A 'BOSCOBEL' OAK AND SILVER MOUNTED BOX AND COVER

A 'BOSCOBEL' OAK AND SILVER MOUNTED BOX AND COVER

18TH CENTURY

the cover with a central silver plaque engraved with an oak tree surrounded by a rhyme, with a floral engraved escutcheon, hinges and mounts

7.5cm high, 28cm wide, 23cm deep

Catalogue Note

Although ‘Boscobel Oak’ boxes are decorated and inscribed with references to the escape of Charles II and of his hiding in an oak tree in after the Battle of Worcester in 1651, most are dated to the early or mid-18^th century and, as such, are likely to be items of Jacobite interest. They were probably seen or used as symbols of support for Charles Stuart in his attempt to regain the British Throne.

It is possible that wood from the original ‘Boscobel’ oak was used in the production of the ‘Boscobel Oak’ boxes. The site of the original tree, in Shropshire, is now marked with a descendant.