A-Z of Entries

see Poland Street 1 to 9 & 49 to 62 in London Addresses dataset

George Willingham ratebooks 8 Poland St 1797 / Law List 1798 George Willingham attorney Poland St / George Willingham money scrivener late of Streatham St Bloomsbury bankrupt 1789 / he was attorney 8 Steven St Tottenham Ct Rd 1790 Law List / Thomas Willingham articled to him 1793 / 1799 a George Willingham was ensign in the St George Hanover Square volunteers / Courier 4.12.1800 report of Kings Bench 3.12.1800 George Willingham attorney was threatened by counsel to disclose his history, the plaintiff was Richard…

Willis's 12.5.1797 after theatre

This may have referred to Willis's coffee house, or to Charles Willis (qv) who first appeared in the diary on 16.7.1797, or to Willis Webb (qv), as Godwin had met a Webb earlier the same day (it seems unlikely Godwin would use his first name although he may have referred to him as Willis on 25.6.1788 when Webb was his pupil - or that may have been someone of the surname Willis)

Cha Willis 16.7.1797 dines / 24.9.1797 Anne & Cha Willis dine / 25.1.1798 Willis adv at theatre / 6.1.1800 (call on? meet?) C & H Willis / 10.2.1800 adv Willis's at theatre / 5.6.1800 meet Willis / 14.6.1800 Cha Willis at theatre / 14.10.1800 A Willis calls / 6.1.1801 Cha Willis at James Marshall's / 19.1.1801 Cha Willis at tea / 9.8.1801 Godwin writes to Willis / 22.5.1819 Willis at Aldis's / 14.6.1830 Willis at Martin's / 12.7.1830 again / 9.5.1831 again / 23.5.1831 again

See Abinger c17 f106v flyer dated 12.7.1800 College House Preparatory Boarding School Church Lane…

Charles Willis Esq of Temple proposed Society for Constitutional Information 13.12.1782 by John Horne Tooke 2nded John Baynes

Charles Wallet Willis bapt 26.11.1758 St Mary Mag, Lincoln son of Rev Cecil (1722-1786) & Elizabeth (d1773) nee Sheeles. His uncle was Francis Willis (DNB 1718-1807). He was articled 16.12.1776 to William Strong attorney of Clements Inn, then on 3.5.1780 to John Berry attorney of Meard St, Soho. He was admitted to the Inner Temple on 19.2.1779 and was in Law List 1789-1794 as counsel for Midland circuit and Northants sessions at 9 Crown Row, Inner Temple…

see Autobiography of Francis Place ed. Mary Thale page 118. Place cleaned breeches of Willis, son of painter & glazier in Essex Street, Willis junior was in partnership with landlord of Crown & Anchor. Place found a half guinea in his pocket, borrowed it overnight and returned it telling the whole truth. Willis never employed him again.

John Willis son of John Willis of St Clement Danes coal dealer apprenticed 1742 to James Simpson of the Glaziers Co.

John Willis son of John & Mary bapt 5.2.1764 St Clement Danes
John Willis Glaziers Co. took apprentice 20.4…

30.4.1806 call on Willoughby (Nic)

Shropshire Archives 3614/8/38 letters of administration of Mary late wife of Nicholas Willoughby of Queens Row, Pimlico 13.8.1825.  But it would be unusual for Godwin to have used brackets after the surname for the first name, it more often referred to something the person was known for, like an address or an author's work - perhaps in this case being short for Nicholson, Godwin's friend who was at that time in and out of debtors' prisons

Holdens 1811 directory:

Dobson Willoughby attorney 17 Cliffords Inn Fleet-st (? will PCC 14.2.…

see Willes, Edward

Wills 11.1.1797 at Bosville's / 14.3.1797 calls / 14.8.1798 adv at Joseph Johnson's / 28.12.1801 call on Wills proctor / 18.5.1806 at Horne Tooke's / 12.6.1816 S(arah) E(lwes) & Wills dine

Wills proctor was probably John Wills of Bell Yard, or Robert Willis of 2 Bennet's Hill, both proctors of Doctors Commons in 1800 Law list. Some or all of the other Wills entries may well have been Alexander Wills dancing master, an enthusiastic supporter of radical causes.

Alexander Wills of Harley St proposed Society for Constitutional Information 7.12.1792 by Thomas Holcroft 2nded…

9.7.1795 Wilson at Fawcett's, Hedge Grove & 7.6.1799 dine at Fawcett's adv miss Wilshen

see Smith, farmer.

