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

20 August 1741
Went with Mr Hall to Woollidge to see all the Cannon Morters Bum Shells & see the Cannon Cast and went on Board the Kings yatt Lying at Greenwich - 18d

This is a Thursday and Thomas doesn't usually stray this far from the City on a weekday but, of course, the Gun Foundry would not be working on Sunday. The decision to manufacture bronze cannon there had been taken early in the century and the Royal Brass Foundry, designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, was completed in 1717. You can read more about the history of the Royal Arsenal here.


It should, of course, read "Bomb shells"....

Yacht was a relatively new word in English, having arrived at the Restoration with Charles II who took to sailing while in exile.