A-Z of Entries

Betterton's au soir with Jo(seph) G(odwin) & Smith, artist 26.10.1817

Not looked into this yet, this was the only Betterton in Godwin's diary so he was probably a contact of Godwin's brother Joseph

canon Smith at tea; 1.10.1803 adv miss Linnee Smith / 8.9.1805 miss Smith calls / both at Norwich

William Linney Smith son of Thomas & Mary Smith, (King's) Lynn, Norfolk bapt 19.2.1793. He died Lynn 1858. Margaret Linney Smith (born 1808) married Mark Ward at St Margaret's Lynn 8.5.1831. Neither of those could have been the Miss Linnee Smith Godwin met but it's the nearest I've found to that name. It was maybe derived from the town name and then pronounced as if French. The celebrated Sydney Smith DNB 1771-1846 didn't become a Canon until 1831. Minor canons could be quite poorly…

Carew Smith 1.7.1800 on wherry to Dublin

Morning Post 19.10.1793 died at Castle-connel co Limerick, Carew Smith formerly a Capt in 16th foot / Morning Post 12.8.1809 on 9.8.1809 at Ealing Carew Smith son of Rev Dr Smith of Molesworth St Dublin = Caroline youngest dau of William Knox Esq of Great Ealing / Morning Post 5.2.1819 Carew Smith agent (& cousin) of T W Grady who petitioned against Wyndham Quin

30.3.1795 (mes) Smith at Barbauld's = Charlotte Smith? Though Godwin didn't put her in 1796 list until 1797 when he began a regular friendship with her, he may have overlooked this encounter, or of course it could be any number of other female Smiths
 

W, G, C & H(olcrof)t at Cha Smith's 24.7.1798 / dine at C Smith's, theatre adv C S 5.12.1798 / call on C S (not in) 27.2.1799 /  tea C Smith's w. Charles 6.4.1799 / W S adv at Cha Smith's 19.3.1799 / tea C Sm's w. Charles 11.7.1799 / sup at C Smith's w. Geo 11.4.1800 / 4.1.1802 call on C Smith (adv C & Ht) / tea C Smith…

sheriff Smith at Philips' 14.12.1807

Christopher Smith Hist of Parl 1749-1835 was elected sheriff of London along with Richard Phillips in 1807 (Morning Chronicle 29.9.1807)

Clara Smith 27.4.1807 at tea

I haven't discovered who this was. See work notes below

see Poland Street 10 to 18 & 45 to 48 in London Addresses dataset

Edmund Smith linen draper SunFire 1777 corner of Portland Street in Poland Street (could be 9 or 10 Poland St) / Edmund Smith of St James his apprentice Joseph Butler Hollier acquitted Old Bailey 8.9.1773 of stealing 6 yds of linen &c on 10.3.1773  / 1774 Edmund Smith of Marlborough St linen draper took appr Thomas Shipley / Edmund William son of Edmund & Susanna Smith bapt St James 1778 / Edmund Smith linen draper Carnaby Market coroners jury 1779 / Edmund Smith buried 13.4.1783 St James / possible…

Edw Smith 31.10.1810 adv at Montagu's

31.10.1810 call on Montagu; adv. Edw. Smith

See my entries for Smith, John Raphael and for Topping for E Smith on 30.4.1804 and 23.1.1809. There was also E Smith sleeps on 1.10.1811 probably associated with M Smith who first called that day then four times more up to 4.11.1811 which was ppc (leavetaking). Edw Smith could have been any of the E Smith entries but my guess tells me he was not. Otherwise Edward Smith appeared nowhere else in Godwin's diary. Some possibles below

Edward Smith Esq of Oak Lodge Southgate died 1818 aged 64. He had married in 1780 at Ramsgate, Sarah,…

21.7.1794 mrs Smith at Fawcett's, 9.7.1795 Fawcett's, Hedge Grove: see Wilson, Smith &c, 29.5.1796 Fawcet's; adv. Smith, farmer, 7.5.1799 dine at Fawcett's; adv miss Wilshen: call on Smith; adv Beswick

Between the 1794 entry above and the next one, in 1795, Joseph Fawcett had moved from Walthamstow to Hedge Grove near Edgware. Smith at Hedge Grove was identified the second time there as a farmer, perhaps because Godwin had already noted another Smith in that day's entry. The Wilson of 1795 may be a misspelling of Wilshen as in 1799. The Willshins were farmers and shopkeepers in…

call on Fred Smith 13.9.1815 (not in) F Smith calls

No idea yet who this was but it may emerge later

SOCIETY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION: George Smith of Bloomsbury Square proposed member 14.12.1792 by Joseph Jennings 2nded Charles Sinclair

