6th September 1761

Went to see the Kings Chappell now fitted up for the marriage of the queen it was hung with Tapestry & Eight Looking Glass & 2 Large armed Chares covered with Crimson Velvet gave the men 6d

George III's wedding took place in the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace. The Chapel Royal is a department of the Royal Household. Wikipedia explains it here. A distinctive feature of Chapels Royal is that the choir wear red. Strictly speaking, no other Anglican Choir may do this, however, it tends to be honoured in the breach!


I'm guessing that the chairs probably looked much like this (which was from the Chapel of the now vanished Chandos mansion.

There are not many pictures of the inside (or the outside) of the chapel and, to confuse things, there were two Chapels Royal in St James's Palace at the time. Now one of them is the Queen's Chapel and is outside the modern boundaries of this palace.

This must be a later picture and the chapel was redecorated in 1836. Many Royal Weddings have taken place there including that of Queen Victoria in 1840.

Here is a modern photograph of the chapel

Catching up with Friends, Family & Business

Having arrived in Retford, Thomas then embarks on a round of visits. He dines each night with a different friend or member of his family. He stayed with his sister, Dorothy, and her husband Joseph Bright, who was an apothecary in Retford.

Without any idea who most of these people were, it isn't really very interesting. I may add to this post if I find out anything about them.

However, he didn't forget his friends in London

20 February 1741/2
Sent a Turkey To Mr Byard and Sent one to Miss Hodgson Which Cost 10/6
Carriage to London 2/-

He then visited his family estates at "Pinkston", returned to his sister's house and set off "a Futt" to Mansfield, thence to retrace his journey by "waggon".

This time the stops were Nottingham, Leicester, Northampton, "Hooborn" and "St Holbourn".

This, again took about a week, and Thomas must have been relieved to get off the "waggon" and return to "my Lodgeings in Charles Street, Westminster"

The Frost Fair 1739

20th January 1739/40
Spent on the River Thames when it froze quit over & went to Lambeth 8d

Thomas was in London for one of the very few Frost Fairs in the eighteenth century. The dates are confusing to us because the year changed with the financial year. The two pictures shown below are of that actual Frost Fair.


29th January
Gave for printing my name and others when it froze over and spent 18d


Charles II had his name printed on a card from the printer's booth on the ice too but in 1684.
His survives (sadly Thomas's does not)

Thomas joins the Weavers' Company

5th January 1740
4oz White Sugar Candy for a Cold 12d

10th January 1740
a bottle of wine to mix with something for a violet cough 2/6
Ingredientes put Into it 2/6

14th January 1740
Paid Mr Smart for swearing me into the Weavers Company before the Chamberlin
His Feeses came to £1.16s
Paid for the Paper he swore me by to pass the Old Office 8/-
Paid for my Freedom to be in the Wheavours Company £3.12s2d
Paid for the Coppy of my Freedom and the Clarks 10/6
Paid for the Box 1/-
Paid for Attendence 3/8

Then the Chamberlin shaked me by the hand and wish'd me joy

So Thomas did not let feeling ill stop him from making career progress. The Box may have looked like this...

A Freeman of the City of London

8 December 1739
Paid to Mr Smart attorney to himself before his maid Servant in his Kitching In Wheavours Hall in Bazing Hall Street by Gild Hall to pay in to the Chamberlins Hands that is John Bosworth Esqr to make me free of the City of London Twenty Five Punds one Shilling.

This is a truly astonishing sum of money! Thomas did not earn that working for Thomas Hinchcliffe so he must have been subbed from home. In the eighteenth century all middle class professions required investment - the training of a naval officer, the purchase of a commission in the army, the education of a clergyman, living in London while training for a lawyer - all required substantial financial resources. It seems that being a London merchant was just another in the same vein. (reference for the costs of training - MF Odintz's PhD "The British Officer Corps 1754-1783. University of Michigan 1988)

John Bosworth, later Sir John, was elected Chamberlain in 1734. The election was hotly contested. He is listed as a tobacconist of Newgate Street. There was, I think a monument to him in Christchurch Newgate St but the nave is a shell.

May 14 1739
I had a Summons from Gildhall to Shew Cause why I served as a journeyman in the City of London being not Free


No, Thomas was not a slave. He was not a Freeman of the City of London which he should have been before becoming a journeyman there.


The building is the same one Thomas saw.