The Old Court House Law Museum: The Portable Writing Desk – The Victorian Laptop

by Margie Eberle Visitor Services and Collections Officer, Old Court House Law Museum

Also known as a writing slope or writing box, the portable writing desk first appeared in the 17th century. It became very popular during the Victorian era and was typically a lockable wooden box with a hinged, sloping lid, that opened to reveal compartments for all the necessary letter writing equipment; such as writing paper, ink bottles, pens, and blotting paper.

Just like a laptop, writing boxes could be moved from room to room or taken on long journeys. They became an indispensable tool for keeping up with both personal and business correspondence.

One of the first objects documented in the Old Court House Law Museum collection was a writing box dating from around 1825.

This wooden veneered compendium was once owned by William Henry Mackie (1799-1860) and measures 16cm (H) x 49.5cm (W) x 27.2cm (D) when closed. When the lid is opened, the underside forms a sloped writing surface under which are separate compartments and a side drawer. It was donated to the museum in 1976 by the Royal Western Australian Historical Society.

William Henry Mackie William Henry Mackie arrived in Western Australia, shortly before his 30th birthday in 1829. He had acquired a large land grant and his legal background saw him very promptly appointed as one of eight Justices of the Peace by Lieutenant-Governor Stirling.

Stirling had been worried about the increase of petty crime and drunkenness and wished to provide some continuity of legal control, similar to the rule of law in England. Courts of Petty and Quarter Sessions were introduced, and Mackie was appointed their chairman as well as counsel to the local government.

In 1831, he became one of the foundation members of the Western Australian

Legislative Council, taking up the position of Advocate-General. In 1834 he resigned from the Council and became the Commissioner of the Civil Court, presiding over the civil and criminal courts of the colony.

Based on British Law circa 1829, Mackie enabled legal reforms that were adapted to

local conditions within the young colony.

Collection preservation and digitisation

In late 2022, restoration work was undertaken on Mackie’s writing box by conservator, Mark Searle from International Conservations Services. The remaining timber veneers,

cloth and paper linings were carefully cleaned and consolidated. A degraded brown paper layer on the base was removed to reveal an original engraving illustration of deer in a forest.

The broken tip of an old pen nub was also discovered wedged inside the drawer, which remains with the compendium – now on display in the museum.

The Old Court House Law Museum Collection represents the social, civic, and legal history of the Old Court House building, and the history of law in Western Australia.

In 2023 Bo Wong captured high quality photographs of a range of objects, regalia and documents which demonstrate the scope of the Old Court House Law Museum

Collection. These photographs enable the objects to be accessed and studied remotely and ensure that the condition of objects are documented for future reference.

Digitising the Museum’s collection is an ongoing conservation project and is one of a series of initiatives being undertaken by the museum to preserve our history.

Quarter Sessions – have you subscribed?

This month sees the launch of the new quarterly digital publication Quarter Sessions for the Old Court House Law Museum.

Quarter Sessions is the Museum’s digital newsletter, named after the type of matters heard at the Old Court House, Quarter Sessions, is published quarterly; connecting the community to the behind-the-scenes work, news, and upcoming events at the Museum. Subscribe here.