OF 19TH CENTURY BRITISH POLITICAL INTEREST: A late 19th century Chancellor of the Exchequer Despatch Box by repute belonging to William Gladstone (British, 1809-1898) The ministerial despatch box stamped in gilt CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER beneath the crowned cypher of Queen Victoria, fitted with a brass carrying handle and the original Davis Patent brass lock, lozenge escutcheon, and position pins, the interior lined in black morocco leather, the lid gilt-stamped with maker's mark Wickwar & Co., 6 Poland Street, Manufacturers to H.M. Statutory Office, the carcass of handmade pine construction, covered in black morocco leather, with key, 25cm high, 10.5cm deep, 38cm wide Footnotes: The present lot represents an exceptionally evocative survival from Victorian political life. The office of Chancellor of the Exchequer has long been symbolised by the despatch box, a tradition indelibly fixed in the public imagination during the 1860s, when George Ward Hunt became the first Chancellor to raise the Budget box before the waiting press. The present example, stamped 'CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER' beneath the crowned cipher of Queen Victoria, is offered with a family repute associating it with William Ewart Gladstone. The box is fitted with its original Davis patent lock, regarded in the 19th century as the most sophisticated and secure locking mechanism available for despatch boxes. Due to their complexity and cost, such locks were reserved exclusively for the highest offices of state, including those of the Sovereign, the Prime Minister, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Examination of the lock at the National Locksmiths' Association Museum, Rugby, has resulted in a dating of circa 1860-1880. Further analysis by Barrow Hepburn & Gale (the historic manufacturers of official ministerial despatch boxes) has narrowed the date of manufacture to between 1860 and 1870. They note that, in terms of construction, materials, lock type, and embellishment, the present box corresponds closely with examples preserved in their archive from the same period. Importantly, they observe that prior to the First World War, ministers personally commissioned and paid for their despatch boxes, which were not retained by government departments nor passed on to successors. As such, surviving examples are inherently personal and historically resonant objects. This dating places the box squarely within a narrowly defined and politically significant decade. Only four individuals held the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer during the 1860s: Gladstone (1859-1866), Benjamin Disraeli (1866-1868), George Ward Hunt (1868), and Robert Lowe (1868-1873). The political transitions of this period-marked by rivalry between Gladstone and Disraeli and fundamental reforms in Victorian fiscal policy-are among the most consequential of the 19th century. Gladstone is famously associated with the red Budget box, still used ceremonially today; however, that box is relatively shallow and intended for presentation rather than daily use. The present, more capacious example was almost certainly employed as a working despatch box and would have been in use at 11 Downing Street during a formative moment in British political history. While absolute personal attribution must necessarily remain cautious, the cumulative evidence strongly supports the conclusion that this box was made expressly for the Chancellor of the Exchequer and represents a compelling and tangible survival of Victorian government at the highest level. Bonhams is grateful to Barrow Hepburn & Gale for their assistance in researching this lot. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing