You are bidding on a Vintage BUNDLE OF 1970s AND 80s HOUSE OF LORDS LETTER SIGNED by BRITISH M.Ps, PLUS AN AUTOGRAPHED PHOTOGRAPH

These are formal, typed letter on Houses of Parliament stationery – with most addressed to a Mr. T. Mercer of Harrogate, North Yourkshire

See below for details of recipient, Terence Mercer of Harrogate, Yorkshire

1. 1976; Sender: Alun Gwynne Jones, Baron Chalfont

Alun Gwynne Jones (1919–2020) was a multi-faceted British figure who served as a soldier, politician, journalist, and author.

• Political Career: Originally a career soldier, he was unexpectedly appointed as Britain’s first Minister for Disarmament in 1964 by Prime Minister Harold Wilson. He served as a Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs until 1970. Though he began as a Labour peer, he later resigned from the party in 1974 to sit as a cross-bencher.

• Media and Television: By 1976, the year this letter was written, he had transitioned into a role as a regular broadcaster and commentator. The programme mentioned, "Who Says It Could Never Happen Here?", was an Anglia Television production where he discussed what he perceived as the Communist threat to British democracy.

• Military and Historical Background: He retired from the British Army as a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1961 and was awarded the Military Cross in 1957 for operations in Malaya. He was also a prolific author, publishing eight books including a major 1976 biography of Viscount Montgomery of Alamein.

• Contents
  
  Mr. T. Mercer,
  Low Bridge House,
  Markington,
  Nr. Harrogate,
  Yorkshire.
  
  Dear Mr. Mercer,
  Thank you very much for your letter about my television programme "Who says it could never happen here". As I have received several hundred letters about the programme already, I hope you will understand if I do not take up in detail the points which you make in your letter. I would, however, like you to know how much I appreciate your interest.
  I am discussing with Anglia Television the possibility of getting the programme repeated at a more convenient transmission time. Incidentally, transcripts of the programme are available from them at Brook House, Park Lane, London, W.1.
  
  With best wishes.
  Yours sincerely,
  
  Chalfont
  CHALFONT

• 2. .31^st July 1964: Sender: Rear Admiral Morgan Giles, M.P.
  
  Giles was a highly decorated war hero before entering politics. He was awarded the George Medal for bomb disposal in Egypt and a DSO for running guns to Tito’s partisans in Yugoslavia.
  
  Context of the 1964 Letter
  
  This letter captures Giles in his very first months as an MP. He replaced Peter Smithers, the man mentioned in the text, who had resigned to become Secretary General of the Council of Europe. 

• The Subject: The inquiry regarding Mr. George Lagoudontis appears to be a "constituent case." Mrs. Cook (the recipient) was likely seeking help for Lagoudontis through her new MP.

• The "Home Office" Connection: The mention of correspondence between Smithers and the Home Office suggests a matter involving immigration, citizenship, or a legal appeal, which were common issues MPs handled then as they do now The Letters contents are as follows :-
  
  From: Rear Admiral Morgan Giles, M.P.
  
  HOUSE OF COMMONS
  
  31st July 1964
  
  Dear Mrs. Cook,
  
  Thank you for your letter about Mr. George Lagoudontis.
  I do not know any details about previous correspondence between Peter Smithers and Home Office, but I will make some inquiries and will write to you again.
  
  Yours sincerely,
  [Signature): Morgan Giles
  
  Mrs. D.V.M. Cook,
  Sunny Brow,
  Broughton,
  Stockbridge,
  Hampshire

• 3. 25^th October 1972: Peter Emery to Col. Sir Malcolm Stoddart-Scott M.P.
  
  This is a formal government letter written on October 25, 1972, by Peter Emery, who was then the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry. 
  
  The letter is addressed to Col Sir Malcolm Stoddart-Scott, OBE TD DL MD MP, a Conservative Member of Parliament for Ripon. It serves as a response to concerns raised by a constituent, Mr. T. Mercer, regarding the National Coal Board (NCB) and the state of the coal industry following major industrial disputes earlier that year.

