25 July 1746
Went with Mr Robinson to Matlock
26 July
Went to Ensor Inn to see the Duke of Devonshires House & Gardins & went back to Matlock, gave to see the House and Gardens my share 2/6 Spt at Inn 18d



Ensor is a contraction of Edensor – it is pronounced Enzor according to the Derbyshire Web Site. The village was moved by the Duke of Devonshire and all the houses bar one date from around 1840 & I can't find a picture of that house.

28 July
Left Matlock Earley in the morning and cost me and Horse their 12d
Went to Kedleston & Dined at Inn & went a futt to Ireton to see Lady Coursens Folley which is one mile from Kedleston & got to Nottingham that night & cost 3/6
Had Mr Gibsons Horse £0.0s0d

Thomas must refer to the Ireton which names Ireton Lodge, which is, indeed one mile from Kedleston.

Thomas celebrates his Birthday, a Mystery entry & a Rebellion

21st February 1744/5
Spent My Birth Day Punch 2/9

11th March
gave to see the Seenography 12d

(the what?)

3 December 1745
Mr Gibson & all the people was very Busey in hideing all their Effects and plate for fear the Reblells should come here and take them a way. Banker Smiths family With all their Cash Left Nottingham besides Numbers of the best Familey and in particular the prespiterent Sett
4 Dec the Rebells got to Derby and Stayed their till the 6 Decem and went Back again abt 12 oClock at noon to Ashborn & so to Scotland.

You remember from your history lessons that the Young Pretender and his army marched as far south as Derby? Well, here you see the effect it had on the City of Nottingham, just 15 miles away (a day's march).

Thomas's spelling is a dodgy at the best of times but I assume he means that the Presbyterians were nervous of the Catholic Charles Edward Stuart.

Thomas is in Nottingham

Thomas didn’t tell us where Mr Richard Gibson, who he is working for, lived but the posts below make it pretty obvious he is in Nottingham.

19th July 1744
Went to Clifton Gardens Mr Dancer spt 12d
26 Spt at Blackamoors Head Mr Fox London 12d

Clifton Gardens must have been the gardens of Clifton Hall

This picture is from 1676, but the next picture shows a remodelled house which dates from rather later than 1744.
More about Clifton Hall and the family who owned it can be found here.

The Blackamoor's Head must be the forerunner of the famous Black Boy which was in the centre of Nottingham. The building that was demolished was Victorian (but still should have been left!!) and Mr Fox must be a friend from London.

EDIT JULY 09 - I've just discovered that the Blackamore's Head was quite a different place - It was in Pelham Street.

18th August 1744

Went to Derby and from there to Kedleston to see Sir Nathl Coursons House and Lay that night at Derby
19 See the Silk mills & the Earl of Exeters Gardens and Cost me in all 10/-

Kedleston Hall now belongs to the National Trust and there are dozens of pictures on the web but that is not the place Thomas visited. The current Hall was built for Sir Nathaniel Curzon by Robert Adam in 1758. The world's passion for Palladian architecture ensures that google returns dozens of Adam related links but not a thing about the previous house.

The Earl of Exeter owned Exeter House which stood in Full Street, Derby, until 1854.
As Thomas only visited the garden, I won't post a picture from the inside, but you can visit some of the panelling in Derby Museum.
The Silk Mill was one of the earliest factories in the world and parts of it remain - Derby Museum refers again! There have been two mills on the site - the second, built in 1717, is the one Thomas visited, of course. Here it is.



30th August 1744
Spent at Pinkston Feast 3/6

I now have the benefit of some local knowledge and I understand that Pinxton Feast, also called Pinxton Wakes, is first recorded in the 1570s in a notebook by Edward Revell, whose family owned Carnfield Hall.

27th May 1744 Took my leave of all my friends at Retford and spent at Mr Pinders 2/6
(I wonder what Mr Pinder sold) Thomas had spent a little over a month there this time.

28th May Went to Pinkston in Derbyshire and the 29th May 1744 got to Mr Richard Gibson Linen Draper at 3 oClock in the afternoon agreed with him to Live with him as a Journeyman and he would please me For the time should staye with him before Mr Thomas Wheat of Retford Mercer when he was over at Retford some Time in May 1744

Thomas has signed this.

Gave our Tenants man at Pinkston 1s & his Daughter 12d Spent their 12d 2nd July Spt St Ann’s Well 4d

I wonder why Thomas went there? Is the malaria hanging about? However, his new job is not preventing Thomas from sightseeing

9th July Went along with one at Bodsford to see the Duke of Rutlands House at Beaver and see the Church at Bodsford & Volts where the Family is Buried spt 1s6d

That must be Bottesford and is, of course, Belvoir Castle and the family Vaults!
Thomas would not have seen the same Belvoir Castle as we can visit today. It was rebuilt in the early nineteenth century. This is the only picture I can find of the earlier building
And, just to complete the picture, the remains of the Dukes of Rutland have moved as well. Thomas visited St Mary the Virgin Bottesford and there are some wonderful pictures of the church and the memorials Thomas would have seen here.

