Australian Dress Register

Rebecca Box 1863 - ?, was the elder sister of Alonzo Box and sent the hand embroidered Chinese silk material to Mary Closter for her wedding dress. Rebecca was known as 'Faith' because of her evangelical zeal. She was in the first party of Methodist Missionaries who left Australia in 1890 for the Chinese Inland Missons. During the Boxer Rebellion, 1900-01, Rebecca's Mission was attacked by Boxers but she escaped and was evacuated to Shanghai where she later married Nicholas Viloudakia, a Greek silk merchant. Nicholas had been part of the Mission's rescue party and they had a son.

Alonzo Sheldrake Box 1851-1958 son of John Box 1841- 1913 and Martha Louisa Sheldrake Box  d1896

Mary Louisa Closter 1889-1980 daughter of Albert Closter and Maria Bolch Closter  1846 - 1920

William Box 1834-1902 and Elizabeth Avis Box 1835- 1913

Mary and Alonzo Box had no children but fostered a young girl.

George William Box 1870 -1933 m1902 Elizabeth Honor Tippet-Box d 1953

Avis Ann Box-Eldridge  1912-2011

Nancy Eunice Curtis-Lawson b1927

Box Cottage is a reconstruction of a pioneer cottage that was built c1840 by an unknown pioneer. In 1868, William and Elizabeth Avis Box who had emigrated from Sussex England in 1854, purchased the property and raised 13 children while developing a market garden. William's brother, John Box, had emigrated with his parents also in 1854 and, after helping on the family market garden in Brighton, rented land in 1862 in Tucker Road, East Brighton (now East Bentleigh). John married Martha Sheldrake and they had 10 children. Alonzo Box, their 9th child, became a pavier/pitcher building the bluestone drains and channels for the roads and sewerage of the growing Moorabbin Shire. He enlisted in the army in WW1 and served in Gallipoli, France and Flanders, returning to Oakleigh in February 1918. He married Mary Louisa Closter on June 12th, 1918.

The City of Moorabbin Historical Society was founded c1960 by descendants of pioneer settlers and citizens concerned about recording and preserving the history of the local area of the City of Moorabbin. Many artefacts were donated to the CMHS following a call to the community c1960 and again in 1985. This wedding dress was donated to CMHS in 1985 via Mrs Nancy Lawson, a descendant of the Box family, and the information has been obtained from the Heritage Book compiled by Avis Box-Leigh and presented to CMHS in c1990

In 1970 Mr Laurie Lewis told Moorabin City Council that there was an early settlers' cottage on his property, Lewis Timber Pty Ltd., Jasper Road, Ormond, Victoria. CMHS, City of Moorabbin Council and Lewis Timber Pty Ltd worked together to reconstruct this cottage on land in the adjacent Joyce Park. With the grant from Victoria's 150th Anniversary Celebration Committe and generous donations of building materials from Lewis Timber Pty Ltd., the Box Cottage was reconstructed in 1984 using its original doors, window frames, chimney and roof shingles .

Box Cottage Museum houses an eclectic collection of artefacts that reflects the life of residents in the Parish of Moorabbin from the settlement of Brighton in 1841 through to the establishment of The Moorabbin Roads Board 1862 to the city of Moorabbin 1934-94.

CMHS acts as custodian of Box Cottage Museum opening the Cottage and its exhibits for viewing by the public and generally as a resource for citizens with an interest in local history.

In 1841, Henry Dendy, a farmer in Sussex England, purchased 5,120 acres in a "Special Survey of Land in Brighton" in the Port Phillip District of Australia at 1 pound per acre. The area of land extended from Port Phillip Bay to East Boundary Road and from North Road to South Road. In 1850, Dendy began to sell allotments, and pioneers and early settlers bought or rented the lots for market gardens, dairy farms, vineyards, orchards, poultry farms, flower and seed farms. When the Gold Rush of the 1850s brought new immigrants in search of wealth, these farmers supplied the food for the growing City of Melbourne .

William and Elizabeth Avis Box emigrated from Withyham, Sussex, England 1854 and settled in the pioneer cottage in East Brighton (now Ormond ), Victoria c1868 where they lived and raised 13 children. They developed and managed a market garden until William died in 1902.

Alonzo Box was a nephew of William Box. His father was John Box, a brother of William, who lived in Oakleigh.

John Box emigrated with his father George and mother Mary and family in 1854. John worked on the family market garden in Brighton until 1862 when he rented land in Tucker Road, East Brighton (now Bentleigh) and married Martha Sheldrake. They had 10 children - Alonzo was the 9th - and John was a Methodist Lay Preacher and active in the local community. Martha died in 1896 and John married Eleanor Amelia Codrington Rushall in 1900 with whom he had 3 children.

Mrs Nancy Lawson, grand niece of Alonzo Box and member of CMHS Box Cottage Museum.

Ms Avis Box-Leigh, descendant, compiled a family heritage of the Box family and presented the book to the City of Moorabbin Historical Society c 1990

This wedding dress has been on display at Box Cottage Museum, Joyce Park, Jasper Road, Ormond, Victoria, Australia since the donation by Mrs Nancy Lawson in 1985.

The Wedding Dress was entered on the Victorian Collections website of Museums Australia Victoria in 2012 in the Box Cottage Museum Collection Catalogue Number 00003b.

A PROV Grant in 2014 enabled CMHS to purchase a Museum Glass Cabinet from TASHCO and a Mesh Mannequin from Lindie Ward for the safe display of this unique dress at Box Cottage Museum.

A Glen Eira City Council Community Grant 2014 has enabled CMHS to publish a Leaflet depicting the Dress and also a Booklet entitled 'The Story of Box Cottage'.

Piping around collar neckline, inset sleeves and cuff attachment

Bands of hand made lacework around front skirt panels, cuff attachment, collar

The front skirt is gathered by small pleats to fit the waist

Both sides of the Jacket front, collar, sleeves, cuff attachment, and skirt front panels are hand embroidered with a variety of floral patterns,

Hand embroidered Chinese silk. Colour cream

The dress was manufactured in 1918 by an unrecorded dressmaker in Dandenong, Victoria, Australia. It is mainly machine sewn. The cream silk is hand embroidered featuring many different floral designs. The lace inserts are hand made. Hand Crocheted caps adorn the bobbles on the belt/sash and form the false button bobbles on the front of the jacket. Hand Crocheted cords attach the bobbles to the belt/sash.

none

Blouson jacket with long set-in sleeves and 5 panelled ankle-length skirt

4 x hooks & eyes on waistband of skirt.

2 x press studs on tie knot of belt/sash.

4 x press studs on skirt placket left side.

4 x press studs on detachable left cuff.

4 x press studs on jacket front facing.

Drawstring cord inserted in hem of blouson jacket.

Petersham lining of waistband.

6 x whalebone inserts in waistband.

Cotton wool inside 4 x false crocheted buttons on jacket front right.

This outfit in a cream colour silk consisting of a jacket and skirt may have thus been able to be worn again for special occasions.

The original Marriage Certificate of Alonzo & Mary Box 12/6/1918, MAV Cat. No. 00003a

A large wedding photograph of Alonzo and Mary Box in a glass covered wooden frame 12/6/1918  

MAV Cat. No 00003c

There is a cigarette burn on the front right panel of the skirt (1mm x 3mm).

There is some 'foxing' on the lower skirt material.

The fasteners on the skirt waistband - hooks and eyes - appear to have been repositioned at some time.