TESTIMONIAL, ARCHIBALD PAULL BURT, LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS
1860Document titled 'Burt Testimonial, List of Subscribers to the Fund'. List of names, the majority in alphabetical order, and amount of subscription/gift. Money tallied in dollars, final total $548.77 from 143 subscribers. Dated 9 June 1860.
Document is two pages - white paper with red accounting margins and handwriting in black ink. Two pages are stuck together with adhesive along top edge. Originally folded into quarters lengthways, with an additional fold on one side.
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
Details
This document, comprising two pages, has research value for the list of names included. It is assumed these people were residents of St Christopher (St Kitts) and/or nearby islands in the Brtish West Indies, due to the currency the money was being tallied in (dollars) and the relatively short time frame the subscription was undertaken (between April 1860 when Burt was first advised of his Western Australian appointment and the June 1860 date written at the bottom of the second page).
The number of donors and the amount collected for Archibald Burt's testimonial is generous and indicates the high regard in which he was held by the local community.