Thomas spent the next few months in Retford, travelling to collect money due to him and his sisters, that bond that is mentioned in the last post, in particular.

So much of Thomas's life is totally different from today but some things have not changed

29 Jan 1743/4
Paid for Carriage of my Trunk from Hull to Retford which was nearly 4 months in the comeing 3/-

(Thomas paid for the trunk to go from London to Hull in early September!)

Food must have been poor in London (unless you were very rich, of course) as this next entry shows

6 Aprill 1744
Sent Tim Mitchell of London a pott Butter and Cariage as a present 5/9

That's a huge sum of money for butter, don't you think?

Spent from March 10 to Aprill 22 in Ale 9s 3d

Thomas drinks "Bear" when in London.

12 May
Went to Market Rasin & staid at Mr Scotts to 15 May & gave maids and spent their 5/6
Mr Camplin Came over and Paid me in part of Bond for Self & Sister 5.0.0
Went that Day to Caster to see his Uncle Scott and stayed to 17 May and gave Man and Maid
2/0
and went to Hull the same day 17th and got home to Retford from Hull 22 May and Cost me in Expences at Hull & Comeing Back again for my share 6/4
had Brothers Horse so Cost nothing in Horse Hire --- They Grumbled at the Expences and said I had Spent a Deal.

What ungrateful sisters Thomas has!

Thomas Contracts the Ague

13 September 1743
Lay at Mr Smiths and Spent their 2/9
Gave a man for Two Horses to goe with me to Gainsbrough and spent their 6s
And got to Retford a futt that night

The journey on horseback was 32miles, but, after that, Thomas walked almost 12 miles.
He must have stayed with family as he spends very small amounts of money for the 10 days he stays in Retford and doesn’t mention what he bought.

24 September
Sett Forwards to Market Rasin to see my master that I was apprentice with.
Spent at Gainsbrough 12d
Spent at Rasin from 24 sept to 30th 3/6


(he’s staying with his master.. he must be!)

and went to Caster to see his Uncle and staid till the 18th October Cost me 7/6
went from Thence to Louth and from Louth to Marsh Chappell to Mr Camplins & Received 5 pounds for Self & 3 Sisters in part of a Bond he owed he owed to my Grandmother & She left it to me & 3 Sisters 2 days & went to Alford to see Mr Bennet & staid till 24th Oct Spt 8/-
& Returned to Market Rasin 25 October and fell Ill of the Fenn Ague and was Ill at Mr Scotts till 3 November and Cost me in wine and nurse 12/-
Paid Mr Hubbert the Apothecary for Physick Blister etc, etc 16/-
Paid Mrs Byfield for washing my Linen the Time I stayed their 3/6
Gave Mr Scotts 2 maids & man 7/6
And Got to Retford 4 Nov
Spent at Gainsbrough 1/8
Had my Brothers Horse with me all the Time which cost me nothing 0.0.0

(that’s the first time Thomas has recorded spending nothing!)
Fenn Ague is malaria – Thomas has something in common with that famous diarist Samuel Pepys, who also contracted the Ague. It killed Oliver Cromwell.
More about Fenn Ague here.

To Hull by Sea

Thomas's sisters went home to Retford on the 17th August 1743

20th August
Paid Carriage of my Box to Retford 3/-

24th August
Paid Mr Woring in half Moon Court Cheap Side for a Grizel Wigg and gave me a Receipt. £1


I'm not sure that I have the name of the wigmaker correct - the writing is not clear - the wig is a grey one. Then Thomas does a lot more shopping which is all pretty routine, followed by this journey...

3rd September
Gave a man 2/3 to Take my Trunk on Board a Ship going to Hull & Spent this Day before I went on Board in punch, Bear & Fish 5/- (Thomas means beer)
Paid Lodgings & Washing in full 3/2
Sett forwards thisEvening and got to Hull the 9 September at 2 oClock in the afternoon and paid the Capt. for our passidge my Self & a Dutch Dog and my Trunk £1.1s
we was in a storme for 4 Days and was Drove near Hambourge I was sick for 3 Days and Could not Eat or Drink all that time.

(Poor Thomas! and what about the Dog? He doesn't mention buying it)

Left Hull & got to Barton the 12 September
Spent at Hull 6s

That must be Barton-upon-Humber. It's the other side of the Humber Estuary, but there is no mention of paying a Ferryman.

