3rd Jan 1757
Miss Drury married the Revd Mr Pennell Schoolmaster at Rotherham Yorkshire 3 Jan 1757

I need to sign up to one of the genealogy sites to find out more about this couple


9th Jan
Dined and Supt at Mr Ayscoughs and gave his maid and man as I give them nothin the year besides and am at his house almost everyday 5/-

Thomas usually tips the maid 1/- when he dines out so he has scarcely paid his debts!!! However, 1/- does seem a lot for the time.

Thomas has also left his landlord to live with Mr Richard Dale but I don't know why.

14th March
Admiral Bing was shot at Portsmouth for not fighting the French Fleet at Portmahon

This is just a note in the margin (Thomas is doing more of those). It refers to the famous incident which caused Voltaire comment in Candide "Dans ce pays-ci, il est bon de tuer de temps en temps un amiral pour encourager les autres". Here is a picture of Admiral Byng.



28th March
Gave our Tenant Warning to Leave our Farm at Pinkston Monday

Thomas means that the 28th March is a Monday, not that he gave him less than a week's notice.

Lawyers were expensive in 1756, too!

2nd April 1756 Paid Mr Robt. Evans Attorney at Nottingham for pasing fine & Recovery Hilary Term 1756 for passing a fine and Recovery on my Late Brothers Estate Lyeing at Retford & Lands in the parish of Clarbrough all in the County of Nottingham £16.16s

Paid Agent for Signing of Deeds 6s8d

Carriage of Writings & Coach 2s 6d Deeds of Lease & Release to make a Tennant to the Precipe £1/15s6d

Paid Mr Evans before his wife Eighteen Guineas in full for the above and all Demands. Sir Thos Perkins of Bunney Bar. was high Sheariff for Nottinghamshire when the fine & Recovery was past.

Most of this is double dutch to me but "Precipe" is a variation on precept - a written order addressed to the clerk of the court requesting that a writ be issued and specifying its contents. "Bunney Bar" is not a place. Thomas means that Sir Thomas Perkins lived in Bunny, which is between Nottingham and Loughborough and that he was a Baronet!

It seems to be a while since I could find a picture to illustrate this blog so here is a picture of Sir Thomas's home, Bunny Hall

4th November 1755
Went to Carlton Feast Spt 9d.

14th November
Christopher Cox Dyed 1755

For the first time Thomas mentions a death and I can't establish who he was. Thomas really is rather dull at this stage of his life.. Sorry!

31 July 1755
Sent this Day as a present to Sister Bright a pound of Churchmans Chocolate 5/-
4yds printed Linen for her little Daughter 10/-

Here is an undated advert for Churchman's chocolate - it is a variety of drinking chocolate - a great delicacy in the eighteenth century. Many of the so-called coffee pots which survive from this time were actually for chocolate.


This piece does not have a date on it, but Walter Churchman made chocolate starting in about 1728. This business was carried on by Joseph Fry and there is more about him and the history of chocolate in England here. By 1776, a pound of Churchman's chocolate cost 7/6

Dorothy's daughter was also called Dorothy. She was about 3 years old when her uncle sent this fabric as a present. It is through her that Thomas's book has come to me.

For nearly four pages, Thomas records the money he spends in pursuit of a court case against his sisters, Mary & Ann, spending a huge sum of money on lawyers and court fees. At the moment it doesn't make much sense to me but I will, sometime, acquire a copy of his brother John's will which is the cause of it all.

12 April 1755
a pair Dog Skin Pumps Barnett 6/6

UGH!

17 June
Paid Mr John Bright Attorney at Retford for Drawing Abstracts of the Writings that belongs to me & three Sisters Estate at Pinkston alias Pinxton in Derbyshire and his attendence at Sisters Tyes for a bout two Hours £5

27 June
Paid Sisters for 5 Weeks Board £1.10s

At the same time that Thomas is fighting with his sisters for control of various properties, he is staying with them. How odd is that?
John Bright is Thomas's sister Dorothy's brother-in-law.

28 June
Left Retford and Walked from their to Nottingham and Spent at Red Hill in Eating & Drinking 2/-


It is a long time since Thomas has recorded one of his long walks. This one is a total of 30miles with the stop at what is now called Redhill 10 miles from home.

2nd October 1754
Spent with our Tenant & gave his Daughr. Ribin 12d and gave him for bringing rent 12d
4 October gave Miss Tutins Ribins fairing 3/9

It seems to me unlikely that a modern bachelor would buy such frivolous things for the daughters of business contacts. Even an uncle would be likely to hand over money rather than buying a gift.

5 October Letters from Madam Mawson & Mr Byfield 8d

Thomas hasn't mentioned London friends for some years!

13 October
Went to Willoughby Waterleys in LiecesterShire 7 miles from Leicester to see my Cousin Levetts & stayed their till 18 Oct. & Cost me their and Horse Hire 18s 10d

23 October Mr Lowther was married to my Cousin Barbra Nicols of East Retford.

A search on www.familysearch.org tells me that Mr Lowther's name was William.
The Nicols were related to Thomas through his maternal grandmother.
(the Levetts mentioned on the 13th, were related to his paternal grandmother).

9 August 1754 Fryday
Judge Burchell Sett Patt Goodall at Liberty. About Rioting in the Election of Member of Parliament tho the Prebiterents was worse then they they took care that non of their side Gang was presicuted. The Grand Jury found no bill against Patt Goodall which mortified the Presbiterents greatly.

Thomas doesn't sound like a dispassionate observer of these riots, does he? Online I can find little about what happened except that a Dissenters' chapel was destroyed and, by way of retaliation, many church windows were broken and "only two men were killed." Thomas calls the Dissenters Presbyterians which is not necessarily an accurate description, but I don't think he approves of them one bit!