Daniel Willshin farmer of Harrow PCC 1768 / George Willshin farmer of Northolt PCC 1773 / Ann Willshin widow of Northolt 1781

James Willshin late of Pinner farmer & shopkeeper now of Edgware, parish Little Stanmore PCC 1796 dau Sarah wife of John Higgs jr of Preston, Harrow parish, wife Elizabeth (who married Thomas Higginbottom 25.3.1799 St Geo Han Sq), John Gurney farmer of Harrow, dated 8.12.1795

John Willshin of Northolt PCC 1803 wife Deborah,…

26.9.1809 call on Wilmot / 17.11.1809 / 15.2.1810 call on Tipper, Wilmot & Hill, & Miles / 5.4.1810 call on Tate, & Wilmot & Hill

James Wilmott & Robert Hill, stationers & booksellers 50 High-st Borough trading as Wilmott & Hill from 1801 to 1812 (bbti). The two Hills are coded to Thomas Hill in the GD website, but look closely at the syntax. Godwin would have had to cross London Bridge to make these calls. The next instances of Wilmot are all at Walking Stewart's, so quite likely to have been a different Wilmot

26.9.1809 call on Wilmot / 17.11.1809 again / 15.2.1810 call on Tipper, Wilmot & Hill, & Miles / 5.4.1810 call on Tate, & Wilmot & Hill

Wilmott & Hill bookseller 50 High-st Borough stationers paperhangers booksellers (bbti). William Wilmott & Robert Hill. Godwin would have had to cross over London Bridge to call on them. The two entries with Wilmot & Hill above have been wrongly coded to Thomas Hill on GD website

see Poland Street 19 to 44 in London Addresses dataset

Edward Wilmot 21 Poland St ratebooks 1777-8 / coroners jury 1777 Edward Wilmot cheesemonger Poland St / Edward Wilmot = St James 4.2.1777 Mary Farrell botp by banns wits Wm Bowsey Eliz Lee her mark  / Old Bailey 15.7.1778 Mr Wilmot witness "my house is in Poland St almost opposite Marlborough St" Jane Wheeler witness "I am the wife ofJohn Wheeler, we rent a room of Mr Wilmot but I had let this room to one John Davidson, it is a front room up two pair of stairs". John Wheeler was a common name but he may have been the same as…

miss Wilmot 29.9.1801 calls (& Lady Mountcashell) / 18.11.1801 at theatre with Lady Mountcashell / 21.11.1801 calls (& Lady Mountcashell)

Katherine Wilmot Dict Irish Biog c1773-1824 went to Europe with Lady Mountcashell and kept a diary

6.7.1799 dine at Fawcett's adv miss Wilshen

see Willshin

9.7.1795 Wilson at Fawcett's, Hedge Grove

see Willshin

Wilson 17.8.1800 at (Robert) Darwin's

12.8.1807 call on Wilson (printer)

At least four printers called Wilson were active in London in 1807. 1) William Wilson 16 St Peters Hill (SunFire 1808). Son of William Wilson cabinet maker of St Gregorys London will PCC 2.10.1789. At 8 Ave Maria-lane Ludgate-hill (SunFire 1790). His will PCC 12.1.1815 mentioned wife Mary, brother John Wetherell Wilson carver of Dublin and brother Rev Harry Bristow Wilson master at Merchant Taylors school.  2) William Wilson, Union Printing Office, 14 Jerusalem-passage, 21 St Johns-sq 1806-1810 (BBTI)   3) Andrew Wilson stereotype founder 12 Duke-…

27.7.1809 write to Wilson (York) / 16.3.1810 Wilson of York calls / 22.3.1810 call on Wilson, York (not seen) / 23.3.1810 Wilson (York) calls / 11.3.1811 Wilson of York calls

As Godwin was contacting booksellers throughout England around this time, this was probably Thomas Wilson bookseller High Ousegate York, freedom of York 1780 trading until 1822 (bbti) (perhaps will PCC 1829 gent of York, or PCC 1833 alderman of York)

see Bromley, Henry

Capt  Wilson 27.2.1803 at H Tooke's, & return with him

There were certainly plenty of Captains called Wilson in the Army List, then there was the Royal Navy, The East India Company and even merchant ships so this one off could be many people. Robert Thomas Wilson DNB 1777-1849 who was son of the artist Benjamin Wilson DNB 1721-1788 and whose older sister Frances had married Horne Tooke's friend William Bosville might have been a good guess except that he was already a Major by 1800 and was knighted in 1802. Lestock Wilson (see Wilson, Mrs) was a captain for the EIC not known as…