| Description | 1. 9 Nov 1944 Letter from Greene at the Royal Courts of Justice to Matilda Talbot sending a printed card to affix to the muniment room; saying how delighted the British Museum are that there's a chance the Magna Carta can stay in the country.
2. 20 Nov 1944 Letter from Greene at the Royal Courts of Justice to Matilda Talbot about the problems with a potential buyer wanting to dispose of the Magna Carta outside the country; he wants to see copies of the correspondence between them so he can give an opinion.
3. 2 Nov 1944 Letter from Greene at the Royal Courts of Justice to Matilda Talbot about the choice of home for the Magna Carta.
4. 7 Dec 1944 Letter from Greene at the Royal Courts of Justice to Matilda Talbot agreeing to meet; saying that the previous purchaser, Mr Keer, will hopefully not be of any trouble; advice on when to send the Magna Carta to the British Museum.
5. Draft letter from Matilda Talbot to Lord Greene enclosing the correspondence between herself and Mr Keer; various other matters.
6. Two letters: 27 Sep 1944 from Alan Keen to G T Flower of the Public Record Office, naming their client as Mr Szarvasy of the Anglo-Federal Banking Corporation Ltd and confirming that the Magna Carta will not go outside "the province of the Anglo-Saxon race". 25 Oct 1944 from Greene at the Royal Courts of Justice to Matilda Talbot expressing concern about the promises of Mr Keen and Mr Szarvasy: from Mr Keen's letter it is likely that the Magna Carta will go to the United States and the other muniments will be sold for profit; he advises Matilda that she put a condition of selling the documents that they be presented either to the British Museum or the Public Record Office.
7. Separate bundle:
a. 24 Nov 1944 Letter from Greene at the Royal Courts of Justice to Matilda Talbot after reading the correspondence between Matilda and Mr Keen; has an unfavourable view of Mr Keen and his method of doing business.
b. 14 Nov 1944 Letter from Alan Keen to Matilda Talbot trying to explain his point of view; he was under the impression that the sale of the muniments had already been decided by contract.
c. 11 Jul 1944 Letter from Alan Keen to Matilda Talbot confirming the purchase price of the Magna Carta and muniments and the conditions.
d. 11 Jul 1944 Copy letter from Matilda Talbot to Alan Keen agreeing that it is best to sell the Magna Carta as long as it remains in the National Keeping.
e. 15 Jul 1944 Copy letter from Matilda Talbot to Alan Keen enclosing a list of the 4 muniments with the Magna Carta and confirming that her family are happy with her decision to sell them.
f. Undated copy letter from Matilda Talbot to Alan Keen confirming she has had approval from the rest of her family.
g. 17 Jul 1944 Letter from Alan Keen to Matilda Talbot to say he was under the impression that the sale was for the Magna Carta and the "entire muniments contained in the Abbey".
h. Undated copy letter from Matilda Talbot to Alan Keen to say she never considered selling the other material and only referred to the Magna Carta and the four books in their conversations.
i. 20 Jul 1944 Letter from Alan Keen to Matilda Talbot to say that documents should be preserved with their cartulary and "belong to each other" so he took it for granted that material other than that in the case with the Magna Carta was included.
j. 22 Jul 1944 Copy letter from Matilda Talbot to Alan Keen agreeing with his point but there is much material there not examined, such as Davenport material, and it needs to be examined before anything should be done with it. Wants an indication of what documents Keen was looking for.
k. 24 Jul 1944 Letter from Alan Keen to Matilda Talbot to say he thought all the Lacock muniments had already been examined.
l. 1 Nov 1944 Letter from Alan Keen to Matilda Talbot about her enquiry to the Master of the Rolls whether the sale would be in the public interest. He has heard nothing for some time, since he disclosed the name of his client to Mr Flower, and wants an update as they are ready for completion.
m. 2 Nov 1944 Letter from Matilda Talbot to Alan Keen to say she has heard from Lord Greene and does not want to sell the muniments as she had never intended that they would leave the country. |