A-Z of Entries

Willis's

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)


Willis, Charles

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…


Willoughby

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.…


Wills

see Willes, Edward


Wills, Alexander

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…


Willshin

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,…


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


Wilmot

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


Wilmot, Katherine

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


Wilshen

6.7.1799 dine at Fawcett's adv miss Wilshen

see Willshin


Wilson

9.7.1795 Wilson at Fawcett's, Hedge Grove

see Willshin


Wilson (in Shrewsbury)

Wilson 17.8.1800 at (Robert) Darwin's

 


Wilson (printer) (bookseller)

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-…


Wilson (York)

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)


Wilson, Capt

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…


Wilson, Charles Henry

10.3.1794 Debate on Muir (at House of Commons) see Mackintosh, Wilson, Dyer & Perry

The first four Wilson entries in the diary, in 1788, have been identified in the GD website as John Wilson 1761-1818, though the person record is just called Wilson and covers many possible Wilsons. For Miss Wilson, Parr's friend in Warwickshire see Wilson, Hannah and for Mrs Wilson at John King's see Wilson, Mrs. The entry above in 1794 may have been Charles Henry Wilson died 1808 aged 52. He appeared in the archives of the Gazetteer newspaper (Nat Arch C104/67 & 68) as a parliamentary…


Wilson, Hannah

miss Wilson 12.10.1794 adv at Parr's & 26.6.1795 dines there.

Dr Parr's friend Hannah Wilson (see Warren Derry, Dr Samuel Parr the Whig Dr Johnson). She married William Bellamy at Haseley, Warwickshire on 18.11.1795, his will PCC 1809 mentioned his wife Hannah and son William
 


Wilson, Mrs

10.2.1795 mrs Wilson at King's / 22.3.1795 again / 1.6.1795 meet (after King's, with Mrs Morse)  / 3.12.1795 adv at King's / 26.1.1805 Barry & mrs Wilson adv at Carlisle's / 28.10.1806 adv at Carlisle's / 14.4.1813 Godwin calls on mrs Wilson

No reason to suppose the mrs W at King's to be the same as mrs W at Carlisle's 10 years later, but they could all be Bonne Wilson (nee Boileau) died Feb 1819 who married at Madras 1780 Lestock Wilson (died 1821) captain in East India Company's service, friend of Joseph Farington and appeared often in Farington diary. The Morses and the…


Wilton

Wilton 23.4.1797 at Holcroft's / 1.5.1797 at Wilton's with Holcrofts Grays & Barnes

Maybe Charles Henry Wilton (Highfill, Burnim & Langhans fl 1785-1805 violinist composer and singer). Holcroft and Gray were often in musical company

Maybe Joseph Wilton DNB 1722-1803 sculptor


Winal

see Winnall