Antique Edwardian Hat Box Quiet Luxury Old Money Aristocratic Provenance Best Co Mayfair London Luggage Trunk Storage Chest
$602.13
Once carried by Lord Colum Crichton-Stuart, Attaché to Lord Kitchener in Cairo, and bearing the shipping labels of the Earl of Dalhousie’s voyages to South Africa — this Edwardian hat box by Best & Co of Mayfair is a remarkable piece of British social history.
Carefully conserved and hand-finished in our Lincolnshire workshop, this superior quality piece retains its original key, outstanding preserved vintage luggage labels and extraordinary provenance. In excellent condition with incredible historical interest.
Measurements (cm): W 57.5 x H 42 x D 51
Features
• Waxed black canvas exterior with robust leather reinforced corners
• Chunky leather central lid handle embossed ‘Bests Own Make’ in brass keepers embossed with maker’s details ‘Maker Best 64A S. Audley St. London W’
• Original luggage labels still attached to handle: ‘From Cox & Kings (Agents Ltd) Kings House, 10 Haymarket London SW1’, ‘Lord Crichton-Stuart A.D.C to Earl Dalhousie SS Winchester Castle’ and ‘The Rt Hon The Earl of Dalhousie 23 Down Street London W1’
• Authentic hand-painted white initials ‘M.D.’ to lid
• Burnished brasswork with copper rivets including 2 up and over clasps
• Central working brass lock with original key, embossed with maker’s details, and brass button escutcheon with matching brass button to locking clasp
• Steel studs to base at each corner and centre
• Original full fabric lined interior, cleaned and conserved, with authentic removeable hat storage crate in webbing on a wooden frame — intact and well preserved
• Leather rear lid supports, leather edging trim to body and interior lid sides
• Original maker’s label to interior: ‘F Best & Cos Own Make Aldford Street 64A S Audley St. W.’
• Authentic vintage shipping labels — Union Castle Stateroom, Union Castle Hold Not Wanted On Voyage, destination Cape Town; South African Railways
Provenance
This piece was owned and used by members of two remarkable aristocratic families — the Crichton-Stuarts and the Earls of Dalhousie.
We believe this to be an Edwardian piece used by Lord Colum Edmund Crichton-Stuart, who entered the diplomatic service as an Attaché in 1910, travelled to Cairo in 1911 and was later appointed to the British Consulate-General in Cairo working under Lord Kitchener. The label recording him as A.D.C suggests he served as aide-de-camp to the Earl of Dalhousie on the SS Winchester Castle.
The Earl of Dalhousie connection points to Arthur Ramsay, the 14th Earl, who served in the Second Boer War and had strong ties to South Africa — consistent with the older South African shipping labels on this piece. Following his death in 1928 the trunk may have passed to his wife Lady Mary Heathcote-Drummond or to his son John Gilbert Ramsay who became the 15th Earl. The initials M.D. to the lid may refer to the Marquess of Dalhousie or to Mary Drummond.
Exactly how all these remarkable people connected through this single piece of luggage remains a fascinating puzzle — but its history is undoubtedly extraordinary.
About our restorations
At Vintage Trunks & Chests we have ten years experience curating, restoring and selling antique and vintage trunks and chests. Our restorations are completed using traditional, time-honoured methods and finished in numerous coats of wax polish to naturally enhance, revive and protect the original patina.
Heritage condition notes
This piece retains its authentic aged character. Notable points: some discolouration to the canvas, light scuffing to the leatherwork, the occasional missing rivet at the corners, and the right hand clasp does not always stay closed when being moved. The webbing on the interior crate has come away from the original pins in places and has been preserved rather than repaired in keeping with our conservation approach.
Terms & Conditions and Right of Withdrawal
Shipping from United Kingdom
Processing time
1-3 business days
Customs and import taxes
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Payment Options
Returns & Exchanges
Returns accepted within 30 days
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
I gladly accept returns and cancellations
Request a cancellation within: 7 days of purchase
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
- Custom or personalized orders
Conditions of return
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
Privacy policy
This Privacy Policy describes how and when we collect, use, and share information when you purchase an item from us, contact us, or otherwise use our services through Etsy.com or its related sites and services.
This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of third parties that we do not own or control, including Etsy or any third party services you access through Etsy. You can reference the Etsy Privacy Policy to learn more about its privacy practices.
Information We Collect
To fulfil your order, you must provide us with certain information (which you authorised Etsy to provide to us), such as your name, email address, postal address, payment information, and the details of the product that you’re ordering. You may also choose to provide us with additional personal information (for a custom order for example), if you contact us directly.
Why We Need Your Information and How We Use It
We rely on a number of legal bases to collect, use, and share your information, including:
- as needed to provide our services, such as when we use your information to fulfil your order, to settle disputes, or to provide customer support;
- when you have provided your affirmative consent, which you may revoke at any time, such as by signing up for our mailing list;
- if necessary to comply with a legal obligation or court order or in connection with a legal claim, such as retaining information about your purchases if required by tax law; and
- as necessary for the purpose of our legitimate interests, if those legitimate interests are not overridden by your rights or interests, such as 1) providing and improving our services. We use your information to provide the services you requested and in our legitimate interest to improve our services; and 2) Compliance with the Etsy Seller Policy and Terms of Use. We use your information as necessary to comply with our obligations under the Etsy Seller Policy and Terms of Use.
