Jailhouse Rock

A single Jail, in ALFRED'S golden Reign,

Could half the Nation's Criminals contain;

Fair Justice then, without Constraint ador'd,

Sustain'd the Ballance, but resign'd the Sword;

No Spies were paid, no Special Juries known,

Blest Age! But ah! how diff'rent from our own!

Samuel Johnson, London: A Poem (1738)

At ye Haymarket

Pasquin's benefit ticket, William Hogarth

BENEFIT-nights

Yearly - or twice-yearly - occasions when a player or other member of a theatre company would reap the profits of one night's box office receipts. The person receiving the benefit would sell some of the tickets themselves, as a good benefit night could nearly double a player's annual income.
William Hogarth, engraved ticket for Joe Miller's Benefit

Wager arrested

Twas as much as we could do to get Wager Home, though: I made a Man ride behind him, for he was very unruly, pulling the Horse about, making Motions with his Hands at every Body that came near him, as if he was firing a Pistol, crying Phoo!

From The Old Bailey Proceedings, deposition of James Barnes (arresting officer) to the court December 8th 1736

A Policeman's Job...

... is not an easy one:

Deposition of arresting officer to the court at the trial of the highwayman Edward Bonner, September 8th 1736.

Bonner's partner, William Wager (known as Cocky) had not yet been caught.

Bonner was condemned to death for assaulting Samuel Hasswel on the King's highway, putting him in fear, and stealing from him.

I serv'd the Warrant upon Bonner. I knew he was a desperate Fellow, so I got 2 or 3 to assist me. I took him at the Black-Spread-Eagle Alehouse in Paternoster-Row, on the Information of the Coachman. [I found him] in a dark Room, and 2 or 3 Women were with him.

We took him to Sir Richard Brocas's, but he not being ready, we had him to the Bull-head [Tavern] till the Alderman could give us a hearing.
He seem'd very uneasy, and I was uneasy too; while we were there, a lusty Carpenter - one of his Associates - and 2 or 3 more came in, and Bonner said to them, "have you brought Pistols and Hangers? If you have, fall to: fire, and away."
However, I got Bonner to Sir Richard's first, and because we cou'd not get the People there, he was to be re-examin'd; and when we got the Coachman and him together, that they might see one another, the Coachman said: "out of a thousand that is the Man, I remember his quick Speech."
Bonner was in his Butcher's Livery, and he asked the Coachman if he knew him: "Aye," says the Coachman, "if I had never seen you, I should have had no Trouble with you," then he described Wager; and Cocky is the most remarkable Man in the World.

From The Old Bailey Proceedings

THIEF-Takers,

who make a Trade of helping People (for a Gratuity) to their lost Goods and sometimes, for Interest, or Envy, snapping the Rogues themselves, being usually in Fee with them, and acquainted with their Haunts.

Scenography:

An ancient Greek method to create an illusion of depth on stage by using a series of flat panels.

Perspective

Whoever makes a Design, without the Knowledge of Perspective, will be liable to such Absurdities as are shown in this Frontispiece.

William Hogarth

The Ghost of a Little Shop

... I remember especially a small grocery shop that had survived miraculously enough in a court off Leadenhall Street. Banks and insurance houses towered up around, and the only other domestic link with the City's past was in the adjoining court, an ancient chop-house believed to be the last in London to give up the use of pewter plates. It seemed as unlikely there as a child's bassinette or a collie dog. On certain days in that deep court, where the light filters down from projection to projection, it is like the ghost of a little shop that once was there in the homely era of the City.
But it is real enough, and so is the proprietor, a sensible man with no illusions, who sells all sorts of things from pickled cucumber and tumblers for parties on Lord Mayor's Show day to smuggled cigars. Of course, the cigars came lawfully enough to him; he buys them at the sales by order of H.M. Customs of tobacco seized from the contrabandists, but if you look into it you'll find most of his wares have a curious and interesting tag. Great bankers and walk-clerks and office-boys are among his customers, and he must hear a good deal about what is doing in the world of finance.
The legend on the shop reads:

'Established in 1723.'

[A friend of mine] could not discover the day and the month, so he had perforce to wait until the year had ended. Then with eagerness he repaired to the little shop, wished the shopman good day, tried a scrubbing brush, bought a bottle of gherkins and a smuggled cigar, and discussed the price of apples. He had not been so happy since one of Twining's shopmen told him that when he was young he was allowed to go down below to test teas on his birthday.

James Bone, The London Perambulator (1925)

The Infant Office

"There is an Infant Office to aid these women towards a pathetic appearance. One woman hired no less than four infants for the day. Two she packed behind her like a Scotch pedlar's budget; the third was to run by her side bawling for victuals; the fourth she held in her arms like a tuneable instrument to be set to music when she came in view of any seemingly well disposed people."

To be delivered or left...

... at each Inhabitant's House:

SIR,

The Pavement before your house being out of Repair and complaint being made thereof These are to give you notice that you do forthwith cause the same to be repayred and amended and that you appear by yourself, servant or Agent before the Steward of Westminster on Tuesday the fourth day of December next at the Town Court House near Westminster Hall at ten of the clock in the Morning to make Oath thereof or otherwise you will be convicted for the same and penalties will be levied upon you by distress according to the Statute in that case made and provided.

Dated 10th Novr 1711

This early notice is given you out of respect to you to prevent the said trouble and expense.

Masquerade

The first originall ground of Cheating is, a counterfeit countenance in all things: a study to seem to be, & not to be in deed. And because no great deceit can be wrought but where special trust goes before, therefore the cheater when he pitches his hay to purchase his profit enforces all his wits to win credit & opinion of his honesty, and uprightness.

A Manifest Detection of Diceplay, Gilbert Walker (1550)

The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is.

George Bernard Shaw

Twelve Hungry Men

After a trial: 'the jury... retire into a room where they have no light and no food, and here they must remain until they are unanimous as to whether the accused is guilty or innocent. I am told that there have been cases of eleven out of the twelve jurymen being convinced of the guilt of the accused and condemning him, whilst the one who wished to save him has insisted on declaring him innocent, and after remaining an entire day and even two without food, forcing the others to come round to his opinion; but such a case is extremely rare.'

Cesar de Saussure

Gentility is...

Artificial, and for the seizing by any highway robber: "An Art as would forever make him a Gentleman." James Clavell (pardoned highwayman, 1634)

Something achieved through force of will: "It's my intent to be a gentleman. It's my game." Rigaud (Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens, 1857)

A matter of ease, if you have the money for it: ..."to be drunk, swear, wench, follow the fashion, and to do just nothing." Henry Peacham (curate, 1622)




"Now that a man may make money, and rise in the world, and associate himself, unreproached, with people once far above him... it becomes a veritable shame to him to remain in the state he was born in and everybody thinks it his DUTY to try to be a 'gentleman'." John Ruskin (Pre-Raphaelitism, 1851)

Money Matters

A son may bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Triptych

Visuals are hugely important to me, especially when beginning a book.

Once they've been in your head a while you can take their features for granted, like those of old friends; but it took quite a search before I was happy that I had found faces for three of my central characters.

Hogarth's tableaux always form my mental backdrop for 18th century London, but for more intimate portraiture I have pillaged the works of Joshua Reynolds, transforming his portrait of Joseph Banks into the 'young' Archie Pullen (left); Mrs. Charles Ogilvie into Charley, a Drury Lane actress (centre); and real-life actress Mrs. Abington into Porzia, a woman of mystery (right)...