Anne, Bernard, Leni - do you know, I think you are right. It makes perfect sense and it's about the right size to take a range of sizes of hatpins. I had reckoned the interior wall was to stop flower stems from moving and slipping inside. But hatpins. That's SO much more believable. And yes, I can even see a couple of long thin marks on the interior base that could conceivably have been made by hatpins
I had also thought that the holes would allow jewelry to get dusty, and for the same reason it couldn't be a covered sugar or a powder box. But yes, I do believe the three of you are the charm! You have had a EUREKA Moment (hope you enjoyed it :lol: ) Thank you all so much for your help. I'm really grateful.
One more point, someone suggested to me today that Matthew Turnbull might have been the maker. Any thoughts?