Lot 438

Description

The First Great Seal of New South Wales, broken wax impression of the original die (110mm) used 1791- 1817 (see Gullick pp.3-6 and King NAA, 5, pp.3-8). Portion of ribbon, only a large fragment (40%) of the original otherwise good and extremely rare.

Ex L.R.Smith Collection. (from our sale 46, lot 830) This lot comes with a detailed newspaper column on the Great Seal by P.C Mowle, which for the illustration used is not correct (the correct illustration is in King p.3). The seal comes from a grant to Thomas Laycock, from Francis Grose the Lieut. Governor of N.S.W, (Dec 1792- Dec. 1794), and dated 25/2/1793 for land of area 80 acres and 1 rood, at Parsley Bay, (known later as Laycocks farm and also later the site of Vaucluse House). Thomas Laycock's career developed from a sergeant in the New South Wales Corps in 1789 to quartermaster in January 1791, and then to deputy- Commissary after Thomas Freeman's death in November 1794, he died in 1809 and his life is outlined in Australian Dictionary of Biography Vol. 2 1788- 1850 (p.97). Only a few impressions are known, one is in the Newcastle City Library another is in the Mitchell Library, Sydney.