Correspondence [Letter from Dept of Land and Public Works to E. D. Day]

Production date
16 Apr 1859
About this object
Edward Denny Day (1801-1876) is a significant public figure in the early days of colonial Maitland. He was police magistrate in Maitland in the late 1830s, the 1840s and from 1858 to 1869. He was commissioner, Court of Requests from 1841 and of insolvent estates from 1842. He was also active in public life. As well, Day is associated with the prosecution of the men responsible for the Myall Creek massacre in 1838, and for the arrest of the ‘Jewboy bushrangers’ led by Edward Davis in 1840.
The letters and documents in the Edward Denny Day collection connect Day to specific events and services in Maitland and district. They also provide some documentation on the nature of the evolving colonial judicial system.
This is an undated and unsigned letter by Day to the residents of Scone for the gifts they have presented him with in appreciation of his part in the capture of the ‘Jewboy bushranger gang’, so assume it is 1841. An article published in The Australian (27 February 1841, p 2) refers to ‘the service of plate’ with the inscription:
"Presented to Edward Denny Day Esq, police Magistrate of Maitland, by some residents of the district of Scone, as a testimonial of their admiration of the promptitude and gallantry he displayed in following and capturing a band of Bushrangers which had for some months infested the Hunter, Feb. 1841."

Currently on loan to Maitland Libraries, is a small but significant digital collection of E.D. Day-related documents, handwritten notes and articles.
Permission must be sought for access to these documents for study or research purposes. Please contact Maitland Libraries for further information. (Library@Maitland.nsw.gov.au)
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Object detail

Significance

The Library’s Edward Denny Day Collection is significant for its documentation of aspects of the professional, public and private life of a well-known and respected public figure in Maitland’s colonial history. Complemented by other public collections of items relating to E. D. Day, the Library’s collection has the potential to add details to understanding the different capacities in which Day contributed and to the networks and judicial system within which he worked. The items are provenanced to Day’s descendants, and individual items are complete although the condition and fragility of individual items vary.

Statement of Significance completed by Janis Wilton, 2022

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Object type

Other Documents/Documentary Objects/Category 08: Communication Objects

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Brown Handwriting Rectangle Wood Font Writing Paper product Paper Parallel Document

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