Presentation tray
Maker & role
Edward Barnard & Sons Ltd (estab. 1829), Silversmith
Production date
1838
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Object detail
Production place
Collection
Measurements
L: 78 x W: 47.5cm (L: 780 x W: 475mm)
Production notes
The original oak box (later converted to a tool chest and its chamois lining removed) that contained the tray, jugs and coasters contains the label with the inscription; 'Mackay Cunningham & Co. / GOLDSMITHS TO THE QUEEN / Jewellers & Manufacturers of Silver Plate / 47 NORTH BRIDGE STREET / EDINBURGH'.
Signature & marks
Marked / hallmarked for Barnard, London, 1838
Inscribed ‘Presented to Thomas Barker, Esq. of Sydney New South Wales, by his friends in Edinburgh [sic], in testimony of their esteem for his character, and their admiration of his public usefulness in promoting the welfare of all classes of Scottish emigrants, and the prosperity of the important colony of New South Wales, 9th April 1840'.
Inscribed ‘Presented to Thomas Barker, Esq. of Sydney New South Wales, by his friends in Edinburgh [sic], in testimony of their esteem for his character, and their admiration of his public usefulness in promoting the welfare of all classes of Scottish emigrants, and the prosperity of the important colony of New South Wales, 9th April 1840'.
Credit line
Gift, through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2006
Elizabeth Bay House Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Elizabeth Bay House Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Caption
Jugs, 1839; coasters, 1842-43; and presentation tray, 1838
Description
Large rectangular two-handled silver presentation tray marked / hallmarked for Barnard, London, 1838, with chased Louis Revival scroll borders with inscription "Presented to Thomas Barker, Esq. of Sydney New South Wales, by his friends in Edinburgh [sic], in testimony of their esteem for his character, and their admiration of his public usefulness in promoting the welfare of all classes of Scottish emigrants, and the prosperity of the important colony of New South Wales ... 9th April 1840”. Part of a larger set (all MHNSW collection) that includes a pair of claret jugs and coasters and the original oak case: The jugs (1839) have applied, chased scroll, vine and grape decoration. The coasters (Edinburgh, 1842-3) have somewhat coarser decoration and Barker's crest with the motto 'Spare naught'. The inscribed dates and hallmarks indicate that the set was assembled over several years, as was often the case with such presentations. References to the firm Mackay Cunningham & Co indicate that they commissioned work from a range of silversmiths.
Thomas Barker (1799-1875) arrived in the colony from London in 1813. A skilled engineer and millwright, he made his fortune through constructing windmills on Woolloomooloo Hill (1826). He lived at Roslyn Hall, Woolloomooloo Hill (Kings Cross) and Maryland, Bringelly. Barker was energetic in public affairs and promoted the introduction of the railway in NSW, signed the petition for a new Constitution in 1853 and was a member of the Legislative Council from 1853-1856. Barker was a noted philanthropist and established a scholarship for proficiency in mathematics at Sydney University, where his portrait hangs. A portrait medallion of Thomas Barker, by Thomas Woolner c. 1854, also came to the MHNSW with the Caroline Simpson collection
The presentation group is significant in providing evidence of the scale and importance of financially assisted emigration to New South Wales in the early-mid 19th century, particularly by Scots who were literate or possessed trade skills. This emigration co-incided with social changes such as public education (which led to the Scottish Enlightenment of the late 18th – early 19th centuries), industrialisation and the Highland clearances. It particularly manifested itself in the Sydney with a high proportion of educated Scotsmen dominating the administration, including Governor Lachlan Macquarie and Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay. It is possible that Barker’s cousin and agent in Edinburgh, John Duncan, secured the services of James Hume, who was brought to Sydney to build Elizabeth Bay House in 1835. Hume is possibly one of the ‘Scottish emigrants’ referred to in the inscription. During the depression of the early1840s Barker was Alexander Macleay’s adviser (1844) and trustee (1844-45) and his business papers (National Library of Australia and State Library of NSW) contain details of his efforts to alleviate Macleay’s debt. Owed £700 pounds in 1844, Hume was Macleay’s single largest creditor.
Presentation pieces such as silver trays, epergnes and candelabra were typically subscribed in testimony of an individual’s public worth in the mid-19th century. They were often for display, rather than utilitarian purposes. The set is comparable with a candelabrum presented to Alexander Macleay in 1839, which “had been subscribed by prominent colonists in 1839 as a token of their esteem and partly in response to Macleay's forced resignation as Colonial Secretary” (Carlin, 2000). The candelabrum is now part of the State Parliament of NSW collection.
Thomas Barker (1799-1875) arrived in the colony from London in 1813. A skilled engineer and millwright, he made his fortune through constructing windmills on Woolloomooloo Hill (1826). He lived at Roslyn Hall, Woolloomooloo Hill (Kings Cross) and Maryland, Bringelly. Barker was energetic in public affairs and promoted the introduction of the railway in NSW, signed the petition for a new Constitution in 1853 and was a member of the Legislative Council from 1853-1856. Barker was a noted philanthropist and established a scholarship for proficiency in mathematics at Sydney University, where his portrait hangs. A portrait medallion of Thomas Barker, by Thomas Woolner c. 1854, also came to the MHNSW with the Caroline Simpson collection
The presentation group is significant in providing evidence of the scale and importance of financially assisted emigration to New South Wales in the early-mid 19th century, particularly by Scots who were literate or possessed trade skills. This emigration co-incided with social changes such as public education (which led to the Scottish Enlightenment of the late 18th – early 19th centuries), industrialisation and the Highland clearances. It particularly manifested itself in the Sydney with a high proportion of educated Scotsmen dominating the administration, including Governor Lachlan Macquarie and Colonial Secretary Alexander Macleay. It is possible that Barker’s cousin and agent in Edinburgh, John Duncan, secured the services of James Hume, who was brought to Sydney to build Elizabeth Bay House in 1835. Hume is possibly one of the ‘Scottish emigrants’ referred to in the inscription. During the depression of the early1840s Barker was Alexander Macleay’s adviser (1844) and trustee (1844-45) and his business papers (National Library of Australia and State Library of NSW) contain details of his efforts to alleviate Macleay’s debt. Owed £700 pounds in 1844, Hume was Macleay’s single largest creditor.
Presentation pieces such as silver trays, epergnes and candelabra were typically subscribed in testimony of an individual’s public worth in the mid-19th century. They were often for display, rather than utilitarian purposes. The set is comparable with a candelabrum presented to Alexander Macleay in 1839, which “had been subscribed by prominent colonists in 1839 as a token of their esteem and partly in response to Macleay's forced resignation as Colonial Secretary” (Carlin, 2000). The candelabrum is now part of the State Parliament of NSW collection.
Accession number
EB2007/12
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