Historical information

Eight of these letter books contain letters written by the Warrnambool lawyer George Mackay. They are mostly letters written to contacts while he was living in Scotland and letters sent from Warrnambool to Scotland to his daughter, Margueretta (Meta) who was studying medicine. Scottish-born George Sutherland Mackay (1850-1926) opened a legal practice in Kepler Street, Warrnambool in 1891 and in 1893 bought the business of the late James Fletcher, with the business known as Fletcher and Mackay. In the 1920s John Taylor became a partner and the firm of Mackay, Taylor & Co. (later Mackay Taylor) continued until 1999 when it merged with Taits Solicitors to form Tait Taylor (now Taits Legal). George Mackay was a Warrnambool Councillor and the first Mayor to hold office for four successive years. He was instrumental in getting the Warrnambool High School established and was the Chairman of the first School Council.
Two of these letter books contain letters written by Ernest Powling.
One letter book contains letters written by James Mack, a Warrnambool accountant

Significance

These letter books are of considerable importance as they contain letters relating to legal matters in Warrnambool and district from the late 19th century to the mid 1940s. The letters also give an insight into the private life of a prominent Warrnambool lawyer, George Sutherland Mackay.

Physical description

.1 This letter book has a dark blue cover, brown leather binding, an alphabetical index with tabs and handwritten letters. The spine is damaged.
.2 This letter book has a dark red cover with red binding, an alphabetical index with tabs, a handwritten label on the front cover, information on the ledger maker and the handwriting of the letter writer inside the front cover. The spine is slightly damaged.
.3 This letter book has a dark red mottled cover with white binding, an alphabetical index with tabs and a handwritten label on the front cover.
.4 This letter book has a dark red cover with white paper binding and a handwritten label on the cover.
.5 This letter book has a dark blue cover, red binding, and alphabetical index with tabs. The spine is slightly damaged. A loose receipt is inside the front cover.
.6 This letter book has a mottled blue and pink cover, black binding, an alphabetical index with tabs and handwritten personal letters.
.7 This letter book has a dark green cover, brown binding, an alphabetical index with coloured tabs and handwritten private letters.
.8 This letter book has a mottled cover with black binding and an alphabetical index with tabs. Many of the letter copies are upside down.
.9 This letter book has a dark green cover with red binding, an alphabetical index with tabs and handwritten personal letters.
.10 This letter book has a dark green cover with buff-coloured leather binding, an alphabetical index with tabs and copies of typed letters. The leather is torn on the front cover.
.11 This letter book has a green cover, a brown leather spine and a paper label pasted on the cover. This book has the spine detached and is badly waterstained

Inscriptions & markings

.2 G Sutherland Mackay 1874 Private Letter Book