The Diary and Accounts of Matthew Flinders, Surgeon, Apothecary and Man-Midwife 1775 - 1802 edited by Martyn Beardsley and Nicholas Bennett (Lincoln Record Society & Boydell Press 2007) in two volumes is a fascinating account, beautifully indexed, of the working and domestic life of Matthew Flinders (1751 - 1802), surgeon of Donington, Lincolnshire, (father of Captain Matthew Flinders (1774 - 1814), navigator and cartographer, known for his circumnavigation of Australia and his book A Voyage to Terra Australis).
There are five entries in Matthew Flinders's diary and accounts which mention chairs. They are of interest for showing evidence of prices between 1775 and 1782. These are as follows:
Volume I p. 27
"28th November 1775 A Chair for Matthew 1s 6d Writing paper 7d Paid 2s 1d". Matthew the future navigator was about 20 months old at this time, so this would have been a child's chair.
Volume I p. 35
"28th May 1776 Sold half a dozen Chairs at Mr Coles's Sale Received 11s
Bought ½ -ditto- at -ditto- for 16s"
Volume I p. 74
"3rd October 1778 To Mr Sharp, Billingborough, for Eight Walnut chairs Paid £3 3s" (So 7s 10½d each).
There is an advertisement in the Stamford Mercury of Thursday 18th April 1793 of an auction at the Black Bull in Billingborough run by John Sharpe, auctioneer. There are three marriages of John Sharp(e) in Billingborough in 1758, 1770 and 1777 and a John Sharp b. 1791 is recorded as a joiner in the 1841 census. There may have been joinery and auctioneering in the Sharp family but we cannot be sure from which Mr Sharp Matthew Flinders bought his chairs.
Volume I p. 93
"31st January 1780 A Windsor Elbow Chair at Quadring Sale Paid 7s
Mr Stukeley's Sale at Quadring, Monday Jan 31, Feb 1 & 2
I attended at the Sale the 1st and last day, bought a Chair & 3 Prints, the Auctioneer Mr Tatum I think clever. Am sorry Mr Stukeley has brought himself into such disagreeable circumstances, fear he will not reside at Quadring again. I have let Mr Marsh & Palmer have £30 on Note to assist in purchasing for Mr S. at the Sale; am promised it again in a few weeks. Feb 7. [...]
2nd February 1780 3 Prints framed and glazed at Quadring Sale Paid 7s."
Volume I p. 123
"8th March 1782 To Wm Leedall for bottoming an Arm Chair Paid 2s 6d".
One William Leedall married Sarah Stanley in Wigtoft 4 miles from Donington on 1 January 1788.
Footnote on entirely unrelated subject:
By an odd coincidence Matthew Flinders the surgeon treated the writer's great great great great great grandfather, Anthony Huddlestone's family. Anthony Huddlestone (1756 - 1807) was a grazier of Bicker, Lincolnshire, a village two miles north east of Donington, married to Sarah Harrison (1760 - ). Six receipts between 1789 and 1797 are recorded in Matthew Flinders's accounts.
On Saturday 11 April 1789, Flinders received 'Of Mr Huddlestone, Bicker, a Bill £1 2s 6d'. Given that the writer's great great great great grandfather, John Huddlestone (1789 - 1868) was baptised in St Swithin's Church, Bicker on 29 March 1789 it is likely that the bill in question was for midwifery and attendance on mother and son.
On Saturday 14th January 1792 'Of Mr Huddlestone, Bicker, a Bill £1 1s' was received: given that the writer's great great great great great aunt Esther Huddleston (no last 'e') was baptised in St Swithin's Church, Bicker on 6th January 1792 a similar likelihood must prevail.
For Saturday 25 August 1792 'Of Mr Huddlestone, Bicker, a Bill 7s' and Saturday 27th September 1794 'Of Mr Anthony Huddlestone, Bicker, a Bill £1 11s 0d' no corresponding birth appears in the parish register so other medical services appear likely.
On Tuesday 26th May 1795 'Of Mr Huddlestone, Bicker, a Bill £1 1s 0d' was received: given that the writer's great great great great great uncle Anthony Huddleston (no last 'e') (1795 - 1837) was baptised in St Swithin's Church, Bicker on 16th May 1795, a similar likelihood must prevail.
On Thursday 10 August 1797, 'Of Mr Huddlestone, Bicker, a Bill 10s' was received: no parish register entry sheds any light on the service rendered.
© Julian Parker 2020
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