Box
Maker & role
Segure & Lever, Manufacturer
Production date
circa 1870
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Object detail
Production place
Collection
Measurements
0 - Whole, H: 36 x W: 61 x D: 43cm (H: 360 x W: 610 x D: 430mm)
Signature & marks
Under escutcheon, black painted, "ESTATE LATE / W.C WENTWORTH.".
Inside box, paper label, printed, "BEST STEEL / DEED BOX.".
Inside box, paper label, printed, "BEST STEEL / DEED BOX.".
Credit line
Purchase, 2010
Vaucluse House Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Vaucluse House Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Description
Deed box, steel, black painted with brass Bramah-type lock, no keys. Under escutcheon is painted, 'ESTATE LATE/W.C WENTWORTH.' Inside red-painted lid is a paper label, printed, 'BEST STEEL/DEED BOX' with manufacturer credited as Segure & Lever.
The steel deed box is significant for its association with the estate of William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872) and the work of his trustees, his son Fitzwilliam Wentworth (1833-1924) and Francis William Hixson, which included the subdivision of the Vaucluse estate and administering industrial land at Port Kembla. the scale of the deed box indicates the extant of and complexity of Wentworth's estate. By the late 1820s Wentworth was one of the colony's leading land owners and wealthiest individuals. Wentworth's understanding of his own 'substance' and his aristocratic connections with the Yorkshire Earls Fitzwilliam was at odds with local questions of his respectability, owing to illegitimacy and convict associations. Vaucluse House reflects these conflicts as they affected Wentworth personally. The deed box reflects his wealth, albeit without status.
The steel deed box is significant for its association with the estate of William Charles Wentworth (1790-1872) and the work of his trustees, his son Fitzwilliam Wentworth (1833-1924) and Francis William Hixson, which included the subdivision of the Vaucluse estate and administering industrial land at Port Kembla. the scale of the deed box indicates the extant of and complexity of Wentworth's estate. By the late 1820s Wentworth was one of the colony's leading land owners and wealthiest individuals. Wentworth's understanding of his own 'substance' and his aristocratic connections with the Yorkshire Earls Fitzwilliam was at odds with local questions of his respectability, owing to illegitimacy and convict associations. Vaucluse House reflects these conflicts as they affected Wentworth personally. The deed box reflects his wealth, albeit without status.
Accession number
V2009/9
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