A-Z of Entries

Darnel calls 11.2.1805 (& Annis) / 7.8.1809 call on Darnel with M(ary) J(ane)

James Darnell was a schoolmaster of White Lion St, Clerkenwell five of whose children with his wife Sarah were baptised on the same day in 1814 at Clerkenwell St John, and three more in 1815, 1816 and 1819. According to an advert in the Morning Post of 21.11.1821 his school was called Prospect House Academy and he followed the educational system of a Mr Perry whose address was 3 Adam St Adelphi and whose Academy was in Manchester. Darnell may have been a relation of George Darnell DNB 1799-1857 who…

write to Darton 5.7.1805 / 22.8.1807 Darton calls / 29.3.1809 W Darton calls / 27.9.1809 call on Darton / 16.11.1809 call on D & H / 24.2.1810 T Darton calls / 21.3.1810 Requests v Darton / 24.8.1824 call on (Darton &) Harvey / 7.6.1825 seek (Darton &) Harvey

Must be William Darton DNB 1755-1819 publisher and/or his son William DNB 1781-1854. William senior had a son Thomas born 1783. Joseph Harvey 1764-1841 was a partner (see DNB for Darton). Like Godwin they specialised in children's books. The 1810 entry suggests that Godwin had a case against Darton in the Court of…

call on mrs Darwin 13.6.1797 at Derby

Erasmus Darwin DNB 1731-1802 married 2ndly Mrs Elizabeth Pole 1747-1832 illegitimate daughter to the Earl of Portmore

dine at Darwin's 17.8.1800

Robert Waring Darwin 1766-1848 in his son Charles Darwin DNB 1809-1882 lived at Shrewsbury where Godwin had slept the night before. The GD website has coded this entry to Erasmus Darwin, his father, who lived in Derby

Davenport at Timothy Hollis' 13.1.1789 / 9.10.1803 Davenport at Lofft's, Troston Hall / 12.11.1815 Davenport &c. (GD website has te 2361 unable to identify)

Selina Davenport 1779-1859 in her husband Richard Alfred Davenport DNB 1776/7-1852. They separated about 1809 and she ran a school and wrote novels, one of the first three of which Godwin could have been reading in 1815. Presumably the first entry above was not him as he was only twelve. The DNB says nothing is known of his parentage but since he appeared in the 1851 census with a place of birth Lambeth, he was likely the…

Davidson 3.3.1789 at Timothy Hollis' / 7.3.1789 Dn  / 5.5.1789 again / 24.7.1789 again / 25.9.1789 again / 19.2.1790 again / 30.3.1790 again / 15.6.1790 again

The Dn entries might be George Dyson, but probably Davidson, whom I have failed to identify so far

Davies 10.11.1793 at Perry's / Davies 23.1.1795 at John King's was probably William 'Black' Davis (QV*) spelt differently on first encounter as so often in Godwin's diary. The next Davies spelt this way called 3 times in April 1812 (see my entry for Davis/Davies after 1805). See also Davis, Robert in Society for Constitutional Information dataset.

miss Davis 30.11.1795 at miss Jones's with Breach's / 15.12.1795 at miss Jones' / 18.12.1795 again / 7.3.1798 at Bath Davis's & Richardson's at tea

The above entries may well have been the same Davis family, on 5.3.1798 Godwin had taken tea in Bath at Richardson's with the Jones's, see entries for Breach and for Jones, Louisa and Jones, Margaret. (The miss Jones of 1795 usually appeared with Godwin's sister Hannah and on 19.2.1797 L Jones appeared with Hannah Godwin). See Richardson entry for possibllity that this was the family of Thomas Davis DNB 1749-1807, whose will PCC 1808…

Davis from Virginia calls 9.12.1802

I think this was probably John Davis 1774-1854 traveller and author. Sadly nothing on him in DNB or Amer Nat Biog. (The only account of his life I have found is by Colin Elliott in the 1985 reprint by Tops'l books of his classic "The Post Captain" a comic naval yarn) I have since found the account by Thelma Louise Kellogg published by the University of Maine in 1824. His work "Travels of four and a half years &c" publ London 1803 gave exact dates for his journey much of which was on foot in Virginia. He landed back in England on 14.9.1802 near…

Davis, apud Leland, pp.18.  10.8.1800 / 11.8.1800 meet Davis

On 9.8.1800 Godwin had resumed his reading of Leland's History of Ireland after his journey to Carlow and reached p182 (presumably of Vol 3). I'm not clear what he meant by Davis apud Leland, must have a look at the Leland. Apud generally means "in" when applied to a book. Was it just coincidence that he met Davis the next day?

