History
1601 – The Poor Relief Act
In 1601 the Poor Relief Act ordained that parishes should appoint upright citizens to administer the distribution of financial aid to the needy. These men were known as Overseers and in the parish of St Margaret’s Westminster the retired Overseers would meet regularly in a tavern or one of its member’s homes to drink, eat and smoke their pipes while discussing parochial business and these regular meetings resulted in the subsequent formation of the Past Overseers’ Society.
1713 – Henry Monck
In 1713 Henry Monck, a retiring Overseer, presented his fellows with a small horn box to hold the tobacco for their pipes at meetings. The box was produced at each meeting and a Custodian was appointed to keep it safe.
1720 – Silver decoration to the lid
In 1720 the society commemorated the original gift by providing silver decoration to the lid, and further silver plaques were added in the following years.
1746 – Battle of Culloden
Starting with the original horn box, the plaque inside the lid commemorates the Battle of Culloden in 1746, with an Angel of Victory placing a laurel crown on a bust of the Duke of Cumberland and two of the defeated Scottish rebels below. This design has been attributed to William Hogarth, but the inscription reveals that one of the two churchwardens who made the gift was Henry Cheere (1703-81), the famous sculptor whose monuments embellish Westminster Abbey and other places, so it is probable that it was he who made the drawing for this engraving.
1749 – Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Moving on to the first of the cases, we find plaques engraved with the firework display that celebrated the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1749 (and for which Handel wrote his Fireworks music), a portrait of the infamous radical John Wilkes, who happened to have been a former churchwarden of St Margaret’s, and the first Battle of Ushant, for which Admiral Keppel was court-martialled. This seemingly random series referring to current events continues on the subsequent cases, although the second of these has on the lid the only engraving of the Overseers at work, interviewing poor supplicants, including raggedly dressed children.
1765 – “Render as Received”
The bottom of the box has a plaque representing Charity, with the motto “Render as Received”, and another bears the arms of the City of Westminster, newly granted in 1765.
1783 – Oval wooden case for the box
Then in 1749 it was decided to make an oval wooden case for the box and this in turn was decorated with silver plaques. The surface was soon entirely covered, so in 1783 another, larger case was made and decorated.
1809 – Up to 1824: The fourth case decorations
Many of the scenes chosen reflect topical patriotism — the plaques on the fourth case, dating from 1809-24, celebrate the defeat of Napoleon and the triumphs of Wellington, but more unexpected is one depicting the 1820 trial of Queen Caroline in the House of Lords for immorality and adultery and another showing the 1822 visit of King George IV to Scotland, the only occasion on which he wore a kilt.
1824 – Special engravings
It is the decoration on the silver plaques that makes the boxes so special. These are embossed, chased and engraved with long inscriptions recording the names and deeds of the Overseers and a variety of topical and allegorical scenes. The engravings are often small and detailed, but most of the earlier ones were published by the society in 1824 as a volume of engravings and these reveal the details of the work.
1830 – The third case decorations
The third case is largely decorated with scenes recording a court case brought by the society in order to recover the Tobacco Box from a past Overseer who was trying to keep it for himself. The court backed the society and the box was returned amid much rejoicing.
1877 – New and bigger cases being made
This process continued, with new and bigger cases being made, like a Russian doll, to contain all the others until 1877, when the final case, now some five feet high, was produced. Other silver boxes were also made to commemorate particular events and all these objects now make up the Treasure.
1877 – Up to 1935: The final case
The final case has silver panels dating from 1877-1935, including the Tay Bridge disaster, the introduction of electric street lights in Westminster, the death of General Gordon, the sinking of the Titanic, various episodes in the First World War, the election of Lady Astor as the first female MP to take her seat, and the General Strike.
1900 – 1918 – Royal events and celebrations
Royal events and celebrations include the Coronation of Edward VU, an Imperial Durbar in India in 1903, the monarch’s death in 1910 and the accession of George VII.
In 1900 the Office of Overseer was finally abolished; the duties of the Overseers being absorbed by Westminster City Council. The Past Overseers’ Society continued and an engraving mark the handing over of the Box and the Snuff Box and cases.
Inscriptions record the discovery of the North Pole, Shackleton’s exploration of Antarctica and the tragic loss of the S.S. Titanic.
Conflicts include the second Boer War (1900), the Annexation of the Orange Free State, and the declaration of war between Italy and Turkey, which together with subsequent attacks by Balkan League countries on countries of the Ottoman Empire was a significant precursor to the First World War.
The engravings for the years 1914-18 are confined to images of members of the air, sea and land forces. The Society viewed all events other than the First World War as insignificant by comparison.
1919 – 1935: Major political changes
The inscriptions record a number of major political changes. Lady Astor became the first lady Member of Parliament in 1919, the inauguration of the Irish Free State was announced in 1922, and 1924 saw the election of the first Socialist Government in the history of the British Parliament.
The General Strike of 1926 is mentioned, as is the economic crisis of 1931 which led to the appointment of a National Government.
The final plate on this case is a simple reference to the Silver Jubilee of George V in 1935.
