Thomas Turner

…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.

…About 8:10 my brother and I set off for Lewes on foot where we arrived about 11:30. But as we found Mr Snelling not at home, we were obliged to stay. We dined at Mr Friend’s on a shoulder of mutton roasted and green sallard [salad] (my family at home dining on the remains of yesterday’s dinner)… About 7 o’clock Mr Snelling came home and cut my brother an issue in his temple. We stayed at Mr Scrase’s all night and lodged there and both went to bed very sober.

At home all day. Very little to do. My brother stayed all day. We dined on the remains of Monday’s dinner with the addition of a piece of bacon and some turnip greens. This day drew off a barrel of cider.

At home all day. My brother stayed all day. We dined on the remains of yesterday’s dinner. This day paid Mr Thomas Awcock in cash 5.19.8, by a receipt for land tax 14/- and by another for quit-rent 16d, which together make the sum of 6.15.0, and is in full for 1 year’s rent due for his land, which is used by my mother and myself. A prodigious melancholy time. Nothing to do.

…Worked in my garden part of this day. In perusing an abridgment of the Life of Madame de Maintenon in the Universal Magazine for March, I find the following, being the last advice given her by her mother, Madame d’Aubigné: to act in such a manner as fearing all things from men and hoping all from God.

In the afternoon my brother went home and my nephew along with him, his mother being at Framfield and I understand has been there ever since Thursday. I must say I think it somewhat odd for her to send there for the boy without sending either for me, my wife, self or Philip, or even her not coming over herself without sending word she would come one day next week if we would send word which day we would have her come.

My relations seem all to look upon me with a coldness that I cannot but take notice of, and for a reason to attribute their so doing to, I am at a loss to find. I can only say this, that if I know my own heart (which I may not and therefore err, for as the prophet Jeremiah observes: “She is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked”), I never think myself more happy than when I think myself a-serving any of my relations. Though undoubtedly by my so doing and their unkind retaliations, I am greatly injured and, I may say, impoverished. For to speak the truth, they seen to play at the game of outwit with me, or at least to take advantage of good nature or, if not that, of a simple and easy supineness or negligence. But their natural affection must, I think, so far bear away that all my ill-usage must proceed in part from their acting without thought or premeditated design, and from false and groundless chimeras formed in my own brain.