(BY ALICE POLLARD)
Some forty years ago there was picked up in the cellar of a large
private bank in Lombard Street a little pocket-book, which must have
lain there for at least a century. Its parchment covers were yellow and
time-stained, and the brown ribbon which fastened them together had
become ragged and moth-eaten, but despite its somewhat faded brown ink
the crabbed handwriting remained as legible as ever. After its removal
from the Lombard Street cellar the queer little book lay for another
forty years in the musk-scented drawer of a Chippendale secretaire,
which formed for it a not unfitting resting-place. Thence it has to-day
been unearthed, and is now to be made to tell its old-world story. This,
in truth, is but a simple one, as the book contains chiefly a very
carefully kept memorandum of the moneys spent by its owner during his
youth and early manhood; but running through these accounts we can trace
something of his family history, of his employments, tastes, and habits,
and so, I think, gain a very fair idea of the writer's individuality.
Now and then, as if to help us, he uses a page as a diary, and by means
of such entries as births, deaths, and marriages, we can piece our story
together.
[29] From 'Longman's Magazine,' by leave of the publishers.
'John Payne, 1699,' that is the first information which our book gives
us, and we turn from the fly-leaf, where it is boldly written, to
inquire who this John Payne was, and what was his business and rank in
life. We start with a predisposition to believe that he was a banker,
because it was in a bank which still bears his name that his pocket-book
was picked up; but the pocket-book itself has nothing to say about
banking, while it is very profuse on the subjects of 'Linsayes, dyapers,
Westfalia linen,' etc., and informs us that its owner was frequently
sending home house linen and dress stuffs to his mother, sisters, and
friends. Somewhat reluctantly, therefore, we conclude that our hero
began life as a draper, and it is with satisfaction (for we would fain
have him cut a figure) that we note sundry entries of a Sir James and my
Lady, a Sir Stephen, and a Lady Langham in a connection which shows them
to have been either relations or old family friends. There are not
wanting other indications that our young draper came of a well-to-do
stock, and we may, therefore, conclude that in coming to London to serve
a seven years' apprenticeship, he was only acting on the excellent rule
that to win success as a merchant (or anything else) you must begin at
the beginning. As has been already said, the date inside the pocket-book
is 1699, but the accounts begin on January 10, 1696, so that those of
the first three years have evidently been copied in from some earlier
notes. This ascertained, we become excited to find the entry of the
purchase of the book itself, and are rewarded after a little search by
the information that, together with some paper and quills, it only cost
one shilling and fourpence, certainly no excessive outlay for a book
constantly in use for over a quarter of a century. In copying his back
accounts into his new purchase, John divided his book into two halves,
keeping the first for 'what I have layd out since I came to London on
my Father's charge,' and the second for his disbursements from 'the
money that I did bring up to town at the first coming up (4_l_ 8_s._),
and sent me since and given me by freinds.' In looking over his accounts
for him we will follow the order of his own choosing, and begin with his
expenditure for what he considered the necessaries he might fairly
charge to his father.
On his first arrival in town the youthful John evidently found himself
somewhat behind the times in the cut of his clothes and the fashion of
his hair, for on the first page of the book we have distinct suggestions
of visits to his tailor and the barber, who between them arrayed his
outer man for a first entry into town life, and managed to do so at the
moderate cost of £5, 3s. 6d. Here are the items:
Layed out between y^e 10^{th} of January & y^e 20^{th} of February
169-5/6.
£ _s._ _d._
A paire of Gloves 00 01 02
A box & hatband 00 02 06
A pennknife 00 00 08
A Queer of paper 00 00 06
A Coppy Booke 00 00 08
A Porter & letter 00 00 06
The Barber 00 00 03
Sugar Candy 00 00 02
Damask 4 y^{ds} 00 14 06
2 y^{ds} 3/4 of B^d Cloth 01 13 00
5 y^{ds} of Shaloone 00 11 00
Buttons & fustin 00 10 11
Buckrum & Canvis 00 01 03
Glaz^d Lin: 00 00 05
The Taylors Bill 01 06 00
--------
05 03 06
Tailors were evidently more modest in their charges in those days. It is
difficult at first to see under what pretext John could have set down
twopennyworth of sugar candy under the head of 'Thinges layd out on my
Father's charge,' but we soon find a further entry of 'Things for my
cold,' and doubtless the sugar candy might also have come under that
head; indeed, the London fogs seem not to have agreed with the
Huntingdonshire lad, for more than once in each year we find references
to colds which mostly appear to have been treated by blood-letting.
