From the late 18th century onwards, increased commercial activity, better rates of literacy, expanding intellectual curiosity and the more complex bureaucratic demands of the State meant that writing for official purposes became an everyday part of the lives of more and more people.

In 1840, the Penny Post was introduced. As well as vastly reducing the cost of posting a letter, this brought in a new concept. Now, the sender of the letter rather than the receiver paid for the postage. The result was an upsurge in letter-writing (the number of letters sent quadrupled in the next decade alone). Now it became common to acknowledge gifts, commiserate or congratulate on the life events of friends and family and to share news and ideas by letter (and soon after, by way of the mass-produced greetings card). Writing for personal purposes as well as writing for business purposes was to keep the Victorian Post Office very busy indeed.

As with every new fad, copious letter-writing brought forth new tools and applications. Rather like mobile phones or laptop computers these days, writing desks (also known as ‘lap desks’, ‘writing cases’, ‘dispatch boxes’ and ‘dispatch cases’) came in different shapes and sizes, made from different materials and with different extras depending on the pocket of the user. Extras on such desks might include compartments in which to store paper and copies of letters sent, bottles of ink, pens, nibs, penwipers (made of black felt), blotting pads, postage stamps, sealing wax and seals. Occasionally writing boxes also included light wells (for matches), spaces for candlesticks and a reading stand.

Let’s not underestimate how welcome the convenience of a writing desk must have been to our ancestors. Similarly to the way in which laptops have modified the usage of desktop computers, writing desks extended the possibilities of the writing bureau. Now, for the first time, people could write comfortably in different locations. Lap desks often included writing slopes and compartments to house inkwells (tightly sealed to prevent spillages). With a writing desk, users could also write comfortably on journeys by ship or rail. Indeed such desks were to be carried by army men or ship’s captains – or rather by their servants – to the furthest flung outposts of the Empire.

These newfangled personal possessions were attractive because, in a bustling, urbanising world, they provided a place of privacy and, where necessary, secrecy. Instead of modern usernames and passwords, many writing boxes had hidden drawers and could be locked with a key. Just as the modern laptop doubles as a camera, desk diary, music machine and storage device (and much else besides, of course), so too did writing desks sometimes encompass other functions. A lady’s writing box, for example, might also have been used as a sewing box, or might have included sections for the storage of items connected to her toilette. A gentleman’s box might have included similar compartments for shaving or grooming items.

Dating your writing desk
An antiques expert might help you to properly place your inherited writing slope in a particular historical period, but here are a few pointers to help you date it more generally:

1780-1820: The production of writing boxes flourished after 1784 when armed guards started to protect mail coaches and, as a consequence, more mail was entrusted to the postal service of the day. You are extremely unlikely to have a writing box which precedes this date. If your box was made between 1780 and 1820, it is likely to have a flat top and be made of solid mahogany, bound with thick brass corners and screwed with steel screws (able to withstand the rigours of heavy journeys and changes in humidity). The slopes inside will probably be covered in baize. These boxes were sometimes known as ‘military’ or ‘campaign’ boxes. Writing slopes (rather than boxes) were also produced between 1780 and 1820 for domestic use. Many of these sit atop a shallow box and are made of pine, oak, mahogany or oak and are thickly veneered. They may be decorated with stringing, cross banding or marquetry.

1800-1830: Boxes were made from thick veneers of mahogany, kingwood, rosewood, yew or fruitwoods. Some were made in tortoiseshell and brass or papier-mache. They may have been decorated with marquetry of naturalistic, neo-classical or geometric designs or with inlaid brass or mother-of pearl. The slopes provided a slightly larger writing surface than those which came earlier.

1830-1900: Boxes produced from 1830 onwards tended to be lighter and less solid. Decoration was finer with thin, knife-cut veneer (produced by a mechanised process) in walnut, bird’s eye maple, burr chestnut or rosewood. Inlays of mother or pearl and thin brass appeared while the marquetry of earlier decades disappeared. The wood inside and outside the boxes was French polished and glossy and secret drawers were more common.

Writing boxes just about died out at the end of the 19th century with the advent of the first usable fountain pen in 1895.