Key Details & Summary

• Context of Industrial Unrest: The letter was written in the aftermath of the 1972 miners' strike, which caused significant damage to "confidence in coal supplies" [Image]. This strike was a major challenge for the government of Edward Heath.

• Advertising Controversy: Mr. Mercer had criticized the NCB for spending money on national newspaper advertisements. Emery defends this, stating the NCB must operate as a "commercial body" and that restoring public confidence is "essential to the retention of their markets"

• Wage Restraint & Negotiations: Emery addresses Mr. Mercer's concerns about the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) rejecting wage restraints. He notes that while the union set high targets for the next pay year (starting March 1973), discussions were ongoing to restore the industry's "financial position" through measures like wage containment and arbitration [Image].

• Management Relations: The letter concludes by dismissing Mr. Mercer’s suggestion that top management was "out of touch" or "incapable of controlling the men in the industry," with Emery stating firmly, "I do not believe this to be true"
  (Sir Peter Frank Hannibal emery 1926–2004) was a prominent Conservative politician who served in the British House of Commons for over 40 years. He is perhaps most noted by historians as the man who conceived and co-founded the Bow Group in 1951, an influential center-right think tank. 
  Political Career & Offices

Emery’s long tenure in Parliament spanned several constituencies and key junior ministerial roles:

• Constituencies: He represented Reading (1959–1966), Honiton (1967–1997), and East Devon (1997–2001).

• Ministerial Roles: He served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry (1972–1974) and later at the Department of Energy (1974), where he was involved in managing the "Three-Day Week" energy crisis.

• Backbench Influence: He was a long-serving treasurer of the powerful 1922 Committee and chaired the Procedure Committee (1983–1997), where he helped oversee the introduction of televised debates to the Commons. 

• The Letters contents are as follows :-
  
  DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY
  1 VICTORIA STREET
  LONDON SW1H 0ET
  TEL 01-222 7877
  
  From the Parliamentary Secretary
  Col Sir Malcolm Stoddart-Scott OBE TD DL MD MP
  House of Commons
  London SW1
  
  25 October 1972
  Dear Malcolm,
  
  As you know, Tom Boardman has asked me to reply to your letter of 4 October enclosing one from Mr T Mercer. This was about an advertisement in the press issued on behalf of the National Coal Board and the three trade unions in the industry, the British Association of Colliery Management, the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers, and the National Union of Mineworkers. Mr Mercer criticises expenditure on this kind of advertisement in the national newspapers, but the National Coal Board operate as a commercial body and the Government consider that the Board must be free to take their own decisions on the nature and scope of their publicity. After the damage to confidence in coal supplies which must have resulted from the strike early this year, it is natural that the Board should now seek to restore the confidence which is essential to the retention of their markets, and a public declaration supported by the three trade unions is the new way of attempting this.
  Mr Mercer then refers to the rejection of wage restraint by the mineworkers. The position here is that the Annual Conference of the National Union of Mineworkers in July set targets involving a substantial increase of wages, coupled with reduction in hours and other benefits, but the Union have not yet formulated their claim in relation to the next pay year, starting on 1 March next. As will have been gathered from the press, recent discussions between the Government, the Coal Board and the Unions on measures needed to restore the industry’s financial position have included containment of costs, including wages, and the use of conciliation procedures in wage negotiations, including arbitration.
  Finally, Mr Mercer suggests that the top echelon of management are entirely out of touch with, and quite incapable of controlling, the men in the industry. I do not believe this to be true.
  Yours sincerely,
  Peter Emery
  
  PETER EMERY
  
  The Back of the letter has the words
  'TIMES HAVE CHANGED
  SO HAVE ELECTRONIC COOKERS
  BUT HAVE YOU CHANGED YOURS?
  
  NOW IS THE TIME TO CHANGE'

• 4. 12 July 1971. From Anthony Royle, M.P.
  The letter is on paper, with the Royal Crest at the Top, along with the words :-
  'Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London S.W.1
  
  From the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State'.

This is a formal, typed letter on Official British Govenrment stationery, addressed to a Mr. T. Mercer from Anthony Royle, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. The letter addresses a constituent's question regarding how Parliament represents the "will of the people"

Anthony Royle, (1927–2001), later known as Baron Fanshawe of Richmond, was a prominent British Conservative politician and businessman. 

