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The Lady's workbox in the Judges' Lodgings Museum, Lancaster, was made in 1808 in Lancaster by Gillows (trading as Robert Gillow and Brothers).^[1]

It is documented in the Gillow Estimate Sketchbooks in 1808. The recipient was Miss Elizabeth Gifford of Nerquis Hall.^[2] The workbox is decorated with 72 'rare and curious woods'. The craftsman was Francis Dowbiggin, son of Thomas Dowbiggin.^{[citation needed]}

Gillows

Gillows, also known as Gillow & Co., was a furniture making firm based in Lancaster and London. It was founded in Lancaster in about 1730 by Robert Gillow (1704-1772).^[3] The Robert Gillow of the box would be the founder's grandson, Robert [iii] Gillow, whose brothers George [ii] Gillow; and Richard [iii] Gillow joined the family firm.^[4] Gillows was owned by the family until 1814.

As a result of Lancaster's Atlantic triangular trade, much timber was imported from the Caribbean.^[5] However, the port was going into decline about the time the box was made. Lancaster was barred from taking part in the slave trade in 1799 and the slave trade was abolished in the British Empire in 1807.^[6]

The marquetry

The workbox is decorated with marquetry using 72 "rare and curious woods". The interest is twofold, firstly it gives samples of 75 types of woods giving their 18th century names, and secondly it gives an insight into the woods then available in Lancaster.

Catalogue of the Specimens of Curious Woods (English and Foreign) Introduced in a W0RK- BOX, made for Miss GIFFARD, of Nerquis, by ROBERT GILLOW and BROTHERS, of Lancaster, in August, 1808.

English Oak
Spanish Mahogany
Sycamore
Tulip Wood
Sandal
Partridge Wood
East India Yew
Zebra
Orange Wood
Jamaica Satinwood
King Wood
Dutch Elm
Iron Wood
Guietiety
Manganiel
Rose Wood
East India Satinwood
Caracoa
Canary Wood
Botany Bay Wood
Yellow Sander
Casuarina Wood
Black Ebony
Holly
Brown Ebony
Green Ebony
Angola Wood
Tamarind Wood
Amboyna Wood
Purple Wood
Gambia Wood
English Yew
Snake Wood
St Johns Wood
Guiana Wood
Ceylon Wood
Havannah Wood
English Pear Tree
Brazils Wood
Nova Scotia Wood
Calmandra
Camphire Wood
English Maple
Mangrove
Grove Wood
Mill Wood
Italian Walnut
Wood Sandford
Cape Wood
Honduras Satinwood
Kangaroo Wood
English Apple Tree
Box
Brown Box
Air wood
American Yew
American Maple
Hiccory
Plane Tree
English Oak, cut from Framing of Lancaster Castle old gates
Fustic
Mexican Wood
Plumb Tree
Poplar Tree
Moss Oak
White Ebony
Manilla
Barr Wood
American Beech
Dutch Oak
English Beech
English Ash

Savacue Wood, Parama wood and Orange Wood were used to frame the samples ^[7]

References

^ Workbox (accession Number LANMS.2006.8). Lancashire Museums
^ Nerquis (Welsh: Nercwys) is a village in Flintshire, Wales. See Nerquis Hall for details of Miss Gifford's house.
^ Boynton 1995.
^ Stuart, Susan E. (2004). "Gillow family (per. c.1730–c.1830)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/67319. Retrieved 6 November 2014. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) (subscription or UK public library membership required)
^ Trade - Import/Export. Lancashire Museums
^ Abolition. Lancashire Museums
^ Display panel 2014.

Bibliography

Burkett, Mary E.; Tyson, Edith; How, Davidson; Hasted, Rachel (1984). A history of Gillow of Lancaster. Lancashire: Lancashire County Library. ISBN 9780902228474.
Dunn, Judith (2008). "Gillows of Lancaster Two Centuries of English Furniture". New England Antiques Journal. Palmer, MA 01069. Archived from the original on 18 February 2012.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
Payne, Christopher, ed. (1989). Sotheby's concise encyclopedia of furniture (Reprint ed.). London: Conran Octopus. ISBN 9781850296492.
Boynton, Lindsay (1995). Gillow Furniture Designs: 1760-1800. The Bloomfield Press.
Stuart, Susan E (2008). Gillows of Lancaster and London. Antique Collectors' Club.
Apter-Fredericks (2014). "18th Century Memorable Pieces". 265 - 267 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6HY: Apter-Fredericks. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
Meier, Eric (2014). "The Wood Database". The Wood Database Project. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
"A History of Gillow of Lancaster". Lancashire County Council. 1984. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
Display panel, The Judges' Lodgings, Lancaster, 2014{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)