LETTER, COPY, TESTIMONIAL FROM HEADS OF FAMILIES OF LABOURING CLASSES OF ST CHRISTOPHER [ST KITTS] TO AP BURT, WITH ENDORSEMENT

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1860

Overview

Testimonial letter, marked copy, dated 4 June 1860 from the heads of families of the labouring classes of St Christopher to Archibald Paull Burt. The letter acknowledges AP Burt for his charitable works in the areas of education and medical treatment. Almost identical text to the unendorsed Testimonial letter AP Burt (2022.30b).
Sheet of blue paper folded in half, front and inner two pages written on in black ink, reverse blank. Previously folded into quarters; three crease marks visible down length. Letter has five names at the end which all appear to be in the same handwriting. They are: George Mathew Caines, Edward Harris, John Morris, John Bradley and Richard Johnson.

Historical information

Sir Archibald Paull Burt (1810-1879) was born into a plantation-owning family on St Kitts Island (formerly St Christopher in the West Indies). Burt accepted the position of Civil Commissioner and Chairman of Quarter Sessions in Western Australia in 1860. In January 1861 he arrived in Western Australia with his family. Burt was instrumental in establishing the Supreme Court Australia in 1861 and became the first Chief Justice of Western Australia. Knighted for his contributions in 1873, he maintained a secluded life to ensure impartiality and professional detachment as sole judge in the colony until his death in 1879. Archibald Paull Burt’s impact and lasting legacy in Western Australia continues through his family members who have held governmental and legislative roles in the state for multiple generations.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-46-2022.30a

Item type

Documents

Material

Ink

Paper

Contextual information

The two testimonial letters (2022.30a & 2022.30b) from the heads of families of the labouring classes of St Christopher are representative of a common form of public commemoration in 19th century Britain known as an "Address" which recognised and awarded public service.
The testimonial letters from the labouring classes do not have individual signatures and the response made by Burt (2022.31) was delivered in person which may indicate this group was largely illiterate.
These testimonials provide an indication of the some of the social conditions in place and values held by residents of St Kitts in the West Indies in 1860, a generation after slavery had been abolished.
There is conjecture that the letters were drafted by Burt himself to take with him as a character reference to the Swan River Colony.

A second pair of testimonial letters from the inhabitants of Sandy Point, St Kitts (2022.32a,c) produced at the same time included 16 signatures in different handwriting and were responded to in written form by Burt (2022.33) indicating representatives of this second group were most likely property owning residents who were educated.
The different wording of these testimonial letters and the responses made by Archibald Paull Burt (although warm in both instances) indicate a strict class system was in place when Burt left St Kitts to travel to Western Australia.
(Note: the term "Address" appears in contemporary handwriting on envelope 2022.32b which held some of the testimonial letters.)

Keywords

Burt, Archibald Paull

St Kitts

Place made

St. Kitts & Nevis

Year

1860

Primary significance criteria

Historic significance

Scientific or research significance

Comparative significance criteria

Object’s condition or completeness