Thomas's Brother, John, then came to visit and his sisters moved their lodgings to St James's House in St James's Street. The round of sight seeing continues but mostly to places Thomas has already visited so we have already found out what we can about them.

Aug 1 1743
Went to Dr Tayler for advice of my Eyes he Cutt a vain or two in my Temples and gave me Two Bottles & gave him 10/6

(this is beyond comment!)

And, at last, an outing to a new place

Aug 15 1743
Dined with Sisters & Mr Longdon and Mr Fox went to Chelsea to See Sir Robert Walpooles Grotto & Gardens & The Physick Gardens & Don Salteras Rariteys and Cost us a Pieces 2/6

Sir Robert Walpole, famous as the first Prime Minister of Britain, had a house in Chelsea, close to the Royal Hospital.The house was extensively remodelled, into part of the Royal Hospital. Here is a portrait of the man himself.


And this is the only picture I can find which seems to be of the original house (It's the Vanbrugh Orangery). It became the Infirmary and was destroyed in World War II. I had to resorted to paper research to find that piece of information (Pevsner's Buildings of England, no less).


"Don Salteras" was known as Don Saltero but was really James Salter (a glamourous name never did any harm, it seems). His Coffee house and museum were in Cheyne Walk and Benjamin Franklin records visiting to see the curiosities in his autobiography. James Salter had worked for Sir Hans Sloane, whose collections form the basis of the British Museum, and at least some of his exhibits came from his former master's collections. It seems that he added some items of uncertain provenance such as the almost inevitable piece of the true Cross and.... "Pontius Pilate's wife's chambermaid's sister's hat" !

Thomas takes His Sisters Out & About

11th May 1743 Went with Sisters to See Earl of Essex with Mock Doctor 2/6

There seem to have been several plays based on the story of Thomas Cromwell, the first Earl of Essex, and I can't establish which one Thomas, Dorothy, Mary and Ann saw, yet. The Mock Doctor has been discussed in this blog before. The Earl of Essex was, of course, the tragedy which preceded the comedy making for a balanced evening's entertainment. Here is a poster for a performance of the Mock Doctor which was a few years later at the same theatre.



12th May
Spent 6d and went with Sisters & Mr Fox to Ranelagh & Spt. 2/6
15th May
Went with Sisters to Kensington Gardens and Dined & Supt at Kensington & Spent 18d
28th May
Went with Sisters & Mr Ashton to Vaux Hall & Cost me their & Boat Hire 3/-

Thomas is showing his sisters the sights of London. He has visited the two pleasure gardens and the Royal gardens at Kensington before. Using a boat to get to Vauxhall, which was, of course, on the Surrey side of the Thames, was part of the event and a great deal of the cost. There are 18th century poems about Vauxhall here.
This map shows the location of the gardens and something of their layout.

The Family come Visiting

1st Aprill 1743
Spent Mr Bingley 6d He blooded me nothing

(even for free I don't fancy that treatment!)

2nd
My Sisters Dorothy & Mary Tye Come to London & Lodged at the House I doe
3rd Spent with Sisters at Home 6d
4th Mutton 6d
5th Spent 6d
6th Spent 6d Sister Ann Tye come this day
7th went with Sisters to See the Dutchess of Buckingham Lye in Stait & was Buried this day & was drawn in a State Bed. She Lay in waxwork on the Coffin with all her Coronation Close on and all her Jewells & a woman Kneeled at the Head and another at her feet their was a great many mourning Coaches be Sides Number of noblemens Coaches in the Procesion which was the greater buring thats been seen for many years and spent at a Coffee House 18d



Now this was a really great event. Catherine, Duchess of Buckingham(that's her, painted by Rubens above), was an illegitimate daughter of James II and she never let anyone forget her royal blood, especially not at her funeral. Both Walpole and Pope made waspish comments about her pride and the extravagance of her funeral. The Wax figure survived to be photographed.


It is said that she supervised the dressing of the figure herself. Proud and extravagant she may have been, but poor Catherine buried all her four children. That is the funeral effigy of one of them in the picture. She and two of her sons were buried in Westminster Abbey.

This description is the longest I've found so far in Thomas's book of any event. He must have been mightily impressed.

Thomas hears Handel.. conducted by Handel!

Thomas, unusually, does not make it obvious whether the next entry I shall post was on the 18th or the 19th of March 1742/3

Went to see the Oritorio Covent Garden 3/6

This must have been Handel's Samson. It was premiered on the 18th of February and there were 8 performances - the most ever in a first season for a Handel oratorio. Samson was much more popular in the eighteenth century than the now more famous Messiah. That was premiered on 23rd March and Thomas wasn't there.

The role of Delilah was played by Susannah Cibber, pictured below. She was the daughter of Thomas Arne and an accomplished actress as well as a singer.



