The Charter is handwritten, and comprises six parchment sheets of two different sizes. They are joined at the bottom by pink ribbon and the seal cord. Each page is bordered on three sides by decorative bands printed in black ink, probably by etching. The text is inscribed in brown ink on lines ruled by graphite and placed between borders of hand-ruled ornamental lines in red ink. The first page of the document has a dark blue, paper tax stamp affixed on the upper left edge by an ornamental lead staple and glue. It is blind-stamped with a crest and 'seventy-five pounds'. There is general surface dirt and yellowing.
The 'banjo box'Before conservation treatment the Charter was stored in its original leather-covered wooden banjo box. The leather on the box is decorated with gold tooling, the borders in a grapevine pattern and with various plant and bird symbols. The box has a leather hinge and a lockable brass clip with a hook clasp at each end for additional security. The interior of the banjo box is lined with marbled paper. The parchment leaves were rolled and placed in the long section of the box with the pendant seal housed in a round metal skippet in the circular section of the box.
Seal and SkippetThe seal is 17.7 cm in diameter and is attached to the document by a double-braided red and white cord. On one side is the Great Seal of King George IV and on the other is the seal of Van Diemen's Land. The wax/resin mixture is an opaque, brown-ochre colour. It is fractured into four main pieces with considerable chipping along the fracture edges.
SourceMcDonald, S, Conservation Treatment Report, 16 March 1994, Archives Office of Tasmania.
Long Title: | Letters Patent issued under the Great Seal 13 October 1823 |
No. of pages: | 6 |
Medium: | Parchment |
Measurements: | Two sizes: 63.5 x 75.3–77.1 cm and 57–58.7 x 67–68.2 cm |
Provenance: | British Government; Transferred to the Archives Office of Tasmania on 29 November 1978 from the Supreme Court of Tasmania |
Features: | Originally stored in a leather-covered wooden banjo box with pendant seal attached to the last page |
Location & Copyright: | Archives Office of Tasmania |
Reference: | AOT: SC479/1 |