Treasures in your attic: Old bureau often known as ‘Wellington chest’

Q. I would like to know the history and value of my old bureau. It has descended in my family, and has a hinged strip on the side that locks all six drawers.

A. Some collectors call chests of drawers such as this one “side-locking chests,” but others call them “Wellington chests,” after Arthur Wellesley, first duke of Wellington.

Wellesley was born in Ireland in 1769. He was part of a prominent family and was commissioned as an ensign in the British army in 1787. He had attained the rank of colonel by 1796, and in 1799, after distinguishing himself in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War, he was made governor of Seringapatam and Mysore in India.

He rose to fame as a general in the Peninsular Campaign against Napoleon Bonaparte, and was made field marshal after leading his troops to victory at the Battle of Vitoria in 1813. He was ambassador to France in 1814 and was made the first duke of Wellington the same year.

Wellesley cemented his position as English hero in 1815 when he and his Prussian allies defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. He was twice prime minister of Britain, and commander in chief of the British army until his death in 1852.

It is said by some that Wellesley carried a specific chest with him when in the field. It was a campaign style with swivel handles, brass angle pieces to protect the corners, short removable feet and a frame on the right-hand side that overlapped the drawer fronts. This strip of wood was fitted with a lock for security purposes.

These “Wellington” chests generally had six to 12 drawers, and they are also — and perhaps more correctly — called “side-locking chests.” Most of the side-locking chests found in this country are English in origin, and the example in today’s question is no exception.

The wonderful original pulls with their twisted brass handles, and the “English Arts and Crafts” style of back plates, are somewhat reminiscent of horse brasses and preclude this piece from being American. We believe the case is made from English walnut (but it is very hard to be sure from photographs), with panels of burl walnut decorating the drawer fronts.

The top backsplash is rather charming with its incised leaf-and-floral design in the English Eastlake manner, and the narrow panel below the top is embellished with a frieze that might remind some of pyrographic (burned wood) decoration. We have mentioned the various names give to these chests, but in America they are sometimes termed “boardinghouse” chests as well.

This is because the side-locking mechanism was very important for securing one’s belongings in an establishment such as a boardinghouse — thus the name. These are interesting pieces, and collectors seem to love them.

These chests are not all that commonly seen, and when we started our interest in antiques more than 30 years ago, they were often found retailed in the $2,000 to $2,500 range. Now, prices of Victorian furniture have fallen dramatically, and while some elaborate examples of side-locking chests still reach this level of value, simpler ones such as yours are usually valued for insurance purposes in the $1,200 to $1,500 range.

Ÿ Contact Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 18350, Knoxville, TN 37928.