Tuesday, February 9 1762

Dame Akehurst a-washing for me all day and dined with me… Gave John Durrant’s wife the 4/- received for them on Sunday last. My brother came over in the afternoon, and he together with Mr Porter’s maid drank tea with me. My brother came over to inform me that his carrier would go with a team to Maidstone Fair on Saturday next, and we together with Sam Jenner packed up my rags in order to go to the fair by him. They weighed 5 cwt 0 qr 22 lbs net weight. My brother stayed and supped with me and then went home… In the evening we had a smart shower of rain, though a frost in the forepart of the day.

Sunday, February 7 1762

No service at our church in the morning on account of the death of Mr Porter’s brother. I dined on a chick roasted, a piece of pork boiled, a batter pudding and turnips. Myself and both servants at church in the afternoon, where we had a sermon preached by the Rev Mr Herring, vicar of Chiddingly, from the last verse of the 28th chapter of the Book of Job: “And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.”

After churchtime Mr French, Joseph Fuller and myself gave away among the poor of this parish the £4 received yesterday of Mr Porter and John Piper, it being the interest money of a hundred pounds left by Mr Sam Atkins to this parish forever, the interest of which is yearly to be distributed among the poor of this parish in such manner and to such persons as the minister and churchwarden for the time being shall think proper. We distributed to the following persons:

Richard Braizer0.2.0Widow Trill0.2.0
Susan Burrage0.2.0Sarah Thunder0.3.0
Ed Badcock0.1.0Thomas Tester0.6.0
Robert Baker0.3.0Richard Vinal0.3.0
John Durrant0.4.0Ann Wood0.1.0
John Dan0.3.0Will Eldridge0.7.0
James Emery0.3.0Thomas Ling0.4.0
Richard Heath0.2.0Thomas Roase0.3.0
Sam Jenner0.3.0Will Elphick0.5.0
Richard Prall0.3.0Widow Cain0.2.0
John Streeter0.2.0Widow Cornwell0.2.0
Susan Swift0.2.0Will Sinden0.2.0
Will Starks0.5.0Thomas Dallaway0.2.0
Francis Turner0.2.0
4.0.0

to which people we gave the same, unless the 5/- to William Elphick, the 4/- to John Durrant and the 3/- to James Emery; neither of these being there, I kept the money for them.

Sam Jenner drank tea with me, by whom I sent James Emery’s 3/- and to whom and Joseph Fuller Jr I read one of Tillotson’s sermons. In the day read several discourses on difficult texts of scripture by unknown hands, which I think have very prettily explained them.