrinkles and signs of handling, but without loss. The ink dark, fresh, and completely legible. An excellent example of Potter's characteristic late handwriting.
An unpublished letter revealing Beatrix Potter's energetic involvement in local civic affairs and committee work during the later years of her life. Written from Castle Cottage, Near Sawrey, the letter concerns an ongoing public matter involving correspondence, committee procedure, and the publication of a notice in the Westmorland Gazette.
Potter opens by explaining that she has received several letters and has decided not to forward them "in case of crossing or mislaying." She then discusses correspondence received from another participant in the dispute regarding the wording of a notice proposed for publication. Potter firmly distinguishes between what constitutes a public notice and what might be regarded as an advertisement, noting that she has refused to proceed on the grounds that "it is an advertisement." She reports that Dr. Hall's name is deliberately omitted from the published notice and explains the procedural steps she has taken by referring the matter to the Queen's Institute, whose secretary, she notes, will place the question before the committee.
The letter further demonstrates Potter's careful attention to administration and local governance as she discusses newspaper publication, committee deliberations, and arrangements for forthcoming meetings. Written in her typically practical and decisive manner, the letter provides an illuminating glimpse of the role she played in the civic life of the Near Sawrey community after the great success of her children's books had allowed her to devote herself increasingly to farming, conservation, and local affairs.
By 1937 Potter had long since established herself not merely as one of Britain's best-loved authors but as one of the principal landowners and agricultural figures in the Hawkshead district. Her correspondence from these years is markedly different from the earlier literary letters, reflecting instead her deep involvement with the practical management of her farms, tenants, charitable organizations, and local institutions. The present letter is an excellent example of this later phase of her life, revealing the efficiency, independence, and administrative skill with which she approached public responsibilities.
The recipient, Mrs. Brodie, bears the surname of a family represented elsewhere in Beatrix Potter's published correspondence, suggesting that she belonged to Potter's wider circle of friends and associates during the inter-war years.
An important unpublished letter documenting Potter's public activities in the English Lake District and illustrating the transformation of the celebrated children's author into one of the region's most respected landowners and community leaders.
Price: $8,500.00