24th September 1761

Went to Drury Lane King Henry 8 with the Corronation Entertainment 2s

This play by Shakespeare is relatively unpopular today, but was loved by 18th & 19th century audiences for its spectacular pageantry.

The Coronation Entertainment was almost certainly the Ben Jonson play usually called the Coronation Triumph, though there is another tragicomedy by James Shirley, the Coronation, which might have been what Thomas saw.

Sadly, I can't find anything to illustrate this outing.

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).

28th Sept 1741
Paid Rutter for Drawing a Tooth 2/6
1 Oct
Bought 3 Doses Physick 2/-
3 Oct
Bleeding 12d

Oh Dear! Poor Thomas! This doesn't sound good at all does it? It never seems to me that bleeding someone was any way to make them feel better but it carried on as standard medical practice for centuries.

But he must be feeling better later in the month because

19th October
Went to See a play as you Like it with the Skelliton Covent Garden 2/- and spent 6d

This picture of a production of As You Like It, dates from about the same time and was probably done from a London production. I have not found anything about a play called the Skeleton, yet.

An Evening at the Theatre

February 22 1738
Went to Drury Lane play House to see Hamlitt Intertainment Harliquin ship wreck 2/6

Here is a picture of the inside of the theatre in 1775. It is the same building (which was demolished in 1791), designed by Sir Christopher Wren which Thomas visited.


An evening at the theatre typically consisted of a tragedy followed by a comedy and Harlequin Shipwrecked was one such.