Queen Victoria was using textspeak ahead of her time – such as ‘q’ for queen – and may have penned a letter while tipsy, it has been revealed.
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, 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 just 1 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, Marilyn Rose. 90-year-old Marilyn opened her first antiques shop in the mid-70s in Gurnard and went on to run an outlet in Newport.
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 plus a 1632 stumpwork Bible. All will be offered by Hansons Auctioneers on Friday (7th October).
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. It’s estimated to fetch £1,500-£2,000 (lot 380).
The ‘textspeak’ letter, is part of a collection of Royal autographs and ephemera (lot 381) relating to Queen Victoria and the Royal family. Other items in the lot include a signed letter from Princess Helena addressed to her mother, Queen Victoria, on Cumberland Lodge letterhead, dated 23rd April 1884 and a lithographic letter granting permission to visit Osborne House, headed in ink, ‘Windsor Castle, November 17 1897’.
4 menu cards, dated between 1896-97 and for Her Majesty’s Dinner, the Royal Luncheon, and the Royal Wedding Breakfast, include an ‘Indian Dish of chicken curry & rice’.
The lot is estimated to fetch between £1,000-£1,500.
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’. Discovered in Somerset, it has a guide price of £800-£1,000 (lot 267).
