A manuscript letter dated 4th April 1905 on Secretary William Lewis's Chelsea Football Club headed paper and printed with private address of 27 Somers

A manuscript letter dated 4th April 1905 on Secretary William Lewis's Chelsea Football Club headed paper and printed with private address of 27 Somerset Road, New Brentford, addressed to E.S. (Syd) King Esq., [manager/secretary] of West Ham United F.C., and seemingly offering a bribe, reading: Dear Sir, As arranged when I saw some of your Directors on Saturday last I am authorized to offer a subscription to your club of thirty pounds ?30 in the event of the Chelsea F.C. being elected to the 1st. Division of the S.L. through the assistance of your vote. I should be glad to hear from you that your Board confirm same. Faithfully Yours, William Lewis. This fascinating letter even predates the legal leasehold agreement (previous lot) and is dated 4th April 1905. It is a letter from the club's secretary William Lewis on extremely rare letterhead for 'Chelsea Football Club.' This could only have been employed for a matter of weeks, from the club's formation on 14th March 1905 and until the clubs incorporation as The Chelsea Football and Athletic Company Limited. The letter also has the home address of the Chelsea FC's first secretary William Lewis. The content is quite extraordinary! It relates to the club's attempt at this time to be elected to the First Division of the Southern League. Lewis evidently was authorised to 'buy' the vote of West Ham United FC for ?30 and writes to inform the East End club's legendary secretary/manager Syd King of the proposal, which had already been raised with West Ham United Directors. Despite West Ham United's help, Chelsea FC's attempt to join the Southern League had met with very little support and encouragement. Far from being deterred, and in what remains and unprecedented move, Chelsea FC under the Chairmanship of Mr Claude Kirby determined to bypass the Southern League and began canvassing support for immediate membership to the Football League. It was Gus Mears's good friend Frederick Parker in his role as the club's Hon. Financial Secretary who delivered the telling pitch at the Football League's AGM on 29th May 1905. After a lengthy meeting, Mr Parker had managed to convince the FL of the tremendous potential of the new club and its plans for the stadium. Extraordinarily, without ever kicking a ball Chelsea were a Football League club. Their first FL match was at the Bridge on 4th September 1905 against Stockport County.