Lot 298
A FINE VICTORIAN PRESENTATION BOOK FORMED TABLE SNUFF BOX
JOHN MUIRHEAD, GLASGOW 1862
Scottish Works of Art & Whisky
Auction: 17 August 2022 at 11:00 BST
Description
the large box formed as a book, the cover engraved with simulated tooling and a presentation inscription in an oval cartouche reading ‘Presented to A Graham Esq. of Capellie, Captain of the 8th or Neilston Co R.R.V by the members of his Company, 30th December 1862’, the spine engraved with soldiers at attention and crouched shooting with ‘title Chaucer and crest below, the base of the lower section engraved with a portrait of an officer presumed to be Captain Graham
Dimensions
15.5cm x 9cm x 3cm, 12.2oz
Footnote
Note: Listed as a Director of the Glasgow, Barrhead and Neilson Direct in Bradshaw’s Railway Directory of 1850, Alexander Graham Esquire of Capelli, Barrhead would have had quite a successful career and a respected member of the community. As seen engraved on this fine snuff box, Graham went on to become the Captain of the 8th or Neilston Co R.R.V. also known as the Royal Rifle Volunteers. Following an invasion scare in 1859, the volunteer movement started to grow. Many Rifle and Artillery Volunteer Corps were composed of part-time soldiers eager to supplement the Regular British Army in time of need and as such became a precursor to the Territorial Army. The 3rd (Renfrewshire) Volunteer Battalion, Princess Louise’s (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) was formed on the 4th August 1860 and the 8th Neilston formed part of this. In 1862, the year the snuff box was presented, the county uniform of medium grey from the 1st Volunteer Batallion was adopted and worn until 1874. A generous gift to their captain which reinforces how well regarded Graham was. It is interesting to note that the fine table snuff box has been made by a Glasgow maker making this piece a truly West Coast item.