Antique Mauchline Snuff Box Love Poem C 1840s Australian Convict Interest

This is such a sweet little early Victorian wooden snuff box that has a gorgeous folk art look and finish. Dating from the 1840s and likely made in the Mauchline region of Scotland. We see a circular two section wooden snuff box with a high gloss dark straw/mustard colouring. To the centre of the lid is a circular printed poem titled Love. To the interior remains of the silver lined paper that kept your snuff dry.

Love is a flower that stands the winter, From frost or snow finds no decay, It blooms alike in stormy weather And in the genial month of May.

The gardener boasts of forcing flowers And trains them up with constant care: He may succeed but my sweet love than all his flowers is still more fair.

Size: 2 3/8 inch diameter (6 cm)

Condition: Good with age associated wear and tear.

Interestingly the only reference that we can currently find to this poem is in a letter from a Edward Mincham who in 1841 was a convict aboard HMS Tortoise. The letter was written to his sweetheart Mary, although he may already be married according to the letter?.

Now, we have gone down a bit rabbit hole here connected to Edward, not this actual snuff box but it is so interesting…do read on!

Edward’s full letter and poem printed in the 1st May 1847 Tasmanian, Australia newspaper The Courier. Although not directly connected to this snuff box we felt compelled to investigate Edward Mincham a little further.

Edward Mincham was trialled 5^th April 1841 at the Central Criminal Court, London, England (commonly known as The Old Bailey) for extensive plunder. According to the Newgate Prison records he ‘was a Painter from Windsor. He was 24 years old and 5 ft 5 inches tall, slender build. His crime was ‘Larceny from a dwelling house of Joseph Dowson. He stole a toast rack, cream ewer, 1 cloak, 2 gold rings from Joseph Richardson. Also from Mary Richardson he stole one dress, two shawls, one scarf and a roll of silk , and other items off other persons in the dwelling house of Joseph Dowson.  His sentence was ’14 years’. Edward was to be transported to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania on the far side of the world via The Leviathan but this seemed to get changed to HMS Tortoise. Ref: The National Archive (TNA) : HO 11/12, p.382 and The British Convict Transportation Records 1787-1867.

The voyage aboard HMS Tortoise set sail from Plymouth in September 1841 bound for Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania. The ship’s master was Captain J Hood (Royal Navy) and the ship’s surgeon was Thomas Brownrigg. There were 394 male convicts listed aboard. The journey lasted 116 days, landing in Van Diemen's Land on 19^th February 1842.

What happened to Edward is not known. Did he survive the crossing? We can see an Edward Mincham mentioned in Australia death records in the 1880s but cannot access them.

Item Id: 16617