Bob's your grandfather
Sir: Your issue of 12 December contained much interesting stuff about the Cecils' influence in politics over the past 500 years, but made no mention of the behind-the- scenes part played by `Bobbety' Salisbury, Lord Cranborne's grandfather, in the 1955
LETTERS
and 1957 Conservative successions.
In the first instance, Salisbury, together with other senior Tories who believed that Churchill should hand over to Eden, including Buchan-Hepburn, Stuart and Harry Crookshank, had been meeting on and off since 1952 in one another's houses. In 1957 when Eden himself was ill and unable to continue as prime minister, Salis- bury, Waverley, Chandos and Churchill were the 'wise men' consulted by Sir Michael Adeane on behalf of the Queen. All supported Macmillan, who had himself played an ambiguous part in several of the discussions since 1952.
John Crookshank
Ivy House, North Street, Westboume, Emsworth, Hampshire
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