The Story Behind a Touching British Tribute to JFK...
28th August 2025
Featured in our Books, Maps & Manuscripts sale at Lawrences Auctioneers, we are honoured to offer a handwritten letter from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, written just months after the dedication of a powerful British tribute to her late husband, President John F. Kennedy.
The letter, dated May 21, 1965, was addressed to Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, a celebrated British landscape architect who had been tasked with designing a national memorial to President Kennedy in the UK. What he created was more than a monument, it was an experience.
Set at Runnymede, the historic site where Magna Carta was sealed in 1215, Jellicoe’s memorial leads visitors up a peaceful, tree-lined path. At the top stands a simple stone bearing words from Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address, a statement of enduring commitment to liberty and justice. The land it stands on was symbolically gifted to the United States and a gesture of friendship between nations.
Jacqueline Kennedy attended the dedication of the memorial on May 14, 1965. One week later, deeply moved, she wrote this personal letter to Jellicoe, expressing how the setting and symbolism had affected her and her children:
“I cannot express to you the emotions I feel - about the way you made the memorial at Runnymede for President Kennedy. I don’t know who imagined it would be like - a beautiful green field with a simple stone in it somewhere - But what you did was so moving.”
She signs the letter simply, "Sincerely, Jacqueline Kennedy." It is a quiet, graceful note from a woman still grieving and a rare piece of living history.
Now offered for sale with an estimate of £800, the letter comes from the family of Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe himself, passed down by descent to the current vendor. It is more than a signed note but a window into a moment when landscape, memory, and diplomacy came together to create something timeless.
The letter will be offered in our upcoming sale at Lawrences Auctioneers, Crewkerne. It will feature in the Books, Maps, Manuscripts & Photography sale, which ends on 5th September.
For condition reports, images, or to arrange a viewing, please contact Sophie Tregarthen-Leisk – sophie@lawrences.co.uk
