The City of Ghent has formally requested that Edinburgh-based auction house Lyon & Turnbull halt the sale of a historically significant letter written by Queen Elizabeth I of England.
The letter, addressed to Ghent official Jan van Hembyse in 1578, is set to be auctioned on Thursday, 19 September. With an estimated value between £14,000 and £18,000 (approximately €16,500 to €21,000), the document has drawn considerable interest from historians and collectors alike.
The letter, written in French and dated 30 December 1578, is believed to have been personally delivered to van Hembyse by English envoy Daniel Rogers. At the time, van Hembyse held the position of schepen van de Keure, an official responsible for administrative duties in Ghent.
In the letter, Queen Elizabeth I urges van Hembyse to ensure that Catholic nobles imprisoned in Ghent for over a year receive a fair trial. The imprisoned nobles had been swept up in the religious and political turmoil of the time, and Elizabeth’s intervention reflected her broader concerns about the treatment of Catholics in the region.
For Ghent authorities, the letter holds significant archival value. City officials claim that, based on archival principles, the letter should rightfully belong to Ghent’s municipal archives. They argue that its content, as well as its recipient, tie it directly to the city’s history, and they are pushing for further research to determine its rightful place.
“The document is not only a part of our city’s rich past but also sheds light on an important moment in the history of religious conflict in Europe,” a Ghent spokesperson said in a statement.
“We believe that this letter should be preserved and studied, rather than auctioned off to a private collector. It belongs in the public domain where it can be properly cared for and made accessible to scholars and historians.”
Ghent officials have reached out to Lyon & Turnbull, requesting that the auction be postponed or cancelled entirely.
They have stressed the need for additional research to verify the letter’s rightful ownership and historical importance. While there has been no official response from the auction house, the City of Ghent hopes that the request will lead to the sale being delayed.
Lyon & Turnbull’s listing of the letter emphasizes its historical significance, noting that it offers “a rare glimpse into Elizabeth I’s diplomacy and her relationship with the officials of Ghent during a time of great political upheaval.” Despite the City of Ghent’s request, the letter is still slated to go under the hammer later this month.
This isn’t the first time that historical documents have sparked debates over ownership and heritage. Archival materials, particularly those tied to key historical figures or moments, are often the subject of legal and ethical disputes.
With significant public interest in the sale, the outcome of Ghent’s request could set an important precedent for how such documents are handled in the future.
As of now, the auction is scheduled to proceed on 19 September, though all eyes remain on the dialogue between Ghent authorities and Lyon & Turnbull. Whether the city will succeed in halting the sale remains uncertain.
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