Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Silver Candelabrum presented to Sir Francis Forbes, 1838

Silver Candelabrum presented to Sir Francis Forbes, 1838

Silver

Benjamin Smith, London

XR 11

Presented by Mrs KA Mitchell, 1931

Before the gold watch there was the silver candelabrum. This splendid and ornate piece was given to Sir Francis Forbes, the first Chief Justice of New South Wales 'in token of respect and esteem for his public and private virtues' by 'the colonists of New South Wales'.

Forbes was the first Chief Justice of Newfoundland, but the dank maritime climate was not good for his health, so he accepted a post in Sydney.


One of Forbes’ roles as Chief Justice of NSW, was to review all new laws proposed by the Governor to determine if they were ‘repugnant to the laws of England’.


Forbes championed the introduction of trial by jury in NSW in 1824.

In 1830 Forbes laid the foundation stone for the Sydney College (now Sydney Grammar School), having spent the previous five years chairing the committee for its establishment.


Forbes received a knighthood in 1837 when he was on sick leave in England. While he returned to NSW to die, he never returned to his job. He was survived by his mother, wife and two of his sons.

Francis Forbes was born in Bermuda in 1784, where his Scottish grandfather emigrated after the devastating Battle of Culloden.