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Product Details
THE GAME BOOK OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE HAROLD JOHN TENNANT; SPANNING 1880 TO 1906,
together with three other unrelated late Victorian and Edwardian game books
Provenance: Harold John Tennant PC (18 November 1865 - 9 November 1935), often known as Jack Tennant, was a Scottish Liberal politician. He served as Secretary for Scotland under his brother-in-law H. H. Asquith between July and December 1916.
Born at The Glen, Innerleithen, Peeblesshire, which features large in the game book entries, Harold Tennant was a younger son of Sir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet, by his first wife Emma. He was the brother of Edward Tennant, 1st Baron Glenconner and Margot Asquith (and hence the brother-in-law of H. H. Asquith).
Educated at Eton College and at Trinity College, Cambridge, he was Assistant Private Secretary to his brother-in-law H. H. Asquith while the latter was Home Secretary between 1892 and 1895. In 1894 he was elected Member of Parliament for Berwickshire. Asquith became Prime Minister in 1908 and in January 1909 he appointed Tennant Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade. Tennant remained in this office until 1911, and then served under Asquith as Financial Secretary to the War Office from 1911 to 1912 and as Under-Secretary of State for War from 1912 to 1916. In 1914 he was sworn of the Privy Council. He entered the cabinet as Secretary for Scotland under Asquith in July 1916, a post he held until Asquith was ousted as Prime Minister in December 1916.
He bought Great Maytham Hall, Rolvenden, Kent, in 1910. He commissioned Edwin Lutyens to rebuild the hall at a cost of £24,000.
Amongst the entries in the game book is a curious glued insert detailing a handicapping system between a team of 5 guns, one of whom is Lord Ribblesdale (himself the subject of a famous 1902 portrait by John Singer Sargent). Each guest was asked to nominate their view of the other's ability with a gun and an average was taken. The handicap was then applied to the bag shot by each gun (noted on the reverse of the card) and a winner decided.
He died in November 1935, aged 70
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Estimate £100-200