Information Sharing and Disclosure
Information about our customers is important to our business. We share your personal information for very limited reasons and in limited circumstances, as follows:
- Etsy. We share information with Etsy as necessary to provide you our services and comply with our obligations under both the Etsy Seller Policy and Etsy Terms of Use.
- Service providers. We engage certain trusted third parties to perform functions and provide services to our shop, such as delivery companies. We will share your personal information with these third parties, but only to the extent necessary to perform these services.
- Business transfers. If we sell or merge our business, we may disclose your information as part of that transaction, only to the extent permitted by law.
- Compliance with laws. We may collect, use, retain, and share your information if we have a good faith belief that it is reasonably necessary to: (a) respond to legal process or to government requests; (b) enforce our agreements, terms and policies; (c) prevent, investigate, and address fraud and other illegal activity, security, or technical issues; or (d) protect the rights, property, and safety of our customers, or others.
Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to provide you with our services and as described in our Privacy Policy. However, we may also be required to retain this information to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements. We generally keep your data for the following time period: 7 years.
Your Rights
If you reside in certain territories, including the EU, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal information. While some of these rights apply generally, certain rights apply only in certain limited cases. We describe these rights below:
- Access. You may have the right to access and receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you by contacting us using the contact information below.
- Change, restrict, delete. You may also have rights to change, restrict our use of, or delete your personal information. Except exceptional circumstances (like where we are required to store data for legal reasons) we will generally delete your personal information upon request.
- Object. You can object to (i) our processing of some of your information based on our legitimate interests and (ii) receiving marketing messages from us after providing your express consent to receive them. In such cases, we will delete your personal information unless we have compelling and legitimate grounds to continue using that information or if it is needed for legal reasons.
- Complain. If you reside in the EU and wish to raise a concern about our use of your information (and without prejudice to any other rights you may have), you have the right to do so with your local data protection authority.
For purposes of EU data protection law, we, Simon Challis & Kerry Clow, are the data controllers of your personal information. If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact us at enquiries@vintagetrunksandchests.co.uk.
Alternately, you may mail us at:
Vintage Trunks & Chests, Swallow Barn, Fen Road, Toynton All Saints, Spilsby, Lincs. PE23 5DF UK
Frequently Asked Questions
Condition FAQs
Authentic antique & vintage items, unlike new copies and imported reproduction antiques, have their own quirks & imperfections which gives them character, uniqueness & that 'lived in' quality. Our trunks, chests & hand crafted items made from reclaimed materials will inevitably show signs of wear & tear commensurate with their age & previous use. This may include: knocks, bumps & dents; scrapes, scuffs & scratches; marks, stains, fading & discolouration; snags, tears, peeling & wrinkling; surface corrosion; exposed fixings; old fixing holes; missing pieces; shrinkage gaps; paint remnants; small repairs; old/treated woodworm; corroded & missing metalwork; sharp edges; newly-fitted & replacement parts including fixtures & fittings.
When will I receive my item?
We aim to dispatch all orders for in stock trunks and chests within 1-3 business days by 24 or 48 hour courier. After purchase do let us know if you have a preferred delivery date so we can arrange this for you and feel free to add a note with any additional instructions. We also need a mobile telephone contact number before we can book your item in with the courier in order for you to receive notifications about your delivery so please let us have this asap to avoid any delay! We aim to complete and deliver made to order items within 21 days. Very large, heavy or high value items may be hand-delivered by arrangement.
Where do you deliver?
Our standard charge applies to Mainland UK addresses only. If you are outside this area please contact us first so we can provide a quote to ship to your postcode. We may be able to offer a Global Shipping option for some of our items - please contact us for a personalised quote from our specialist antiques shipping partner.
Care instructions
All our items are hand finished in several coats of a premium wax polish. A wax finish naturally enhances the wood and revives and protects the original patina, however it doesn't have the same protection as a lacquered finish (the type you may find on shop bought furniture). So to keep your item in tip top condition it's advised to wax it periodically depending on the wear and tear it receives, the suggestion for a coffee table is twice a month. Only the top need be done with a clear wax according to the instructions on the product used. You may also wish to wax the whole piece every 6-12 months to maintain the finish. This will feed, hydrate and protect the wood, maintain the depth of colour and help your furniture to stay looking great!
Gift wrapping and packaging
In an effort to reduce our consumption of new materials we are currently trialling the use of recycled packaging when shipping our items. So your parcel is likely to arrive with you wrapped in re-used cardboard :) You can be sure your item will still be packaged safely to protect it in transit and you'll be involved in helping the planet!
Returns & Exchanges
We accept returns within 30 days of receipt. Cancel the purchase or notify us of the return within 14 days of delivery and return the item within 30 days of delivery. Buyers are responsible for return postage costs and any loss in value if an item isn't returned in original condition. Due to the nature of custom or personalised orders we cannot accept returns unless they arrive damaged or defective.