Thomas Burrough's Work Diary : Broad Chalke

 

Thomas Burrough's Work Diary : 1832 : loose pages

 
1832 loose page

*1

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Front

Thomas Burrough
January 1st 1832
Dairy
1832 January 6 Erecting
A Monument in Memeory
of the Late Earl of Pembroke
Wilton House In
Wilton Church

Reverse

This is the Day the Lord has made
he calls the hours his own
Let us be glad and joy therein
With Songs surround the throne
Master Behold me here I stand
To tell the hours at thy command
What is thy will is my Delight
To serve thee both by Day and Night
Master be wise and learn by me
To serve thy God as I serve thee
--------------------------------------------
The above was Written on a Clock
By the Rv Rowland Williams a Present
to some Distinguished Individual

Inside

(The first line is cut off)
And calls the brave Sportsman away
The cry of the Hounds, with pleasure resounds,
And greatly enlivens the day, The day, The day, the Day, and
2
Away to the shaws
And hark! the brave Noise
O' the Hounds when they open their Throats!
The Fox he breaks over,
Hark! Forward! hey! over
And follow their Musical Notes, The Day, Sic
3
Hedges, gates,or stiles
Cause us no recoils
Our Horses they leap them so well;
The Hounds ne? will follow,
And bravely we'll hallow! ?
What pleasure can hunting excell, The Day,
4
The Hounds when at fault,
W? H? hard or halt,
Till the scent of the Fox they regain,
Then cry! hark! Forward!
Hey! over! hark! Forward!
And Gallop it over the Plain, Sic
5
Oer Mountains he flies,
And afterwards he dies,
Having led us an excellent Chase;
We take of his Brush,
And then homeward push,
In order our Spirits to raise, Sic.
6
The bottle and Friend?
With a Bottle and Friend,
The Evening we'll spend,
To Crown the sweet sports of the Day;

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Thomas Burrough's Diary 1832

*2

Reform Bill

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Notes

*1 The loose page is assumed to be written by the father, Thomas (1), as the entries for 1st and 6th January 1832 are different in the main 1832 diary. The poem is on the reverse.

*2 Reform Bill Celebrations 26th and 27th June 1832. It is assumed that this sheet is the diary of the father, Thomas (1) who was aged 56. The son, Thomas (2), records going to see the illuminations in the evening on 26th June 1832 (with different spelling - Sarum and Ilumination) and a dinner on 27th June 1832 in his diary 26/06/1832 diary and 27/06/1832.

Imagine the situation - a youth of 22 going for a day and night out with his father?, brothers and mates. How did they get to Sarum? The available modes would have been foot, bicycle, horse, pony trap or horse omnibus, perhaps the local carrier's covered wagon. Foot and bicycle are unlikely and the carrier's wagon would have been slow, so they probably went in Father's pony and trap with advice from Mother to look after the pony and not to come home drunk.

Imagine the melée there with hundreds of horses and pony traps. Did they leave the pony to wander about (few trees to tie it to) or sit in the trap all the time to get a good view of the illuminations?

There would be crowds everywhere including the worst elements of society; thieves, pickpockets, con-men and prostitutes. I expect they bought a few beers, then started the journey home in near total darkness, no doubt a bit merry. There must have been quite a traffic jam with hundreds of horses and pony traps all jostling along the lanes to the villages in the Chalke valley.

When they reached home tired and drunk they couldn't just fall into bed, they would have had to see to the pony first. Then into bed in the early hours knowing that they had to get up at the crack of dawn, which comes early in June, to start another day's work (unless he slept late on this occasion as on the following day, 27th June, he went to Sarum for the dinner at lunchtime in the Market Place).

Consider the risks; if they had a minor prang with another pony trap in the dark or the pony got lame, would they just abandon it and walk or hitch a lift home? There were no mobile phones or AA service to call for help.

The father's diary records the event on 26th June 1832 in more detail. Thomas (1) was aged 56 and his diary says that he left at half past 5 on 26th June 1832, "Walked about the Town Til 12 O'Clock", left Salisbury at 12, went to ? Wilton ? and was home by 2 so it's not certain if this was the morning or a very late night with his son. The son's diary above says that he went in the evening.

Image © John Burrough

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