The Diary of Nathaniel Bryceson (Part 7)

[Ruskie]

Mongibello, I really enjoyed reading your blog about the walk to Harrow. Love the bit about catching the bus and also the last sentence. 

I think it would be really interesting to include many (if not all) of Nathaniel's walks in the book. I'd love to see the walks marked out on an 1846 map and possibly a map of today as well (so we can get our bearings  and of course it would be wonderful to compare the two).

[Ruskie]

The post for Friday 16th October is a bit like something out of a sit com:

"Took black Dutch clock to be repaired at Vogt, clockmaker, Goodge Street".

It amused me anyway ... 

Poor Nat. 

[drykid]

Yeah I was amused that he gave up and ended up taking it to a professional to fix; that's exactly what happened with my dad's mantel clock. Although that cost £70 to repair iirc; I'm guessing Nat got off a bit more lightly than that.

The Old Bailey proceedings list an Anthony Vogt, clockmaker who was witness to the shocking crime of a robbery of three loaves of bread in 1840:

2147.   WILLIAM BAILEY and   WILLIAM JOHNSON were indicted for stealing, on the 15th of August, 3 loaves of bread, value 1s. 8d., and 1 3/4lbs. weight of flour, value 5d., the goods of   Robert Hamilton Murray.

  WILLIAM MILLER . I am in the employ of Robert Hamilton Murray, a baker. On the 15th of August, I went out with bread—I left my barrow at the corner of Carburton and Charlton-streets—I left a padlock on the barrow, but I bad lost the key—I put the lock on as if it was locked—I came back in three quarters of an hour, and missed one large loaf, two small ones, and half a quartern of flour, and the prisoners were in custody.

Bailey. Q. Was the flap up or down? A. Up.

  ANTHONY VOGT . I am a clock-maker. I saw the barrow at the corner of Carburton-street as I was coming from business—Johnson was at my door, and Bailey walked up and down—I watched them—they left one another, then came and talked again—they are father and son—Johnson went to the truck and did something, I do not know what—they came together, talked again, and then went to the truck, and Johnson took out one quartern and two half-quarterns, then went away—I went after him and stopped him—he took the flour with him—I took him with the bread—he offered me a shilling—I said, "I don't want a shilling"—he then offered me two shillings—I said, "I don't want that, I will have you and your father too."

  HENRY FOWLER . I am a policeman. I took Johnson, and saw Bailey look round the corner of the street, and then run away—my brother officer took him.

Bailey's Defence. We were having a pint of beer—I saw somebody come to the barrow and take the bread and floor out—we went out and saw the bread and flour lying on the path.

BAILEY— GUILTY . Aged 52.— Confined Six Months.

JOHNSON— GUILTY . Aged 14.— Confined One Month, and Whipped.

http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?path=sessionsPapers%2F18400817.xml

Might well be the same person since it's only a few years before the diary, and Carburton Street is close enough to Goodge Street.

People don't really apprehend criminals any more with expressions like "I will have you and your father too" do they? It's all very Dickensian.

[Siamese Girl]

Ancestry have got a new indexed search facility up of London parish registers 1538-1812 http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=1624 It sounds wonderful and I've found the odd burial or two but there seem to be far more records on the IGI. I couldn't see an Ann Fox born in 1801 and as far as I can see the Skirricker family must have come from Mars.

Nat should have given the works a soak in something like methylated spirits to clean it first, but I don't know if it had been invented then!

Carole

[Aniseed]

I thought today's entry was gently poignant...I can imagine him toiling each evening over that dratted clock, getting slightly more and more frustrated with it each time, and then eventually swearing gently under his breath, wrapping it up in a cloth and taking it to Mr Vogt's and silently putting it down on his counter. "Do what you can with it" and then turning on his heel and leaving with wounded pride. But then I'm a huge great imaginer and it probably wasn't like that at all!

I was interested to read that account of the father and son who stole the bread, and was interested to see that they used the word 'truck' back then. For some reason I've always thought it was a new coinage when petrol engines came in...I've never heard of a horse-drawn truck before. And I,too, liked the language used when Johnson was apprehended! I wonder whether they really did speak like that in the street, or whether it was cleaned up for the courtroom?

[Dinkydidy]

Regarding the language used, we recently came across a newspaper report where a relative apprehended a man unlawfully demolishing some of the relative's property. Examples from the ensuing court case from two witnesses of the relative's reported challenge:

Defendant came up and caught him by the waistcoat, and said "You ----- rascal what are you doing taking down my building."

 "You vagabond, what are you pulling down this property for?" or words to that effect.

I like the "words to that effect" reference, which leaves it open to the imagination.

Didy

[Ruskie]

Well it looks like Mr (Thomas) Ternan died from syphilis (maybe) in the insane asylum Bethnal Green! An mention of the family from google books "Letters of Charles Dickens":

http://www.rootschat.com/links/0a3e/

[They're not sure of his year of birth. Trust Nathaniel to know.  ] I would have thought that Nathaniel may have , specially as one source said he committed suicide - there may have been some controversy surrounding his death.

Thinking about it, I suppose Nat would have read Dickens - but he has not mentioned doing so. Maybe he wasn't impressed. 

[Siamese Girl]

Well, I live and learn. Living in Kent I can't escape Dickens but I didn't know Ellen Ternam, Dicken's mistress was born in Rochester as I was. I wonder where? ... that will be my task for the day!

I really do see Nat as a Dickensian character, Dickens is full of enthusiastic young clerks like Nat, and he's got enough odd habits to make him perfect Dickens material.

Carole

[Aniseed]

So this Mr Ternan, whose death is noted by Nat, was the father of Dicken's mistress? I'm glad you pointed that out, Siamese Girl, because although I'd heard of Ellen Ternan before, I hadn't linked her with this family. Interesting. And I agree with you, Nat is a quintessentially Dickensian sort of character, I'd have said. It's a shame Mr Dickens never met him. We could have been blessed with "The Tale of Nathaniel Bryceson or The Fox and The Hound"...it's a wonderful story. Maybe a present day author would like to turn it into a novel.