A COLLECTOR has stumbled upon a series of letters sent by Ulster Unionist leader Edward Carson to a Derry man in 1914.
The letters were sent to Alfred Moore Munn of Lisleen in the city's Culmore area between March and June 1914.
Collector Frankie McMenamin said the letters – sent from Lord Carson’s London home – are interesting as they showed he was gathering evidence against partition to which he was opposed.
Mr McMenamin said the letters were accompanied by several artefacts relating to the politician's state funeral in Belfast in 1935.
"The collector I got these from didn't want his name known but I think they're a real find," he said.
"The artefacts include an admission card to Carson's funeral in St Anne's Cathedral as well as what looks like a mourning patch with black ribbon.
"But it's the letters that are really interesting. They show Carson was gathering evidence about a possible border between Derry and Donegal in 1914 at a time when the Home Rule Act had been passed but not implemented."
The three letters – which all bear Carson’s signature – appear to show a possibility of some parts of Derry being placed on the southern side in the event of partition.
In one, addressed to "My Dear Munn" Carson writes: "If you can send me any other anomalies likely to arise by reason of the separation of the counties in Ulster on a plebiscite, as the Government proposes, I shall feel greatly obliged, as you must know a great deal about local government work."
