Wickwar & Co. 8 Poland Street, Manufacturers to HM Stationery Office.
A Victorian Black Morocco Leather Despatch Box formerly the property the of Captain William John Gill R.E., the bevelled top is embossed with Queen Victoria’s cipher. The black leather lined interior has raised sides, and is stamped with the maker’s name and address. The Bramah Patent lock is stamped S. Mordan & Co., London. The key is original and similarly stamped S. Mordan & Co.
Dimensions
46 x 30.5 x 15 cm.
William Gill was born in Bangalore in 1843. He became a multi millionaire on the death of his father Major Robert Gill in 1879, but rather than wait his post with the Royal Engineers and retire, he used his fortune to fund a series of expeditions , while secretly gathering intelligence for the government. He died in 1883.
He wrote a narrative in two volumes of his journey through China and Eastern Tibet to Burma. These were published in 1880 and reproduced by Cambridge University Press in 2010. They are included with the extensive paper work accompanying this despatch box.