With the birth in 1841 of Edward, Prince of Wales, heir to the throne, the Petersfield town and borough wished to send an address to Victoria Mary Louise, Duchess of Kent, who had been married to Edward, fourth son of George III. They were the parents of Queen Victoria and grandparents of Edward.

A copy of a letter, together with an envelope dated December 1841, shows a correspondence from Sir George Couper, comptroller of the household and equerry to the Duchess of Kent, to Sir William Jolliffe, who was MP for Petersfield at this time. As can be seen from the letter this was not as easy as it seems, as there was a strict protocol involved.

The transcript of the letter reads: Sir George Couper presents his compliments to Sir William Jolliffe, and has the honour to inform him in reply to his letter of the 22nd instant, that etiquette prevents the presentation of an address to the Duchess of Kent, until the address on the same occasion shall have been presented to the Queen.

Sir George Couper will however have much pleasure in acquainting Sir William Jolliffe when Her Royal Highness shall be enabled to receive the address which the Town and Borough of Petersfield have kindly voted to Her.

But should it be more convenient to Sir William Jolliffe, if he think proper to forward the address to Sir George Couper, it will afford him great pleasure to submit the address to Her Royal Highness and to transmit Her reply to Sir William Jolliffe.

Sir William G. Hylton Jolliffe Bart M.P.

Envelope, with a Penny Red Victorian stamp introduced in 1841 - replacing the Penny Black with a red-brown colour, to make cancellation more visible and prevent re-use - and the back of the envelope, showing the royal seal.
The envelope, with a Penny Red Victorian stamp introduced in 1841 - replacing the Penny Black with a red-brown colour, to make cancellation more visible and prevent re-use - and the back of the envelope, showing the royal seal. (Caroline Welsh)

A little background on some of the people mentioned in the letter:

Sir George Couper KHCB was born in 1788 and died in 1861, and was a 1st Baronet, created in 1841. The Baronetcy was awarded for his distinguished military and court services.

A colonel in the Army who fought in the Peninsular War, he served as a military secretary to the Governors General of Canada, Sir James Kempt and Lord Durham.

He took part in the key campaigns, the battle of Copenhagen in 1807 and the Peninsular War against Napoleonic forces from 1808 to 1814, and was comptroller of the household and equerry to HRH The Duchess of Kent

Sir William George Hylton Jolliffe was born on December 7, 1800, and died on June 1, 1876.

He served in the Army and achieved the rank of captain in the 15th Dragoons. He took part in the events at St Peter’s Field in Manchester in 1819 - the Peterloo massacre - when government troops charged into a peaceful crowd of roughly 60,000 protesters who had gathered to demand the reform of parliamentary representation.

Panic from the crowd was interpreted as an attack on nearby Yeomanry troops and the 15th Hussars, led by Lt Col Guy L'Estrange, charged at the crowd along with other government soldiers. Eighteen were killed, with between 400 and 700 injured.

In 1821 he was created a baronet of Merstham in the County of Surrey. He served one year as High Sheriff of Surrey in 1830 and was MP for Petersfield from 1830-32, 1837-38 and 1841-66.

He served under the Earl of Darby as under-secretary of state for the Home Department in 1852, and as parliamentary secretary to the Treasury from 1858-59. He was a member of the Privy Council in 1859 and in 1866 he was given a peerage, made Baron Hylton of Hylton.

The Hampshire Advertiser reported on December 4, 1841: “In pursuance with a requisition addressed to the Mayor that gentleman convened a public meeting at the Town Hall, on Thursday last, for the purpose of carrying congratulatory addresses to her Majesty, Prince Albert, and the Duchess of Kent, on the joyful occasion of the birth of an heir to the throne, the Mayor in the chair.

“The Rev. C. G. Boyles moved, and the Rev. T. Wallace seconded, the address to her Majesty. Sir W. Jolliffe, Bart. M.P. moved the address to Prince Albert, which was seconded by J. Lipscombe, esq. The address to the Duchess of Kent was moved by the Rev. R. G. Lewis, and seconded by C. C. Butterfield, esq. It was then resolved, upon the motion of Admiral Hawker seconded by Mr. Allen, that Sir Wm. Jolliffe be requested to present the addresses. Thanks, were then voted to the Mayor, and the meeting broke up.”

Edward ascended the throne in 1901, with the coronation on August 9, 1902, when the bell ringers of St Peter’s Church in Petersfield rang to celebrate.