His father was Nathaniel Smith 1730-1794 MP for Rochester (historyofparliamentunline 1754-1790 & 1790-1820) and a wealthy East India director of Bloomsbury Square, who had married 0n 4.12.1764 his first cousin Hester Dance, sister of George Dance the younger (DNB 1741-1825). George Smith was admitted to Lincolns Inn 23.5.1787 and studied at Cambridge with Joseph Jennings who proposed him for SCI. He married Sarah Hardman…

21.10.1801 Jas Smith breakfasts

I differ from the GD website, in the editorial notes on George Smith, where it is said that the main Smith of 1801 onwards was almost certainly a different person from the "Sunday breakfaster" of 1793-1796 (see Smith, George) on the grounds that the Smith from 1801 was more sociable and appeared at other venues, attended the theatre, and dined rather than breakfasted. But this could easily have been because his life had changed, as Godwin's life certainly had. In fact there were ony three theatre visits, one call on Perry, one on Nicholson &…

13.3.1794 dr Smith at Wedgwood's / 28.6.1794 dr Smith at Alderson's, adv Mr & Miss Smiths / 5.7.1794 at John Gurney's, adv Smiths (these last two in Norfolk) / 28.8.1799 dr Smith at Fordyce's

Sir James Edward Smith DNB 1759-1828. Deacon of Octagon congregation. Born in Norwich and his family lived there, didn't move back there from London till 1796 after his father's death, but gave a course of 18 lectures on zoology & botany there in summer 1794 (C B Jewson, Jacobin City p,137, 155). His father James Smith Unitarian and merchant (will PCC 1795) was probably the Mr Smith at…

17.7.1788 at Shields' in a very musical gathering. A cellist and violinist James Smith (fl 1773-1809) is listed in Highfill, Burnim & Langhan's Biog Dict of Actors &c. On 27.11.1794 Godwin supped at Shield's with Crosdill, adv Collick & Smith, and on 1.3.1795 he supped at Holcroft's with Shield, Smith musn & Thelwall. He could also have been the Smith at Thelwall's on 2.2.1795 and/or the Smith at Holcroft's on 22.4.1795, but see Smith, George. The will PCC 1823 of James Smith, musician of Woolwich may have been his. See also Smith, James who was probably not the same person…

call on Smith 2.10.1804 / John Sm adv 29.5.1805 at Jo(seph) G(odwin)'s / 12.7.1805 Jno Smith adv at Jo G's

Joseph Godwin (qv) Godwin's brother was four times noted in Godwin's diary in connection with Primrose Street, where the houses were that produced income for the siblings of Godwin's first wife, Mary Wollstonecraft (10.12.1804, 12.12.1804, 24.6.1805, 6.1.1808). For which reason I suspect this John Smith may have been the John Smith, appraiser of 13 Primrose St (Holdens 1805) who was listed in Land Tav assessments for Primrose St from 1800 to 1807. For the call of 2.10.1804 (…

John Smith at Uwins' 5.10.1830 / 5.2.1835 Smith at Uwins'

30.9.1798 call on mrs Foulkes adv Smiths. see Foulkes, Philippa.  In the Foulkes' divorce proceedings of 1802 John  Raphael Smith (DNB 1751-1812) testified that he had known the Foulkes' for 10 or 11 years and had been very intimate with them in the last 6 years, that Mr & Mrs Foulkes had nearly parted in 1798 and that Smith and his wife had interfered to settle disputes, usually at Mrs Foulkes' entreaty

J R Smith's family were clearly involved at 7 meals, reciprocal between Smiths, Nicholsons, Foulkes, Godwins, Holcrofts and Heywoods / at Nicholsons on 19.7.1802 where the name …

call on Smith 25.2.1804 (in Lewes) / 21.3.1804 letter from Smith / 23.3.1804 write to Smith  / 27.3.1804 letter from Smith

The first entry above was probably Josias Smith (Jacksons Oxford Journal 31.3.1827) died at Lewes age 90, attorney of Lewes for many years. In 1774 he drew up articles of separation between Thomas Paine DNB 1737-1809 and his wife. The three letters above may have been a correspondence with him concerning Godwin's niece who eloped with a married man to Lewes (see Godwin, Harriet), but perhaps more likely they were to the Smith who saw Godwin regularly between…

Smith (Liverpool) calls 1.7.1824