• Political Career: He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond (Surrey) from 1959 until 1983. During his tenure, he held several significant roles, including Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1970–1974) and Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party (1979–1984).

• Key Stances: Royle was notably pro-European, strongly supporting Britain's membership in the European Community. He also played a key role in reforming how the Conservative Party recruited its candidates.

• Later Life: After retiring from the House of Commons in 1983, he was elevated to the House of Lords as a life peer.
  
  The Letters contents are as follows :-
  
  Dear Mr. Mercer,
  Thank you for your letter of 1 July in which
  you raise the question of Parliament representing
  the will of the people.
  Members of Parliament represent the will of
  the majority in that they have been elected to
  office by the majority of their constituents; the
  people thereby entrust to them the right to take
  all decisions of national importance. To do this
  they must use their own judgement as to the
  greatest long-term benefit of Britain and all her
  citizens. If the people of any particular con-
  stituency feel that their Member no longer represents
  their views, they of course retain the right
  to vote someone else into Parliament at the next
  election.
  
  Yours sincerely,
  Anthony Royle (Hand Signed)

• 5. 4^th December 19756: Letter from Neville Trotter M.P.
  The letter is on House of Commons paper, with the words NEVILLE TROTTER, F.C.A., J.P., M.P. at the top 

• SIR NEVILLE TROTTER (born 1932) was a Conservative politician who served as the MP for Tynemouth from 1974 until 1997.

• The letter, is addressed to Terence Mercer of Tattersall Advertising Ltd. in Harrogate. It discusses the launch of The House magazine, a publication that remains a staple of British political life today

• The Subject: Trotter mentions a conversation held on a train regarding "the House Magazine." He notes that it is distributed weekly to all members of the Commons and the Lords and is available by subscription to outside bodies like the T.U.C. (Trades Union Congress) and C.B.I. (Confederation of British Industry).

• Historical Context: The letter coincides with the founding of The House magazine in 1976 by a cross-party group of MPs. It was designed to be an impartial weekly publication for parliamentarians to share news and opinions.

• Paul Johnson's Speech: The letter begins by thanking Mercer for sending a photocopy of a speech by Paul Johnson, though the specific contents of that speech are not detailed in the text.

• The letter is hand signed
  Neville Trotter in ink (There is a light smudge to the signature – please see scan)

• DETAILS OF TERENCE MERCER:
  Terence Mercer (1939–2018), was a prominent businessman and arts benefactor from Harrogate. 
  Terence Mercer served as the Chairman of Tattersall Advertising Ltd, a well-known full-service advertising agency based in Harrogate. He followed in the footsteps of his father, the watercolorist Sidney Agnew Mercer, who had previously purchased and managed the firm. Under the family's leadership, the agency became a leading force in Yorkshire, producing iconic murals and posters for organizations like British Rail. 

Local Legacy and the Mercer Art Gallery

Mercer is perhaps most widely remembered for his significant contributions to the Harrogate arts community:

• The Mercer Art Gallery: The gallery, which opened in 1991, was named in honor of his father, Sidney Agnew Mercer, following a substantial donation of £50,000 from Terence and his brother, Gavin.

• Patronage: He was an Honorary Life Member of Harrogate District Museums and played a pivotal role in the Mercer Gallery Project, ensuring the gallery's ongoing development and success.

• Later Life: He lived for many years at Low Bridge House in Markington and was a dedicated supporter of local heritage until his death in 2018

• THE PHOTOGRAPH is HAND SIGNED by JOHN SELWYN GUMMER.
  JOHN SELWYN GUMMER

john Selwyn Gummer, Baron DebeM (born 26 November 1939) is a British Conservative Party politician, formerly th(MP) for Suffolk Coastal and Lewisham West, now a member of the House of Lods. He was Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1983 to 1985 and held various government posts including Secretary of State for the Environment from 1993 to 1997

The letters came to me in a collection of ephemera, all of which was kept in folder with clear plastic cleeves – which have preserved themin excellent condition.

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