Author: Thomas Turner

…After dinner I walked up to Mr Vine’s. Dame Anne Dallaway and Master Rich and his wife drank tea at our house. At home all day and busy. In the evening Thomas Davy at our house.

…Took physic today. My wife and servant at church in the morning, and I stayed at home. We dined on a plum suet pudding and the remains of some cold veal pie. My wife and servant at church in the afternoon. At home all day. In the evening Mr Elless sat with us some time.

Mr Mason breakfasted with us, and then he and I walked to Waldron where Mr Elless came to us about 11:50. We surveyed several pieces and came home about 6:15… In the evening finished reading the examination of Francis Delap Esq, late Provost Marshal General of the Island of Jamaica, before a committee of the Honorable House of Assembly, Nov. 10th, 1756, wherein I find him cruelly used in person, goods, fortune and reputation by Governor Knowles.

…In the afternoon my wife went down to Halland to pay Mrs Coates a visit. In the evening Mr Mason and Mr Elless at our house a-plotting what land we have measured. My wife stayed and supped with Mrs Coates and came home about 10:30. In the evening read part of the examination of Francis Delep Esq, late Provost Marshal of the Island of Jamaica. Mr Mason supped at our house.

This day I took some glauber-salt, my side being very much out of order. Bett Reeve breakfasted with us. Paid John Cayley in cash 0.5.10; viz.,

To 3¾ lbs butter, it being 32 lbs received yesterday instead of 28¼ lbs	0.1.10½
To 1 year’s rent for the stable I use, due about the middle July	0.4.0

Sent by John Streeter in cash 0.3.9 for my club arrears, this being a quarterly night. In the evening read part of Wiseman’s Chyrurgery.

In the morning as soon as I had breakfasted Mr Elless and I walked to Mr Joseph Bonwick’s where Mr Mason and we surveyed 2 pieces of land. We came home about 6:30… Joseph Fuller sat a while with us in the evening.

After breakfast Mr Elless and I walked to Mr Joseph Bonwick’s at Waldron in order to meet Mr Mason to survey a farm called Summersbrook, but he not being come there, we went and took a view of the Furnace and came home about 2:10… Mr Elless drank tee with us. In the evening read part of The Universal Magazine for October.

Sent the widow Mott in the Cliffe near Lewes, by John Streeter the post in cash 20.16.0…which sum is in full for principal and interest due on a bond some time about the present. My brother came over in the morning, but did not stay any time.

About 1:45 I went down to Mr Porter’s, where I dined on a buttock of beef and another piece boiled, a sirloin roasted and three raisin suet puddings, in company with Mr Porter, Mr Piper, Joseph Burgess, William Jenner, Joseph Durrant, John Cayley, Ed Hope, Richard Hope, John Mugridge, John French, Mr Morris, John Martin, Thomas Rice and Edward Foord. I paid Mr Porter 8/- in full for one year’s tithes and came home about 5:50.

Rec’d by the post from Mrs Sarah Mott a bond in which my father and I were bound to her and her husband Ben Mott (since deceased) in the sum of £20 with interest at £4 percent per annum, which bond was dated November 28, 1750. In the evening Thomas Davy at our house, to whom I read one of Tillotson’s sermon.

In the morning my wife and self at church… We dined on [a raisin?] suet pudding, some boiled veal and turnips. My wife, self and servant at church in the afternoon… I went from church down to Mr French’s, where I wrote out some more quit-rent receipts. I drank tea at Mr French’s and came home about 7:10. We had several claps of thunder between 4 and 5, and as I came home I observed several very violent flashes of lightning. I believe I might say I saw 5 or 6. In the evening read one of Tillotson’s sermons.

After breakfast Mr Elless and myself went to Springham where we met Mr Mason and measured a very large coppice. We came home about 6:50 quite tired, having neither eaten nor drunk in the time of our absence from home, unless it was about 2 oz gingerbread…

My cousin Bett Ovendean and my brother Moses dined with my wife on the remains of yesterday’s dinner with the addition of some fried veal. And my cousin Thomas Ovendean came in the afternoon and they stayed till about 5:20. After I came home, I read part of The London Magazine for October, as also a poor empty piece of tautology Called A Serious Advice to the Public to Avoid the Danger of Inoculation, in which he says a physician can only know and be the proper person to perform the operation, and that a surgeon can know nothing about it.