Furniture & Works of Art - 1st July 2015
Lot 341
An extremely rare Victorian long overseer's truncheon from Tasmania
Estimate £1,200 - £1,500 | Hammer £850
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Description
An extremely rare Victorian long overseer's truncheon from Tasmania, with crown, 'VR', 'VDL' (Van Dieman's Land), '16', 'PORT ARTHUR PENAL SETTLEMENT', turned grip, 88.5cm long.
Provenance: Wallis & Wallis, 22nd July 2014. Ex. Mitton.
Tasmania was known as Van Dieman's Land until 1855 and this truncheon dates from c.1837-1855. The Port Arthur settlement existed from 1830-1877 and convicts experienced a system of administration based on corporal punishment. Overseers and constables relied upon the threat of cat-o-nine-tails, irons or sensory deprivation in solitary confinement. This colonial truncheon is one of the longest in existence.