AUTOGRAPHS

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 130, 5 June 1933, Page 13

AUTOGRAPHS

A VALUABLE COLLECTION

Probably the largest in the world, and reputed to be priceless, a collection of 32,000 autographs of world-famous men and women is housed at Martin's Croft, Macclesfield, England, the home of Major David Halstead, former M.P. for Eossendale Valley. Major Halstead has received several tempting offers from America, but he states that he has no intention of selling a single autograph. He commenced to pursue his hobby.when ten years of age. Every sphere of life is represented in this unique collection, and in many instances he has travelled to the far corners of the earth to obtain representative specimens. Between 300 and 400 of the signatures are those of English and German Royalty and their families, from George I to the present generation. There is even an autograph of Frederick the Great. One slip of paper bears the autograps of four successive Prime Ministers, Messrs. H. H. Asquith, David Lloyd George,, Stanley Baldwin, and Ramsay Mac Donald. In" addition he has the autographs of every British Prime Minister from Walpole in 1725 to the present holder of the office. Even the Great War did not interfere with Major Halstead's thirst for autographs. For a long time he was in command of a Turkish prisoners' camp in Egypt, where he kept a visitors' book. Two interesting signatures on the same page are those of Lawrence of Arabia and Captain Lloyd, now Lord Lloyd. Great soldiers such as the Duke of Wellington, Napoleon, Gordon, Buller, and Roberts are represented, and Major Halstead also owns two historic prints of the charges of the Heavy and Light Brigades at Balaclava, on which are inscribed the autographs of the leaders. Thore is scarcely a world-famous figure of the past century whose signature is not to be found in the collection; Sir Walter Scott, Fox, Burke, Wilberfoss, John Bright, Ruskin, the Rossettis, Carlyle, Oscar Wilde, Florence Nightingale, Darwin, Sousa, Reynolds, Landseer, Fenimore Cooper, Ellen Terry, Lord Northcliffe, SaTah Bernhardt, Amundsen, Nansen, Marconi, and a host of others. Major Halstead is still busy collecting the autographs at the rate of nearly 1000 a year. When he is not collecting autographs, Major Halstead is continually adding to his collection of coins. He has now over 20,000 dating from 575 B.C.

Mrs. Ellen McKenna, who lately died at Drumoory, County Leitrim, Ireland, left 64 grandchildren and 16 great-grand-children.