21 March
Went to See Hamlett & Mr Hinton of Hull 2/6

After Samson was Garrick's Hamlet still stunning, I wonder. I'm sure Thomas means that he went to the theatre with Mr Hinton who was, presumably, a business contact.

20th February 1742/3
Spent with Mr Nelson at Highgate 8d

The only contemporary picture of Highgate that I can find is this one
Thomas must, surely, have seen such a prominent building?

A mere 5 miles each way which is short for Thomas on a Sunday (it was a Sunday)

21st Feb
Went to see the Merry Wives of Windsor with Orpheus & Uridicey. The Serpent come on the Stage the Thing was their 2/6

Orpheus & Eurydice was an opera produced by John Rich at Covent Garden. The Serpent was mechanical and the talk of London according to the Scots Magazine of 1740. Its inventor, Sam Hoole went bankrupt when left with a stock of serpent toys (merchandising, it seems, is nothing new).

1st February 1743
Went to Drury Lane play House to See Cato & Entertainment. 2/6

Thomas has seen Cato before. The Entertainment was a generic name for the comedy which ended each evening at the theatre. If you left before it, you received a refund on your ticket.

14th February
Sent Brother a present of the Pope in Wax In Wax Work done by a fine hand at Rome. Bout of a Frend Cost 10/6

Once again, Thomas leaves me wondering. The Pope? In eighteenth century London? I have enough information to be pretty sure that the Tye family was soundly Church of England, but perhaps I am wrong? This post will, of course be edited if I discover anything more.

P.S. John Tye was Compounded as a Catholic some family papers tell me. Now I have to find out what that means (edit 2.3.2009)

And the portrait - was it bas relief or 3D? My money is on the former but there are surviving half length life-size wax portraits from the 18th century as well as smaller busts and bas reliefs such as this one of George Washington

The Pope in question ought to have been Benedict XIV who was elected in 1740

No Turkey for Christmas

25 Dec 1742
Paid carriage of a Hare from Brother 6d
26 Dined on the Hare at Home 2 Days & spt 3d

That doesn't sound like a Merry Christmas, does it?

Then he eats out at friends' houses for a bit, then...

9 January 1742/3
Dined at Home in Stead of Xmas Day spent nothing

Did you know that "Xmas" was used so long ago?
Whatever does he mean by "in Stead"? He dined at home on 25 December.

10 January
Went to See King Richard the Third Garick Richard. Skeliton 2/- Aples 2d

Culture AND fruit!!! All on one day! (sorry, I feel sarcastic when I see how far from his 5 portions of fruit and veg a day Thomas was!).

Here is a wonderful Hogarth painting of David Garrick as Richard III. It was painted in 1745 but based on Garrick's appearance in 1743 which, by happy coincidence is the right year for this blog.
Thomas, as followers of this blog will remember, now lives in King Street, Covent Garden, so he is only round the corner from the theatre. It seems likely that John Rich, under his stage name Lun, was Harlequin in the comic piece which ended the evening.

24 October 1742
Dined with Madam Mawson and gave maid 12d
25 October
Three Doses Physick 2/- Broth 1d Veal 4d

(Do you think something disagreed with Thomas?)

31 October
Went to Camberwell with Mr Crask & spt 6d
7 November
Went to Clapham with Mr Hall and Spent 8d
8 November
Spent with Mr Hinton of Hull at Hampstead 8d


I wish I knew why they went to Camberwell & Clapham but they were both Sunday outings so perhaps it was just walking for pleasure?
The time spent with Mr Hinton was much more likely to be a business meeting as Thomas owned property in Hull.


18 November
A Loaf 4d Butter 7d Beef 12d Paresnaples 4

I don't usually record Thomas's grocery shopping as it is rather dull but he bought VEG! He hardly ever buys veg.
I'm not entirely sure about my interpretation of Thomas's spelling but he must mean parsnips, surely?

20 November
Went to See the Concious Lovers w Sceleton 2/-

The Conscious Lovers is a play Thomas has seen before as is the Skeleton. The second piece is Harlequin Skeleton, a comedy mime where Harlequin is frightened by the skeleton. There wasn't much choice of play in London at this date as only a very few theatres were allowed by law.

3December
Roasted Veal Cook Shop 10d

I knew that many people did not have ovens so they used Cook shops - this is the first time Thomas mentions using one. Strangely, he doesn't mention buying the meat.

4 December
a Baskitt from Brother with 6 pounds Butter 2 Dryed Tonges and a Chees 7 pound gave Porter for Bringing the Baskitt 6d

That will keep the wolf from the door.

December 5
Dined with Mr Gulifent of Retford and Spent 6d
December 7
Spent Mr Gulifent at Baudy House 6d

Thomas was showing his country friend the bright lights of London?