Letter From E. Blackwell to George Gavan Duffy, 2 August 1916

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Letter From E. Blackwell to George Gavan Duffy, 2 August 1916

1 Home Office, Whitehall. S.W. 2nd August 1916. 311643. Sir:- I am directed by the Secretary of State to say that
he is unable to comply with the request made by you on behalf of
certain relatives of the prisoner Roger David Casement that his body
may be buried outside the prison as the law requires that it shall be
buried within the walls. I am to inform you also that the Secretary of State is
unable to accede to your request that you may be present at
the execution. I am,
Sir,
Your obedient servant, E. BLACKWELL. G. Gavan Duffy, Esq., 4 Raymond Buildings, Gray's Inn. W.C

The letter is from E. Blackwell, under secretary of state for the Home Office to George Gavan Duffy (1882-1951) and refers to the execution of Sir Roger Casement, who had been tried for treason having been arrested on the eve of the Easter Rising. Blackwell is responding to Gavan Duffy's request that Casement's body be bured outside of prison walls, the desire of Casement's family, and that he be allowed to be present at the execution, noting that the Secretary of State for the Home Office (Herbert Samuel) could not accede to the request.George Gavan Duffy was an Irish politician, barrister and judge. He unsuccessfully defended Roger Casement at his trial for high treason after the Easter Rising.

E. Blackwell
George Gavan Duffy
1916-08-02
Easter Rising Ireland 1916 Industry and Public Administration

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How to cite

Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__1299.html)