Queen Victoria was using textspeak ahead of her time – such as ‘q’ for queen – and may have penned a letter while tipsy.
A rich haul of royal finds connected to the monarch – all discovered in a house on the Isle of Wight – include a handwritten letter from her showing she liked to shorten words. One sentence reads: ‘The q. wishes to know the height of the gypsies [?] male donkey. She famously loved donkeys.
The unsigned letter also shows ‘which’ shortened to ‘wh’, which is not dissimilar to modern textspeak, according to Jim Spencer, works on paper specialist at Hansons Auctioneers.
Jim said: “A forensic graphologist helped me with the letter as it was near impossible to decipher any of it. Letters written in her final years are notoriously challenging to read. The graphologist confirmed it is by Queen Victoria, and managed to transcribe most of it. They suggested she may have been a little drunk when she penned it due to the way the words drift off and the fact that they were so large – about three words to a line.”
Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “It’s well known that Queen Victoria enjoyed a drink, particularly beer. However, her absolute favourite tipple was said to be Scotch whisky mixed with Claret.”
The letter is one gem among a fascinating collection of royal finds connected to Queen Victoria, all found at a property which belonged to a retired Isle of Wight antiques shop owner. Queen Victoria’s much-loved holiday home, Osborne House, is on the island, hence the wealth of discoveries.
As well as the royal correspondence, finds include a royal menu featuring chicken curry, Queen Victoria’s nightdress, her daughter Beatrice’s bloomers and toy box and a 1632 stumpwork Bible. All will be offered by Hansons Auctioneers on October 7.
The ‘textspeak’ letter, is part of a collection of royal autographs and ephemera (lot 381) relating to Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and the royal family. Other items in the lot include a signed letter from Princess Helena (1846-1923) addressed to her mother, Queen Victoria, on Cumberland Lodge letterhead, 23 April 1884, ‘Darling Mama, I am sending you a little book I think you may like to have. Some of it is very beautiful – indeed I like it all. Your devoted child, Helena’; a lithographic letter granting permission to visit Osborne House, headed in ink, ‘Windsor Castle, November 17 1897’ and four menu cards, 1896-97, for Her Majesty’s Dinner, the Royal Luncheon, and the Royal Wedding Breakfast, including an ‘Indian Dish of chicken curry & rice’, estimate £1,000-£1,500.
Strong interest is expected in Queen Victoria’s voluminous nightie which measures 51 inches across the girth. The pale cream lawn cotton nightwear is edged with Honiton lace and embroidered with ‘VR’ – Victoria Regina – with crown over, estimate £1,000-£1,500 (lot 274).
Meanwhile bloomers which belonged to Princess Beatrice (1857-1944), the fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, have been valued at £400-£600 (lot 237). They bear a crown and the initials BB for Beatrice of Battenburg. This indicates they would have been worn in the years following her marriage to Henry of Battenburg in 1885.
Also connected to Beatrice is a 19th century, stained pine chest. It is painted with a black inscription stating, ‘Princess Beatrice Toy Music’, £400-£600 (lot 200). Another fascinating lot from the Isle of Wight house, though without an obvious royal link, is a Charles I Holy Bible and Psalter decorated with a stumpwork (embroidered) cover. The publisher is recorded as ‘London: Robert Barker, 1632’. It is bound with The Whole Booke of Psalmes, London: Company of Stationers, 1635. It is unusual because it comprises only the Book of Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. The stumpwork is likely to have been the work of ‘Frances Spencer’, a name inscribed in the book, estimate £1,500-£2,000 (lot 380).
The items were found at the former home of Marilyn Rose, 90, who opened her first antiques shop in the mid-70s in Gurnard on the Isle of Wight and went on to run an outlet in Newport.
Her son, Tim Rose, 64, a retired forester from Warwickshire, said: “My mother is moving and we have been clearing the period property. The royal correspondence, bloomers and nightie were among several fascinating finds, some of which are new to us.
“There is another royal connection as the house dates back to the 1700s and was once home to Sir William Carter Hoffmeister (1857-1944), Queen Victoria’s physician on the Isle of Wight.”
The sale also includes a piece of lace bearing a note which reads, ‘Portion of the Pall that covered Queen Victoria’s coffin on her last journey from Osborne. Isle of Wight. Feb 1st 1901’ Queen Victoria died at Osborne House, aged 81, on January 22, 1901. Discovered in Somerset, it has a guide price of £800-£1,000 (lot 267).
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