Thomas Turner

…At home all day; and I think it has been a very wet and windy day. In the afternoon read part of the London and Universal Magazines for February.

Robert Diggens stayed and breakfasted with us and then went home. Mr Gadaden, Mr Standing’s rider, called on me and dined with us on few rashers of bacon, a light pudding, potatoes, parsnips and greens. At home all day, but far from being busy.

Paid Mr Heaver the miller at Isfield’s servant 6/- for 1 bushel oatmeal I received by him today. Paid Thomas Burfield in goods 4/11 for 8 beehives received by him today. We dined on the remains of yesterday’s dinner with the addition of a plain rice pudding, potatoes and parsnips. About 3:20 my wife went down to Halland to pay Mr Coates a visit. In the evening Mr Clinch came to pay me his debt and stayed and spent the evening with us. I received of him in cash 1.18.6 in full. Robert Diggens called in the evening, and it being a very blusterous night, he stayed at our house all night. My wife come home about 9:40. At home all day, and but very little to do.

In the forenoon I received a letter from my brother wherein he acquainted me my mother was very ill. I then walked over to Framfield where I found my mother very ill with diabetes… I stayed and drank tea at my mother’s and came home about 4:50. Thomas Durrant came in the evening and cut my wife’s hair and supped with us on some bread and cheese.

At home all day and took physic, we dined on the remains of Sunday’s dinner with the addition of a light pudding, parsnips and potatoes. Dame Horsecraft of Chiddingly and Sal Vine drank tea with my wife. In the afternoon posted part of my day book and wrote out part of a bill.

…Mr Elless drank tea at our house. In the evening went down to the vestry at Jones’s, where our company was Thomas Fuller, Mr Burgess, Mr Piper, Joseph Durrant, Richard Page, John Watford and myself, but nothing particular was transacted. I came home about 8:45…

My wife and self at church in the morning… John Hesman dined with us on a part of a shoulder of veal roasted and green salad. My wife, self and servant at church in the afternoon… After churchtime Mr French, Thomas Fuller and myself went down to Mr Osborne’s to get some money of him, but could get nothing but fair promises. Oh, melancholy time! There seems to be little else but fraud and deceit among too, ah, too many of mankind…

…We dined on the remains of Thursday’s dinner with the addition of some boiled tripe, boiled veal and turnip greens. Mrs Gibbs and her little girl drank tea with my wife, and Mr Gibbs, coming in the evening to call, his wife stayed till near 7:30, as did Joseph Fuller Jr, who happened in accidentally. At home all day and took physic, and thank God indifferently busy.

My brother stayed and breakfasted with us and then went home. We dined on the remains of yesterday’s dinner. Paid 3d for 1½ lbs tripe. At home all day.

…About 12:20 Mr Piper came along with his son, and Mrs Fuller, Mrs Burgess, John Piper and myself went and stood for it and gave it the name of William, it being its father’s name. We then came back to our house when John Piper earnestly begged of my wife to go up to dinner with them, protesting he thought his brother to be a strange man, and accordingly she went to Mr Piper’s, where we, together with Mr and Mrs Burgess and Mrs Fuller, dined on a knuckle of pork boiled and greens, a pond currant pudding and a cold duck pie designed as a pasty. We played at brag in the evening. My wife and I lost 3/10. We stayed and supped with the poor old wretch on a loin of veal which was 4 hours in roasting and then in part roasted, a ham of bacon boiled and greens, the cold duck pasty, a hot buttered apple pie and a hot baked rice pudding, in company with Mr and Mrs Porter, Thomas Fuller and his wife, Joseph Fuller and his wife, Mr Burgess and his wife, John Vine and his wife, Joseph Durrant and his wife, Mr French and his wife, Mr Calverley and Miss Tealing and Thomas Diplock. We came home about 2:40, and all sober.

My wife and I gave the nurse and maid 3/-, a very dear night’s entertainment, and I am sure a very bad one. For I never spent an evening with less pleasure in my life; there was not any liquor I suppose worth drinking (though I tasted only some small beer), and that came like drops of blood. To see the niggardly behavior of the poor old man and the railery of the company that was continually a-playing upon the old wretch made it quite irksome, and to me disagreeable. Undoubtedly he deserves very justly to be ridiculed, considering how handsomely he has been entertained at all his neighbors this year, and then the many ungenerous expressions the old man has been known to use concerning the expense of the christening and the too great quantity of liquor the women drank when his wife was brought abed, which confirms me in the opinion I have long since maintained that a thoroughly covetous man is at all time a most unsociable creature and even a pest to society. Not but I would have every man be frugal, but not to the degree of niggerd when he can so well afford it as Mr Piper can. But, however, let him be pitied and go on in his own way, which is to fix all his happiness in accumulating together a heap of sordid drops, and for no other use but only to say or think he is worth so much. Oh, the pernicious consequence of money! What will it not make poor frail mankind do when he has once made it his only aim!

Paid Mr Burgese in cash 3/-, which with the £3 I gave my brother the 17th ult. is in full for the money I received of him the 15th ult. My brother stayed at our house all night.