2.4.1810 dine at Tipper's, Cumberland, Bligh, Dr & mr Davis,  H Robinson, Crowe & J Richter

Perhaps David Daniel Davis DNB 1777-1841 or perhaps John Bunnell Davis DNB 1777-1824. Less likely John Ford Davis DNB 1773-1864. Another (medical?) doctor in London (Holdens 1811) was Dr John Davis 23 Cato-st, Edgware-rd. See my entry for Bligh

From 3.2.1792 to 1.8.1797 there were 68 'call on Davis' entries, often next to a call on Robinson, and on 4.1.1793 'best book that ever was published'. These probably all referred to the printer Jonas Davis of Chancery Lane c.1756-1827, who had been an assistant to Archibald Hamilton (see John Nichols, Literary Anecdotes vol 3 p398-9) and who was mentioned as Davis, 91, Chancery Lane in a letter fron Godwin to Wollstonecraft. In the five and a half years of Godwin calling on Davis there were just 2 'Davis calls' entries, on 19.5.1792 and 18.11.1796; these may have also been Jonas Davis.…

Davis 14.6.1797 at Bage's / 10.6.1800 Davis of Tamworth calls

Likely to have been James Davis gent of Tamworth will PCC 1811

Davis, Welch Unitarian calls 20.1.1803

David Davis DNB 1745-1827 poet and dissenting minister was a radical in politics and became an Arian in theology but some of his congregation broke away to form Unitarian churches. His son David Davis Dict Welsh Biog 1778-1846 was a Unitarian and the diaries of his son Timothy Davis 1779-1860 are in the Nat Libr of Wales (5487-99). As far as I can gather none of the ministries of this family were in London so they are less likely to have been any of the later Davis entries (see Davis after 1805)

23.1.1795 Davies / 30.1.1795 adv Thelwal & Davis (Erskine's) / 13.2.1795 /  4.3.1795 /  26.4.1795 /  20.8.1795 /  9.11.1795 /  26.11.1795 / 12.2.1796 / 2.5.1797 / 19.12.1798 / 16.1.1799 / 17.11.1799 / 2 Davis's 5.1.1800 / Davis's 26.1.1800 / 9.2.1800 / 25.5.1800 / 27.12.1801 /  21.3.1802 all at King's, also 5.3.1795 Davis's, Hazlits & King at Thelwal's (compare to 30.1.1795), and 6.8.1796 & 19.8.1796 meet W Davis. Also 15.2.1800 adv Davis jr at opera was perhaps his son William. In 1796 list inserted above with others Godwin met at King's early 1795.

William 'Black'…

meet Davis 13.9.1805 / 17.12.1805 Wilks, London Coffee House, adv Davis [this could have been Robert Wilks printer and his retired partner Jonas Davis, see my entries for Wilks and for Davis, Jonas] / 26.2.1806 Davis & R Sharp breakfast

30.12.1807 Davis from Sir F(rancis) B(urdett) calls / 7.1.1808 Davis calls / 8.1.1808 write to Davis / 11.1.1808 letter from Davis / 13.1.1808 Davis calls, sign

6.9.1808 call on Davis

22.4.1809 Davis, attorney calls (see work notes below for Davis, attorney possibles)

29.4.1809 write to M L Davis = Matthew L Davis of…

Davison 9.1.1791 at Fenwick's.

There are many later (post 1795) Davison entries, and in the Godwin Diary website these have mostly been coded to Thomas Davison printer, which seems probable. This one seems unlikely to be the printer, and Davisons were plentiful in London at this time, so there is little to go on unless some connection to Fenwick could be found. One possible and interesting person was James Davison of the Loyal Lambeth Association. later active in drilling members of the London Corresponding Society in using pikes, but this entry was before the LCS even began or…

7.7.1810 write to A Davison

Holdens directory 1811: Anthony Davison tailor 23 Cecil-st Strand / A Davison merchant Ormond-yd York-st St James-sq / Alex Davison prize agent 13 Holborn-court Grays Inn

29.3.1796 at Holcroft's / 9.7.1796 at March's Norwich / 25.4.1798 calls on Godwin / 25.6.1798 again / 17.6.1799 Godwin called on Porson, adv Dr Davy

Martin Davy DNB 1763-1839. He was a friend of Dr Samuel Parr's, became Doctor of Medicine in 1797, and was said to have been a religious sceptic though he later became a clergyman. He was abroad in Europe as tutor to Lord Ossulston for two years, perhaps at the time of the first entry above, but I haven't looked closely enough to identify the dates of that tour. The only entry above which was very likely him was the Dr Davy in 1799. The…

20.7.1810 Dawbarn calls / 21.7.1810 again / 23.7.1810 Dawburn calls / 25.7.1810 again / 26.7.1810 Three Dawburns call / 27.7.1810 Dawburn sr calls

Thomas Dawbarn bach of St Dunstan Stepney married Frances Reynoldson sp of St Leonard Bromley there by lic 21.3.1809 wit R B Dawbarn

Holdens directory 1811: Mr Thos Dawbarn, sen. 7 Mile End-terrace / Mr Thos Dawbarn jun. 2 Mile End-terrace

Thomas Dawbarn freedom of Joiners Co. London 1812

Stamford Mercury 2.7.1813 Wisbech Auxiliary Bible Society Meeting Mr Thomas Dawbarn of London spoke (Robert Bunbury Dawbarn 1757-…