Admiral Sir Joseph Sydney Yorke Signed Free Frank
Autograph address panel signed by Vice-Admiral Sir Joseph Sydney Yorke, dated February 27, 1829, to the Hon. Edmund Byng of St. James’s Place, London. Sent from Southampton and postmarked in red with the Free Frank privilege stamp.
The address reads: "Southampton February / Twenty Seventh / 1829 / Hon Edmund Byng / St. James’s Place / Hyde London" Signed emphatically at lower left: "Yorke", in a large flourish typical of the period.
Rear of the panel bears remnants of prior mounting and the stamp of John Gray Bell, an early autograph dealer based in Covent Garden. Measures approx. 4.75" x 3". Very good condition, loss to upper corners, light creasing and general wear. Protected in a removable archival sleeve.
Sir Joseph Sydney Yorke (1768–1831) was a senior Royal Navy officer and Member of Parliament, the younger brother of Charles Philip Yorke and son of the 1st Earl of Hardwicke. A veteran of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Yorke became Vice-Admiral of the White and a prominent figure in naval administration and politics. His correspondence is scarce on the market.
