17th February 1764

Paid Chare Hire to Carrey my Wife & her Sister to Reurn Their Brides Vissetts
8/-

Elizabeth's sister was Barbara. I haven't found anything about her marriage yet or was she single and just accompanying her sister?

There's lots about Sedan chairs here.

Sunday 5th Feb 1764

Maid my appearence with my wife at St Peters Church. She had come to see heras Follows Mrs Young Miss Streley Mr Richard Mrs Evans Mrs Toopotts Miss Petterer Miss Grant Miss Leatham Mrs Abbey Mrs Cox Mrs Green Miss Mather Mrs Biggs by Mrs PlowmanMiss Jerom Mrs Burin Miss Bilby Mrs Partridge Miss Cant Mrs Truman Mrs Gibson Mrs Boot Miss Burditt The Revd Mr Chappell Mr Knowles Miss Bigsby Miss Mason Mrs Heathcoat Mrs Edge Miss Rosin &Mrs Tutin Mrs Bettison & Mrs Allison


It would seem that the first appearance in church of a married couple was quite an event.

Mr Chappell was newly married himself but his wife is not in the list.

The name "Toopotts" caught my eye - there are no google results for that and very few for Topotts.

4th Oct 1762

Bot. 2 Sugar Basons 2/- on Board the Triton Indiaman Deptford & 6 Blue & white Coffee Cups 3/-

Thomas is still preparing for married life but he doesn't seem to be in any hurry, does he?
The Triton is interesting. She was built for the French East India company and captured by Captain James Cook RN in May 1756. There is an account online of how it happened. This contains the sentence "It does not appear to have been taken into service by the Navy. " No, she was sold to the East India Company!



13th Went to Baggenigee Wells & Garden Spt 6d



The mineral springs in the garden of Baggenige House were discovered in 1760, after which it became a famous spa/pleasure garden see here for more.

The site of the house, now 63 Kings Cross Road, is marked by a plaque

28th June 1762

Went to Woolidge & went on Board the Warwick Indiaman. Bout. a Silk Handkerchief 4/-
and See the Warren & all the Cannons morters Bum Shells & Cannon Balls came back through Hanging wood so to Charlton where Horne Fair is kept so to Greenwich Deptford & home spent their 12


Warwick was a Ship of course - belonging to the East India company. Read about such ships here. It would seem that the Warwick was not exactly new when Thomas went aboard on that June Monday. (Now he isn't at work, his trips out are not confined to Sundays as they were at the beginning of this blog). The ship is mentioned in the London Magazine for 1752.

The Warren is the old name for the Royal Arsenal

Hanging Wood - the remains and there is an interesting post abou it in the Greenwich Phantom's blog



The Horn Fair - this fair, suppressed in the 19th century has been revived

3 June 1762

Went to Greenwich See the Chappell & Painted Hall the 4 Elements Fire Air Earth & Water 4 Seasons Spring Sumer Autumn & Winter 4 Quarter of the World Europe Asia Africa & America besides a Great many other Curious Paintings all of them are painted on the top of the Sealing 12d

Well.. that's easy, isn't it? Find a picture of the Old Royal Naval College Chapel. It is still there.
No, it is not easy! This is the chapel in 1779


The original design by Thomas Ripley was replaced and that is the interior you can visit today.

If anyone finds picture of the earlier chapel interior, please let me know, could you?

The Painted Hall is a magnificent place - almost every inch of wall and ceiling covered in paintings by Sir James Thornhill. To select one picture is almost impossible so here is a panoramic view.

However, I did say "almost" so here is where the painter included his own portrait in the mural

20th October 1761

Bout. in Crooked Lane a Baggam Table wth. Men & Boxes & a pair of Second Hand Dyes 17/-
a Mother of Pearl Mustard Spoon 12d
Tea Tongs 9d
a Fishing Rod 4 Lengths 3/9
a Box & Lynes & Hooks 3/-


"Baggam" is Backgammon, which was very popular in the 18th century. History here.

This board, counters, dice & cups all date from the eighteenth century.

There is no date given for this spoon, but mother-of-pearl spoons seem to look much the same today as they did when Thomas bought his.


I haven't found a good picture of a contemporary fishing rod, but this page will tell you something about the subject. However, Crooked Lane was an interesting shopping place. This picture is a little later.

