An auction of keepsakes and valuables belonging to the late Sir James Anderton - who died last year - has provided a rare insight into the life of GMP boss who was nicknamed 'God's cop'.
A collection of holy books and photos of him welcoming royalty to our city is entirely unsurprising for a famously devout Catholic who was chief constable of Greater Manchester Police between 1975 and 1991.
But other trinkets reveal a little more about a man who was such a divisive figure, loved by many rank-and-file cops but loathed by others for his strident views on homosexuality.
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The auction earlier this week revealed a Masonic sash was among his possessions - raising questions about whether he was a Freemason himself.
The influence of the 'secret fraternal order' on policing remains controversial. Official papers declassified in 2016 suggested Sir James' deputy chief constable John Stalker may have been the victim of a 'Masonic plot' to remove him
Mr Stalker, who died in 2019, had been asked to investigate the shootings of Republican terrorist suspects by RUC officers during the 1980s. However he was removed from the inquiry shortly before it was due to report in 1986 - prompting a huge controversy that continued for years. There is no suggestion that James Anderton was involved in any wrongdoing in Mr Stalker's case.
Of the suggestion, Sir James was a Freemason, one experienced senior detective told the M.E.N: "I can put it no stronger than this, but there was a rumour he was a mason. It wouldn't be a surprise, as the police was full of masons in the 70s and 80s.
"When (former chief constable David) Wilmot came in he said officers had to declare if they were masons. But there was a challenge and that was the end of that."
Another intriguing item up for auction was Sir James' copy of Spitting Images, a collection of 51 famous faces from the 80s mercilessly lampooned in the popular ITV satire of the time, Spitting Image.
Perhaps one reason he owned it is that page 25 is dedicated to a spitting image of Sir James himself, talking on the phone. Well-known nationally, and liked and respected by Margaret Thatcher, Sir James once claimed to be 'used by God' to speak out on moral issues and the TV satire took this literally - suggesting he regularly conversed with his maker on the phone.
These items and many more, including a signed print by LS Lowry and other family valuables, went under the hammer on Wednesday, fetching a little over £12,000 for the Anderton estate.
Wigan-born Sir James died last year, aged 89, and his estate decided to sell off items he collected over decades at the home in Sale where he lived with his wife.
It is understood his family's motivation was not money, but to give an opportunity for collectors, particularly people who have collections of police memorabilia, to own a piece of policing history, as well as other valuables.
Neil Ashley, auctioneer and director of Ashley Waller Auctioneers which hosted the sale on Wednesday, said: "We have received quite considerable interest from a number of collectors, some of whom are collectors of police memorabilia."
Among the 50 lots from the estate was a black and white photo album, and among the snaps is a picture of the police chief with Queen Elizabeth II. This went to £20, A second photo album including pictures of Sir James warmly shaking the hand of the late Princess Diana during a visit was sold for £40.
Another lot was a Harold Riley print titled 'Accident M62 Motorway', signed by the painter and thanking the then Mr Anderton for the 'marvellous co-operation the police gave me during the GMC commission'. It went for £80.
Also on offer was an LW Lowry print titled 'Industrial Panorama' which exceeded its valuation and was sold for £8,000.
A number of gifts Sir James received from other police forces were also up for grabs, including a plaque from Punjab Police and a picture of the delegation that came to present the item to him, which went for £75, and a miniature police helmet by Christys given to Sir James by Cheshire Police in 1991. That was sold for £170.
Another lot included a collection of bibles and prayer books, as well a bible with a note confirming the communion of Sir James, a former Methodist lay preacher, with the Catholic church. These were sold for £40.
Also for auction was a box of seven coasters from the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Masonic sash and a picture of Sir James with Terry Waite, an envoy for the Archbishop of Canterbury who was held hostage in Beirut for nearly five years after he went to attempt to free captured Britons. The picture shows the pair in Sir James' office at the old Chester House Police HQ in 1986, a year before Mr Waite travelled to Beirut.
This lot went for just £20, bringing the total fetched by the items to just over £12,000.
Sir James' tenure at the top of GMP included high profile incidents among them the Moss Side riot of 1981. He launched crackdowns against pornography, prostitution, and late night drinking.
Known as 'God’s Copper', he was not only heavily influenced by his Christian faith, but was heavily criticised for saying that people with Aids were 'swirling in a human cesspit of their own making'. It was later revealed that the then Prime Minister. Margaret Thatcher, backed him after he faced calls to quit.
He was also quoted as supporting the reintroduction of capital punishment, called for rapists to be castrated and said homosexuality should be outlawed. The Happy Mondays track 'God's Cop' is thought to have been inspired by him.
Sir James is survived by his wife Joan and daughter.
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