1935 onwards: Four silver rose dishes
After this no more cases were made, but Lutyens designed four silver rose dishes for the society, inscribed with a similarly random selection of events. The most recent commissions include a candlestick enclosing a silver thimble which Bernard Weatherill carried as Speaker of the House of Commons, to remind him of his start in life as a tailor, and a silver shard commemorating the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee.
1936 – 1953: The First Tudor Rose Dish
The gold coin embedded in the centre of the first dish commemorates the death of George V. Inscriptions record the royal events of those years, including the accession and abdication of Edward VIII, and the Coronations of George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.
The critical years of the Second World War are summarised succinctly and unemotionally.
Post-war events include the first meeting of the United Nations in the Methodist Hall Westminster, and the exhibition of the Tobacco Box in Lincoln’s Inn Hall for the 1951 Festival of Britain.
There are several medallions embedded in the dish, and engravings of the Coats of Arms of both Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II.
1954 – 1967: The Second Tudor Rose Dish
This Rose Dish records many local as well as national events. In 1956 the centenary celebration of the first sounding of Big Ben was held in silence because the clock was undergoing repairs. In 1959 the MP for Westminster, Sir Harry Hylton-Foster, was appointed as Speaker of the House of Commons.
In 1960 the Tobacco Box was taken to Buckingham Palace for inspection by the Queen and Prince Philip and in 1963 the Society celebrated its 250th Anniversary.
The death of Sir Winston Churchill, and Sir Francis Chichester’s epic solo voyage around the world complete the dish.
1967 – 1984: The Third Tudor Rose Dish
The most significant inscriptions on this dish concern the conversion of the currency when decimal currency was
introduced in 1971, an old half-crown was embedded in the silver. To mark the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977 a commemorative Jubilee coin was added to the dish, and when the new one pound coins were introduced, one was included in the 1983 inscription.
In 1974 two General Elections were held in one year, and 1975 marked the first Referendum ever held, which confirmed membership of the European Economic Community.
Among the royal occasions noted are two royal weddings, that of Princess Anne in 1973, and Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.
Margaret Thatcher became the first woman Prime Minister in 1979, and in 1982, under her premiership, a British Task Force recaptured the Falkland Islands from Argentina.
In 1983 women were elected for the first time as Lord Mayor of the City of Westminster and Lord Mayor of the City of London.
1985 – 1999: The Fourth Tudor Rose Dish
The centerpiece of this dish is a memorial acknowledging the Foundation of the Court of Burgesses of Westminster in 1485.
Royal events recorded include the birth of Prince Henry (Harry) in 1984 but also the sad funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.
In 1989 President Gorbachev was entertained at Windsor Castle. Another 1989 inscription records the demolition of the Berlin Wall. 1996 saw the visit of Nelson Mandela.
By 1998, referenda held in 1997 showed popular support for the Assemblies for Scotland and Wales to be elected, and the Good Friday Agreement gave a glimmer of hope for peace in Ireland.
A final inscription records the Golden Wedding Anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip in 1998.
1999 – 2007: The Candlestick
The decision to design a candlestick was taken when Lord Weatherill, a former Speaker of the House of Commons, donated to the Society a silver thimble he used to carry as a reminder of his early profession as a master-tailor.
A Society member, Peter Darvall, designed a pentagonal-based wood and silver candlestick, part of which is perspex in which the thimble is embedded. The candlestick is kept in a handsome hinged case which opens to show the inscriptions.
Royal events recorded include the 100th birthday of the Queen Mother and her death in 2002, the same year as the Queen’s Golden Jubilee was celebrated.
Prince Charles married Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2005 and the following year marked the Queen’s 80th birthday.
Local events included the opening of the London Eye and the new Hungerford Bridge.
England’s victory in the Rugby World Cup is also recorded.
International events highlighted were the terrorist attack in New York in 2001 and the Asian tsunami in 2004.
With the epidemic of Foot and Mouth disease in Great Britain, the inscriptions draw attention to current disasters.
2007 – The Silver Rim
In 2007 a new silver piece was sought by competition, and an asymmetrical dish called The Silver Rim, designed and made by Mary Ann Simmons, was chosen.
Inscriptions record the election of Barack Obama, the first black President of the United States, and the International Banking Crisis in 2008. The turmoil in the Arab world is also noted.
Locally, the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Britain and Westminster in 2010 is highlighted, but the event of greatest interest was the marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton in April 2011.
2012 – The Shard
To commemorate the importance of the events in 2012 the Past Overseers’ Society commissioned a new piece of silver for that one year. Designed by Peter Darvall and made by Mary Ann Simmons, the Shard records the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, the Olympic and Paralympic Games of August 2012 and other international events of the year.
The Queens Jubilee is remembered with wording and the engraving of the two coins, one from 1952 and the other 2012.
The second side is dedicated to the Olympic and Paralympic Games listing the number of medals won by Team GB competitors.
The third side records the traumatic events in the Middle Eastern countries and the hopes of the positive outcome of the Arab Spring.