Autographs of Barbara Castle
Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, PC (née Betts; 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002) was a British Labour Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1945 to 1979, making her one of the longest-serving female MPs in British history. Regarded as one of the most significant Labour Party politicians, Castle developed a close political partnership with Prime Minister Harold Wilson and held several roles in the Cabinet. She remains to date the only woman to have held the office of First Secretary of State. More about Barbara Castle
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A graduate of the University of Oxford, Castle worked as a journalist for both Tribune and the Daily Mirror, before being elected to Parliament as MP for Blackburn at the 1945 election. During the Attlee Government, she was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Stafford Cripps, and later to Harold Wilson, marking the beginning of their partnership. She was a strong supporter of Wilson during his campaign to become Leader of the Labour Party, and following his victory at the 1964 election, Wilson appointed Castle to the Cabinet as Minister for Overseas Development, and later as Minister of Transport. In the latter role, she proved an effective reformer, overseeing the introduction of permanent speed limits for the first time on British roads, as well as legislating for breathalyser tests and compulsory seat belts.
In 1968, Wilson promoted Castle to become First Secretary of State, the second-most senior member of the Cabinet, as well as Secretary of State for Employment. In the latter role, Castle fiercely advocated the passage of the In Place of Strife legislation which would have greatly overhauled the operating framework for British trade unions. The proposal split the Cabinet, and was eventually withdrawn. Castle was also notable for her successful intervention over the strike by Ford sewing machinists against gender pay discrimination, speaking out in support of the strikers, and overseeing the passage of the Equal Pay Act. After Labour unexpectedly lost the 1970 election, some blamed Castle's role in the debate over trade unions for the defeat, a charge she resisted. Read even more about Barbara Castle at Wikipedia
In 1968, Wilson promoted Castle to become First Secretary of State, the second-most senior member of the Cabinet, as well as Secretary of State for Employment. In the latter role, Castle fiercely advocated the passage of the In Place of Strife legislation which would have greatly overhauled the operating framework for British trade unions. The proposal split the Cabinet, and was eventually withdrawn. Castle was also notable for her successful intervention over the strike by Ford sewing machinists against gender pay discrimination, speaking out in support of the strikers, and overseeing the passage of the Equal Pay Act. After Labour unexpectedly lost the 1970 election, some blamed Castle's role in the debate over trade unions for the defeat, a charge she resisted. Read even more about Barbara Castle at Wikipedia
Traded items with a signature of Barbara Castle
The most expensive item with a signature of Barbara Castle (The Castle Diaries 1974-76 - Barbara Castle - Signed 1st Edition) was sold in October 2021 for £25.00 while the cheapest item (Barbara Castle vintage signed card AFTAL#145) found a new owner for £0.99 in October 2020. The month with the most items sold (2) was December 2020 with an average selling price of £16.68 for an autographed item of Barbara Castle. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in December 2020 with £16.68 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £0.99 was December 2018. In average, an autographed item from Barbara Castle is worth £5.26.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Barbara Castle were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Item Title | Price | Store | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 1976 Signed Barbara Castle Photo & Official Letter Labour Government. | £5.00 | |
| 1989 Barbara Castle, Signed Letter | £20.00 | |
| 1990 Barbara Castle, Hand Signed Letter, House of Lords Letterhead Maiden Speech | £10.00 | |
| 1994 Barbara Castle, Hand Signed Letter, House of Lords Paper, London Transport | £4.00 | |
| BARBARA CASTLE (1910-2002), LABOUR MP SIGNED LETTER | £0.99 | |
| BARBARA CASTLE Genuine Handsigned Signature on Card. | £5.99 | |
| BARBARA CASTLE Hand Signed Index Card Autograph House of Lords | £11.99 | |
| Barbara Castle vintage signed card AFTAL#145 | £4.99 | |
| Barbara Castle vintage signed card AFTAL#145 | £0.99 | |
| Barbara Castle vintage signed page AFTAL#145 | £5.89 | |
| Barbara Castle vintage signed page Labour Politician AFTAL | £9.38 | |
| Barbara Castle vintage signed page MP AFTAL#145 | £0.99 | |
| BENHAM FDC - SIGNED BY DAME BARBARA CASTLE (POLITICIAN) - FAMOUS WOMEN - EX. | £3.95 | |
| Mary Wilson, Barbara Castle MP vintage signed page AFTAL#145 | £12.50 | |
| Votes for Women FDC Hand Signed Barbara Castle Betty Boothroyd Shirley Williams | £13.37 | |