Sunday, 11 May 2008

PRESS RELEASE

A Memento of a bygone era returns to Drayton Manor.

80 years after it left Drayton Manor, the Parliamentary Top Hat of the third Sir Robert Peel will return to the Manor at the forthcoming Peel Society 25th Annual Banquet on May 30th.

The Tamworth based Peel Society has recently purchased at auction a number of items including the Parliamentary Top hat in a leather case marked "Robert Peel".  Old sketches in the Illustrated London News, for instance, show that the majority of Members of Parliament wore top hats in the Commons chamber.

Another item in the Peel Society collection is a sketch from Vanity Fair from 1870, which shows Sir Robert sporting the top hat.

According to Mabel Swift, the third baronet, son of the Prime Minister, was known as the "Racing Man".  He had a stud farm at Bonehill and was a prominent supporter of Whittington Heath races.  He was also M.P. for Tamworth for a number of years as were his father and grandfather.

The hat was sold by the daughter of a former servant at the Manor, who must have acquired it when the house was demolished in 1926.

The Society is delighted that such a piece of Peel family history has returned to Tamworth.

A number of other interesting items recently purchased or donated will be on show at the 25th Annual Banquet.  The guest speaker is the new Chief Constable of Staffordshire, Mr. Chris. Sims.

Tickets are available from the Chairman, Norman Biggs

For further information contact Nigel Morris.

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