Correspondence [Letter from Governor Gipps appointing E. D. Day as Commissioner of the Court of Requsts in Maitland]

Production date
02 Jan 1843
 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.
Letter to Edward Denny Day from Governor Gipps appointing Day as Commissioner of the Court of Requests in Maitland. Legislation in 1823 established Courts of Requests in different parts of the colony. Their task was to have jurisdiction in relation to debts not exceeding 10 pounds and specific claims beyond this limit. Established initially as ‘Provisional Courts of Request’ they were formalised by legislation in 1829 and Maitland was one of the towns allocated a Court of Request. The Courts of Request were presided over by a Commissioner appointed by the Governor.
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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
Collection type
Maitland Libraries
Media
Ink on paper
Measurements
approx. 32 x 20cm
Collection
E. D. Day Collection
Credit line
Acquired by Maitland Libraries, 2019.
Accession number
LIB2022.064

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