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

3 June 1761 Went to Drury Lane to see Jane Shore. Mrs Yates Elisia Mrs Sibber Mr Shore Mr Havers Hastings Mr Garick Gloster Mr Davis wth Harlequin Ranger 2/3


I've found the text of the play here. It was written by Nicholas Rowe "in imitation of Shakespear's style", first performed at Drury Lane in 1714 and based on the life of a real woman, Jane Shore, a mistress of Edward IV.


Thomas saw Mrs Yates earlier in 1761 , has has heard Mrs Cibber sing as well as act...picture here.
Her part is properly "Alicia".

Mr Havers is difficult but I think this may be him

Harlequin Ranger is the short comic piece. It was written by Henry Woodward, a protege of Lun who was a famous Harlequin. Here is one of many portraits of him which survive.

23 May 1761
Paid Mr Ward watchmaker in Abchurch Lane for a new Silver watch in Exchange for my Old Pinch Back Watch five pounds as by his Receipt the No. of it is No.6923


Thomas has upgraded his watch, having swapped from silver to pinchbeck once before.

Pinchbeck is an alloy of copper and zinc which was used to imitate gold.

Abchurch Lane is still there in the City of London, running between King William Street & Cannon Street.

I need to do some more research about Mr Ward, but he may have been the master of the Clockmakers' Company in 1795 - a bit about that here.

18th May 1761
Went to see the paintings, modals, sculptures and drawings etc etc at the Society for Arts & Manufactures - Catalogue 6d


Thomas visited the second ever exhibition mounted by what is today called the RSA. It was founded as a result of a bright idea by William Shipley in 1754. There is more history here.

Thomas goes for a Walk!

26th April 1761 Sunday Went wth Mr Hall this day into four Countys Middlesex Surry Kent & Essex Greenwich Blackwall Bowbridge Bednell Green Hackney Lowlaton Epin Forrist and See the Earl of Finleys Gardens & House
Went Back by by Temple millns & Hackney Spt. 2/6


I don't know where Thomas and his friend started from as Thomas has not told us where he is living.


Greenwich - this part will have looked much the same to Thomas as to us today



Google wants him to go through the Rotherhithe Tunnel to get between Greenwich & Blackwall. But that wasn't open until 1908. I think he probably took a ferry from Greenwich to the Isle of Dogs. An 18th century map shows Horse Ferry House opposite Greenwich on the Isle of Dogs. This ferry is still commemorated in road names, East & West Ferry Roads and Ferry Street and a pub... The Ferry House



After Blackwall, Thomas went on to Bow Bridge which is over the River Lea, not the Thames.

From there on to what we call Bethnal Green, of course, but this it not an example of Thomas's often dodgy spelling - It was called Bednall Green and there was a large house which served as a lunatic asylum there in 1761... more about the history of the area and a picture of the house here.


Lowlaton is Leyton. Thomas has been there before.

Epping Forest stretched from Forest Gate to Epping so I think we can assume that Thomas touched the Forest in the South, nearer the former than the latter.


Temple millns must be Temple Mill Lane which is not far from Leyton tube station but I guess looked greener than it does today (google maps shows a bleak mostly concrete landscape).

I've drawn a complete blank on the Earl of Finlay & his house.

Shopping!

22nd April 1761 Bout. Mr. Asycough a Glass to magnifi 4/-
a pair of Spectacles for my Dear Miss Bett Newton 8/-
a yard Rule 12 a glass for a watch 12d
a pair of Spectacles for my Self 2/6

Miss Newton must be important - her specs cost a lot more than Thomas's! There are examples of what the spectacles may have looked like at the British Optical Association's website here.

A magnifying glass of the right sort of age is illustrated here.

25th April 1761 Bout. a Cribidge Board 2/4 Comb Brush 6/-
Spice Box 16 2 Tortisshell Combs 3/6

I had no idea that Cribbage was such an old game, however, a quick google reveals, yet again, how much I have to learn. Click here to read a history of Cribbage. This is a cribbage board which is a little later than 1761 - it is thought to date from around 1775.



Here is a Georgian spice box. It will set you back around £400 today.

5th April 1761
Went to Text 12 Eclias. 1vs spt 6d

In the King James this text is

¹Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

We've already met the archbishop.

