Release of Point Piper indenture, 1826

Important and historical Australian Colonial land indenture for the Release of Point Piper, dated March 1826, between John and Anne Piper to Daniel Cooper, William Redfern and Solomon Levey, for the amount of 6000 pounds, signed and sealed by John Piper and Anne Piper, ink on vellum, 60 cm x 76 cm Exhibited: Australian Icons, Shapiro, 2007 reference: Sydney Morning Herald, 18th Jan 2007, by Steve Meacham note: 'In early 1826, Governor Darling takes over from Sir Thomas Brisbane as Governor of NSW and Piper, as Chairman of the Bank of New South Wales as naval Officer for the Colony, finds himself under investigation. Marjorie Barnard has noted in her definitive biography of Piper that he had mortgaged his property to the firm of Cooper & Levey in March 1826 for 20,000 pounds, but probably only received half of that to help him settle his accounts. This document though makes it clear that Piper had sold the whole of Point Piper, with its mansion, houses and stables following the first advertisement for its sale in March 1826, and not in 1827. Thus a letter from Kirkwood to Piper in April 1826 makes sense: 'I cannot explain how I felt when I received your letter, with Point Piper sold, all the Hospitality of Sydney completely destroyed!' - and why Piper held only one more 'magnificent fete' at Henrietta Villa that same month - before Cooper & Levey took possession. When Darling had looked into the affairs of the Bank of NSW he found that nearly 60,000 pounds was on loan to 4 merchants, friends of the directors, which could not be called in without bankrupting them. Of this amount Darling deemed Piper was responsible for 13,000 pounds and he suspended his position as Chairman in April 1827. Friends rallied, but even Daniel Cooper's 'donation' of 7000 pounds was against more of Piper's property. At the public sale of the contents of Henrietta Villa on June 4 1827 - whereby the auctioneer John Paul was acting for Cooper & Levey - Daniel Cooper purchased it from his own Company ' - Australian Icons Exhibition catalogue, Thompson, Gumquest, 2007