Author: Thomas Turner

In the morning our servant went to see her friends. My wife only at church this morning (myself being ashamed to see anybody); she stayed the communion. While they were at church, Mr Tucker came to see me and brought me a present of some asparagrass. He dined with us on a piece of boiled beef, a suet pudding, a piece of pork and potatoes. My wife at church in the afternoon. Mr Tucker stayed and drank tea with us, as did Lucy and Charles Diggens, who came in just as we were going to drink tea. Mr Tucker stayed with us till about 6:50, Charles and Lucy Diggens going away as soon as tea was over.

Monday, Apr. 25: Rec’d of Thomas Fowler 1.9.9 in full for poor tax. Rec’d of Mr James Hutson 6.2.6 in full for poor tax… In the afternoon my wife, Mrs Fuller and her two daughters walked down to pay John Browne’s wife a visit. My mother’s servant came over in the afternoon about some business and stayed and drank tea at our house. In the evening Thomas Davy at our house. At home all day, being even ashamed to almost see the light.

Sent Messrs Margesson and Collison, in a bag made up into a parcel, by the team which goes in the denomination of Smith’s of Eastbourne, in cash 6.6.0… Scarce out of doors today. Gave a seaman, his wife and their son with a pass 12d on the parish account. Oh! what a change is there in my mind since Friday morning! Then was I all calm and serenity in my breast, but now all tumult and distraction. Oh! how pleasant are the ways of virtue, but how turbulent and rough are they of vice and wickedness! Well might the holy prophet say: “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked”.

In the evening read the 1st Night of The Complaint. Today in reading of Read’s Weekly Journal, I find he attributes the present melancholy time to farmers’ etc. engrossing too much land in their hands, and he says that there is an act made in the 25th of Henry VIII whereby it is enacted if any person shall by any ways have more than two farms in his hands at one and the same time, and they to be both in the same parish, he shall forfeit 3/6 for each week that he shall so transgress the said statute.

This day paid Mr James Burfield by his servant John Hills in cash 2.7.6 in full for the note of hand I gave him the 9th of November last, for the said sum, being on account of rent due from Will Burrage to him, and which I agreed to on the parish account and did accordingly bring it to account in that account, which I made up with the parish at Easter…

…John Watford at work for me about ¾ of the day. He dined with us on the remains of yesterday’s dinner. I worked part of the day in my garden. Paid Mr Will Piper by his wife 5/3 for 1 bushel malt. In the day read one of the nights in The Complaint. This day my wife paid a visit to the wife of Mr Joseph Fuller. In the evening read one of Tillotson’s sermons…

…My wife and I papered up about l40 papers of tobacco… This day there happened a very melancholy affair; viz., one James Elless, a native of Chiddingly, but [who] now kept a public house at Eastbourne, who, going to London on Sunday or Monday last, was there on Tuesday morning seized with violent fits (though what he had sometime been accustomed to). Smith’s team putting up at the same inn where he was, and coming from the same place, they took him into their wagon, and about half a mile before they came to our street, he was again taken with a fresh fit. So he continued till they got him into John Jones’s, where he expired in a few minutes. He was a young man of about 35 years of age, just a-going to be married. Oh! what a lesson is here, for mankind to prepare for death, when we have a scene now before our eyes of one cut off just in his full strength and almost, as it were, suddenly. This day read one of the nights in The Complaint to Mr [Francis] Elless and in the evening, Thomas Davy being at our house, I read one of Tillotson’s sermons to him.

A very melancholy time–corn and all other provisions being prodigious dear; viz., wheat 10/- a bushel, barley 5/- do., oats 3/- do., pale malt 5/3 do., beef 2/- a stone, mutton 3 ¼ d a pound, veal 3 ½ do., cheese 4d do. Mr William Francis, Messrs Barlow and Wigginton’s rider, called on me, and I gave him my 1/16 part of 2 lottery tickets.

…Rec’d of John Mugridge 4.11.O in full for poor tax. Paid Master Vinal 5/- for cleaning the church clock. Papered up almost 2 bags of nails for my mother…

In the morning about 5:50 my wife, self and two boys set out on foot for Framfield where we arrived about 7:30. We breakfasted at my mother’s. My wife and the 2 boys were at church in the forenoon. We dined at my mother’s on a fillet of veal roasted and stuffed. (Our servants at home dined on some rashers of bacon). Neither of us at church in the afternoon. We stayed and drank tea at my mother’s and came home about 8:20. When we came home we found Thomas Davy at our house, to whom I read one of Tillotson’s sermons…

…In the afternoon my wife went to the funeral of the man who died at Jones’s and was buried at Chiddingly. In the evening wrote my London letters… In the evening my brother came over to our house in order to go to Lewes tomorrow to have Mr Snelling’s advice on his eyes, he being almost blind.