A SURRENDER letter signed by Pádraig Pearse four days before the Irish rebel’s execution is to be sold at auction in London next month.
The historic document, dated April 29, 1916, is to go on sale alongside one of the rarest modern coins ever circulated – an Irish florin dating to 1943.
The surrender order, which brought 1916’s Easter Rising to an end, was typed up in haste at the British Army headquarters on Parkgate Street before copies were distributed to rebel positions in Dublin and the outlying countryside.
Copies were distributes by Nurse Elizabeth O’Farrell, who had acted as go-between during the surrender negotiations, and members of the Capuchin community.
The order reads: “In order to prevent further slaughter of the civil population and in the hope of saving the lives of our followers, the members of the Provisional Government present at Headquarters have decided on an unconditional surrender, and Commandants or Officers commanding districts will order their commands to lay down arms.
This group photograph shows RIC officers with family members. Picture: Bonham AuctionIt is signed: “P.H. Pearse, Dublin, 29th April 1916.”
Pádraig Pearse was executed by firing squad at Kilmainham Goal a few days later.
The exact number of surviving typed copies is not known, but it is believed to be less than 10.
Two surviving copies are held by the National Library of Ireland while another, signed by Pearse and countersigned by James Connolly, is held at the Imperial War Museum, London.
There are also known to be three hand-written drafts held in private collections.
The letter comes with this stamp dedicated to the Manchester Martyrs. Picture: Bonhams AuctionIn this copy, set to come under the hammer at Bonhams Fine Books, Atlases, Manuscripts and Photographs on June 14, the word “to” is mistyped as “tp” – showing the urgency with which the document was typed.
The order also features a stamp bearing Ireland’s Tricolour which was printed by the rebels at the time.
It depicts William Allen, Michael Larkin and William O’Brien of the Manchester Martyrs, who were hanged for killing a police constable in Manchester in 1867.
Also on sale is an Irish florin coin from 1943, believed to be one of just 40-50 in existence.
The rare coin is to be auctioned at Dix Noonan Webb and is described as “bold fine, toned, very rare”. It is expected to fetch between £8,000 and £10,000.