10th ltt. E Newton 4 Oysters 3d

Good to see that Thomas is keeping in touch with Elizabeth.

11th Went to See Covent Garden Romeo & Juliet Ross Romeo Miss Macklin Juliet 2/3

"Miss Macklin" was Mary, the daughter of the famous Irish actor Charles Macklin. She doesn't seem to have left any portraits. I've found only mention of "Ross" as an actor at Covent Garden in the right era but nothing much more (except that he was not as much of a draw as Garrick at Drury Lane at the same time!).

19th March 1761 This Day Thursday the Parliament was Disolved

Election campaigns were short in the 18th century. The actual election took place between 25th March and 5th May with different constituencies voting on different days. Lots more about this election can be found on wikipedia.

22 Went to see Mr Bladon at Tottenham High Cross went ay Hogsdon Newington Butts spt 9d


Tottenham High Cross was given a Gothic makeover in 1809 but the picture below shows it as Thomas would have seen it. Newington Butts was already built on by the time Thomas went there.. it is totally unromantic today (Use Google Maps to see the rather dull housing that is there now).

2nd Sept 1761 Bout a pint Rum 15d 6th Bout a Spieing Glass 5/- 1 Vol Tattlersle a song book 3d

Here is a telescope of about the right date. I can't make any sense of the book he bought. Can you?


Went to Covent Garden Play House to See an oratorio of Samson Organ Mr Hanley Violin Signor Giardini the King & all the Royal Family was their 5/-

Giardini, pictured below, was an Italian violinist and composer who settled in England.


The King was the soon to be crowned George III


He was not married so there was no Queen (yet) but perhaps his mother, Augusta, Princess of Wales, accompanied him?


He also had brothers & sisters. He would, of course have had the usual quota of hangers on and flunkies!

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 settles in

3 Feby 1761 Paid Mr Hall Two Pounds Eleven Shilings in full for six weeks Bord & Lodgeing Due ys Day

It's the thorn again - "ys" represents "this".

4 Paid Mr Hall for 6 Cups & 6 Sausers and Two China Basons 8/6

11 Went to Drury Lane to See much ador abt. Nothing with Edgar and Emmelia 2/-

Well, Much Ado needs no explanation but the second piece is an opera called Edgar and Emmeline composed by Michael Arne. The libretto is available here but to save you reading PAGES of impenetrable verse, I'll tell you that the hero is the Earl of Kent, disguised as a woman, the heroine is the daughter of the Earl of Northumberland, disguised as a man and most of the rest of the cast are fairies! Thomas was seeing this production early in its run as the premier was only on the 31st January.

Emmeline was played by Mary Ann Yates who was most famous as a tragedian (but nothing with a fairy called "Grotilla" in it can be a tragedy!). This is a portrait of Mrs Yates.


She played opposite a Mr O'Brien - I think this is him

Thomas gets a new Landlady and makes a Journey

18th December 1760 Richd Dale was married to Miss Dolly Drury

This was at St Peter's Nottingham, which I found using the magic of the internet - this website. Of course, the bride's proper name is Dorothy.

But the situation didn't last

20th December Paid Mr Richd Dale for two months Board and Lodging and all Demands by his Receipt and left him on this Day £2.0.0

21st December Gave Mr Newtons maid 2/6 Stay at Mr Newtons 2 Nights

22nd December Sett Forward to London in Coach and paid Coach Hire to London £1.8s

The Lottery 18th Century Style

In spite of having lost money on previous lottery tickets, Thomas has not quite given up hope

7 February 1759 Bout a Tickett of Mr Geo Ayscough before the lottery begun Drawing No 3m726 I gave for it £12:3:0 it come up Blank and I sold the Blank for £5:5:0 so I am out of Pockitt £6.18s

Why would anyone buy the blank? Can anyone enlighten me?

From the margins of the account book

Now and then there are little comments in the margin. Some are about friends, others about national events. This is one of the latter

12 Jan 1759 Fryday the princes of oringe dyed & ye people went into mourning 28th Jan.

Thomas's spelling continues eclectic,though the "ye" has a thorn not a y and should be pronounced "the". The " Princes of Orange" was Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, the eldest daughter of George II and wife of the Prince of Orange (it is through her that William & Mary ruled Britain). More about her here. Below is her portrait.