After the first month of 169-5/6 the father could have had no cause to
complain of his son's extravagance, for his whole expenses for the next
quarter come to seventeen shillings and fourpence, even including
'Sister Betty's fringe,' for which he paid eightpence, a tip of sixpence
given to 'Y^e Maide,' and 'Close mending from Top to Toe,' which cost
him four shillings and threepence! During the next year and a half he
has a fair number of new clothes and makes some wonderful bargains,
obtaining 'A Comb: Sisers: Blade & Buttons' for one shilling and
ninepence. His barber is still an expensive item, for his 'Peruke' needs
constant attention; his cold also requires 'sugar candy and other
things,' but he executes a great piece of economy by having 'Wastcoate
turned to Breeches' at a cost of only 2s. 1d. In 1699 his 'wigg' again
proves costly; it appears to have been thoroughly done up and trimmed to
the latest fashion previous to a visit to his home, for we find two
entries following each other:
£ _s._ _d._
My Wigg & its Mending 01 04 00
My place ith' Coach & charge on the Roade 01 00 00
The remaining accounts which he sends in to his father from time to time
have no particular interest, being more or less repetitions of those
which have gone before, but on the last page of the book he sums up the
whole seven years as follows: 'Spent on father's acc^t in y^e whole 7
years of Apprenticeship, 64_l._ 19_s._ 11_d._ Spent on my own acc^t on
Self and freinds, 19_l._ 15_s._ 9_d._ Spent less than I had saved before
and given me after I came to towne in y^e 7 years, 3_l._ 13_s._ 5_d._'
The seven years' private accounts start as follows:
The Money that I did bring up to town att y^e first coming up was
4_l._ 8_s._ 0_d._
Lent me since y^t & given me by freinds:
£ _s._ _d._
By father 0 17 0
By Mother 0 13 6
By Grandmother 1 19 6
By S^r James and my Lady 2 18 0
By Cousen Betty 0 12 0
By S^r Stephen 0 11 0
By Brother 0 16 0
By Uncle & Aunt 0 03 0
By Sisters 0 13 6
Hog Money & old Coate 0 06 0
By several 0 04 6
By y^e Box Money of y^e first 1/2 of my time 0 18 6
By y^e King's Entry 0 03 0
By Aunt Wikes 0 02 6
By father more 0 09 0
By my Lady more 0 10 0
------
16 01 0
7_s._ 6_d._ I had given me more not sett down because layd out
againe In Tokens.
The private accounts are only entered in detail for one half the time of
his apprenticeship, and with one or two additions may be all summed up
under the following heads:--'Fruit: Necessarys: Lost in wagers and
other wayes: on y^e Poore: Spent with kindred and acquaintance: Tokens:
& given.'
The regularity with which the accounts are kept is only equalled by the
remarkable steadiness of his expenditure; the first and third years
showing an outlay of exactly _£_1, 2s. each, whilst the second and
fourth each run to precisely _£_2. Perhaps it will be most interesting
to examine the four years side by side.
1^{st} Year. 2^{nd} Year. 3^{rd} Year. 4^{th} Year.
_s. d._ _s. d._ _s. d._ _s. d._
In fruit 6 10-1/2 8 0 7 5 7 5
Necessarys 1 1-1/2 2 9 1 9 2 6
Lost in wagers & }
other wayes } 2 1 1 6 2 7 11
On Y^e Poore 1 6 2 6 1 7 1 2
Spent with Kindred }
& acquaintance } 4 1-1/2 6 8 4 6 15 0
Tokens -- 13 8 -- 11 6
Given -- 1 9 4 2 0 6
The additional expenses are unnoteworthy with the exception of 'A Key to
a Pen,' which certainly arouses curiosity; the price of the key was one
shilling, but its size, shape, and use remain a mystery to us.
The next page or two are filled with desultory memoranda of small sums
received in the form of 'tips,' and ending up with these two statements:
This being Sept^r y^e 29^{th} 1699 I find I have spent this first
half of my time on my own charges 06_l._ 4_s._ 00_d._.