Laurence Irving Actor Dramatist Son Henry TLS 1927 re Grandfather Surname Origin For Sale

LAURENCE HENRY IRVING – TYPED LETTER SIGNED (TLS) 18 March 1927 – Irving surname origins – Edward Irving connection – Worsley enquiry

DESCRIPTION: Typed letter signed Laurence Henry Irving (1897–1988), British set designer, illustrator and film art director, son of Sir Henry Irving, written from the family home The Black Windmill, Whitstable, Kent, dated 18 March 1927. Addressed to J. G. Birkby Esq., Leslie, Langley Road, Worsley, a Manchester‑area professional gentleman likely engaged in genealogical or theatrical‑history research.

In the letter Irving discusses the origin of the family surname, confirming the long‑established tradition that his grandfather Samuel Brodribb adopted the name Irving out of admiration for the celebrated Scottish preacher Edward Irving (1792–1834), founder of the Catholic Apostolic Church. He adds the valuable detail that the choice may have arisen from “some imagined likeness” — a nuance not recorded in printed biographies and therefore a primary source for Irving‑family genealogy.

A characteristic example of the inter‑war culture of private genealogical enquiry, with Laurence Henry Irving providing authoritative clarification on the Irving family’s origins. The Worsley address and “Esq.” styling place Birkby within the prosperous Manchester professional class, typical of the amateur historians and collectors who contacted the Irving family during the 1920s.

TRANSCRIPTION: THE BLACK G. Birkby Esq,Leslie,Langley Road,Worsley.

Dear Sir,I am afraid that I cannot give you any definite information as to why my Grandfather took the name of Irving, but I have always understood that it was out of admiration for Edward Irving the preacher and perhaps from some imagined likeness to him.

Yours faithfullyLaurence Irving

A desirable piece for collectors of Irving family material, Edward Irving / Catholic Apostolic Church history, and theatre‑related genealogy. The explicit confirmation of the surname’s origin is particularly valuable.

Condition as photos. All items can be returned for a full refund if found to be not as Leader Laurence Henry Forster Irving OBE RDI (Apr 1897 – Oct 1988) was an artist, book illustrator and Hollywood set designer and art director, the son of actors H. B. Irving and Dorothea Baird, and the biographer of his grandfather, the Victorian era actor Henry Irving. His sister was the actress and founder of the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign, Elizabeth Irving. He lived and died in Wittersham, Kent in 1988, within walking distance of the house, Smallhythe Place, where Dame Ellen Terry lived, who was his grandfather\'s leading lady at the Lyceum Theatre in London\'s West class=\"MsoNormal\">One of c.2,500+ items once from the collection or dealer stock of Winifred A Myers (Autographs) Ltd, St Martins Lane, London, evidenced by the quantity of Myers pre-printed envelopes and paper folders and the general ‘presentation’ of the items, many having Myers identification notes in pencil.

Winifred Alice Myers (1909 - 1985) served as ABA (Antiquarian Booksellers Assoc) president, 1950-1952. See the ABA website for an extended article on Myers. Myers left her business, in 1985, to Ruth Shepherd, who traded from home until 2004.

Complete with digital .jpg CoA - as photo - for you to print if needed

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