Drury Lane again.

26 February 1761 went to Drury Lane to see Jealous Wife. Mrs Pritchard, Garick Offley 2/-

The Jealous wife is another play by George Colman the Elder, based on the story of Tom Jones. Once again, you can read the whole play online here. Garrick Played Oakly and Mrs Pritchard was his wife, Mrs Oakly. It was a new play in 1761. The link to the text tells us not only the cast for the first production at Drury Lane but describes the costumes worn. Unfortunately, this production doesn't seem to have been recorded by any painter. The picture below shows Garrick and Hannah Pritchard playing opposite each other in an earlier play, the Suspicious Husband.



Offley? David Garrick was a pupil of Dr Johnson. One of the others was a Mr Offley. But the cast list doesn't include the name and it is quite clearly "Offley" and not "Oakley" that Thomas has written here.

Thomas Goes to Town

23rd Dec 1760 got to London abt Eight at night cost in Expences 12s
24th Paid Mr Hall Portridge of my Box and Lettr 12d

No mention at all of Christmas. The huge celebration does seem to have been a Victorian invention!
And he did not leave Richard Dale with bad feeling because...

12 Jan 1761 Sent Three Barrills of Oysters to my three Friends E Newton, Geo. Ayscough Richd Dale.

19 Jan 1761 Went to Drury Lane playhouse to see the Miner with Polly HoneyComb 2/9

The main piece that evening was "The Minor" by Samuel Foote, a piece which sought to satirise the Methodist movement. The text is available here.


Polly Honeycomb is a one act play by George Colman and you can download the whole script here. The playwright is usually referred to as "the elder" to distinguish him from his son, also called George.

This portrait is by Sir Joshua Reynolds (while he was successful as a playwright, he was also independently wealthy which probably explains a portrait by such a fashionable artist).