Thomas Cosby (1706-1765) synopsis

1706 4th November : birth, 9th of 10 children of John and Mary COSBY, married before 1696, at home, Charter House Lane (now St. Bartholomew's Medical School). Eight children died infants. 1706 10th November : Thomas is baptized at St. Sepulchre's church

1706 “Thomas Twining bought Tom’s Coffee House off Strand, London” (actually 17 Great Russell Street, Covent Garden) http://www.xtimeline.com 1706 Measles epidemic (London) http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk List of Epidemics and Disease outbreaks by MarkCDodd & Australian Institute for Genealogical Studies 1707 July 8 England Heat 'Divers persons died'. 'Hot Tuesday' http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1708 June12 England Summer cold A hoar frost http://www.phenomena.org.uk Exceptionally cold winter; crops affected throughout that year http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1709-1710 London “An unusually hard and long winter followed by a poor harvest in 1709 was undoubtedly a factor in the epidemic, evidently of typhus, that began in the fall of 1709 and lasted throughout 1710, in which year 4,740 human deaths were attributed to 'fever' (4,397) and 'spotted fever' (343).” Encyclopedia of plague and pestilence: from ancient times to the present by George C. Kohn 1710 Smallpox http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1714 August 1 « The death of Queen Anne on August 1st, 1714, at Kensington Palace, once more changed the scene of political affairs, but George Louis of Brunswick's accession to the throne and his reign of thirteen years had very little influence, either on the appearance of the city or that of the river. There was still only the one bridge, and notwithstanding the loss of the riverside palace at Whitehall, and the removal of the Court to St. James's and Kensington, the watermen with their wherries and skiffs were still much in demand. The Lord Mayor in his State barge and the twelve great Companies in theirs, with all the pomp and pageantry of civic splendour, accompanied by bands of music and innumerable other boats and barges, made their annual procession to the Law Courts at Westminster for the Lord Mayors Show on Lord Mayor's day, returning to Queenhithe or Blackfriars where they had embarked. The Stationers' Company in their barge on the same occasion also paid an annual visit to their patron, the Archbishop of Canterbury, at Lambeth, and presented their almanacs to his Grace. But very few other pageants were now seen on the river, and it was as dull as the Court, under a king who could not speak a word of English, and who disliked his new subjects every bit as much as they disliked him. » http://www.londononline.co.uk 1714 London “Deaths from fever, most of which were probably due to the typhus, reached nearly 4,781 in 1714, exceeding the previous three years by about 1,000 to 1,600 deaths per year.”Encyclopedia of plague and pestilence: from ancient times to the present by George C. Kohn 1715 April 22 England Solar eclipse Halley observed corona, white ring & fainter rays http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1715 August 22 « George I. had passed the Tower not long before on a trip down the river. On the 22nd of August, 1715, the King, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and a numerous party of nobility, went, with music on board their barges, from Whitehall, the old Privy Stairs there being still kept intact, to Limehouse.

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Thomas Cosby (1706-1765) synopsis 1715 August 22 (following) When they returned in the evening, the captains of the shipping in the river suspended lanterns in their rigging, and the houses on both banks were illuminated; an incredible number of boats filled with spectators attended the Royal party, and cannon were repeatedly fired from the Tower wharf during the day and evening. » http://www.londononline.co.uk 1716 January 22 Europe Cold winter -4° F. in Paris. Frost fair,London http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1716 « it was ordained that every householder should hang a light before his door from six in the evening till eleven. Gas was first used as an illuminant in 1807. » http://www.londonhistory.co.uk/ 1716 « The year 1716 witnessed the first race for Doggett's coat and badge, rowed by six young watermen who had just completed their apprenticeship. Doggett, who was a well known Irish comedian, joint manager of the Drury Lane Theatre, and an enthusiastic supporter of the Hanoverian dynasty, left a certain sum in trust for the purchase of the prize, an "orange" coloured coat with a silver badge on which the horse of the House of Hanover was embossed. The race was from Old Swan Stairs, by London Bridge, to the Old Swan at Chelsea. Thomas Doggett, who was also something of a dramatist, died in 1721, but the race is still contested today. » http://www.londononline.co.uk 1718 Measles epidemic (London); smallpox (London); influenza epidemic http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1718 London “The years 1718, 1719, and 1720 saw an upsurge in fatal cases to 3,607, 3,927, and 3,976 respectively.”.Encyclopedia of plague and pestilence: from ancient times to the present by George C. Kohn 1719 March 19 S. England Meteor 70 miles over Channel, 30 explosions. http://www.phenomena.org.uk « At about 8 p.m., London was suddenly illuminated by a light almost as bright as the Sun. The stars and the waxing Moon were blotted out, and candles gave no light. A great fiery body, estimated to be over a mile in diameter, raced over southern England at 21,000 miles an hour before exploding thirty miles above the English Channel. » http://www.londononline.co.uk 1719 June “In the 18th century, the industry was threatened by a new fashion for wearing printed calico, from India. This led to riots in June 1719, when 4,000 Spitalfields weavers rampaged through the city, attacking any women they saw wearing calico. They ripped the women's calico dresses and splashed them with ink. It took the troops two days to restore order.” http://www.icons.org.uk 1719 August England Heat & drought May, June, July & August; ‘such a summer for heat hardly known’ http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1719 Measles epidemic (London); smallpox epidemic (London) followed by severe influenza http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk

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Thomas Cosby (1706-1765) synopsis 1724 November 16 London “Jack Sheppard, a notorious English robber, burglar and thief, was taken to the gallows at Tyburn to be hanged. He planned one more escape, but his pen-knife, intended to cut the ropes binding him on the way to the gallows, was found by a prison warder shortly before he left Newgate for the last time. A joyous procession passed through the streets of London, with Sheppard's cart drawn along Holborn and Oxford Street accompanied by a mounted City Marshal and liveried Javelin Men. The occasion was as much as anything a celebration of Sheppard's life, attended by crowds of up to 200,000 (one third of London's population). The procession halted at the City of Oxford tavern on Oxford Street, where Sheppard drank a pint of sack. A carnival atmosphere pervaded Tyburn, where his "official" autobiography, published by Applebee and probably ghostwritten by Defoe, was on sale. Sheppard handed "a paper to someone as he mounted the scaffold",[38] perhaps as a symbolic endorsement of the account in the "Narrative". His slight build had aided his previous prison escapes, but it condemned him to a slow death by strangulation by the hangman's noose. After hanging for the prescribed 15 minutes, his body was cut down. The crowd pressed forward to stop his body from being removed, fearing dissection; their actions inadvertently prevented Sheppard's friends from implementing a plan to take his body to a doctor in an attempt to revive him. His badly mauled remains were recovered later and buried in the churchyard of St Martin'sin-the-Fields that evening." Wikipedia 1726-1729 London “Four-year period of epidemic fevers, among which louse-borne typhus fever was probably the most widespread and fatal. According to the London Bills of Mortality, human deaths from fevers were about 4,700 for each year from 1726 through 1728, and 5,335 for 1729.” Encyclopedia of plague and pestilence: from ancient times to the present by George C. Kohn 1727 July 19 England Earthquake 'All over England' http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1727 October 11 king George II coronation at Westminster Abbey 1730 January 1 London Thames there was such a dense fog that it caused numerous deaths and fatalities from collisions among the shipping. http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1730 April 13 Francis Hackabout, highwayman, tried at the Old Bailey on 28 February, found guilty, is sentenced to death and hanged. Secret History of Georgian London by Dan Cruickshank 1730 May 12 James Dalton, found guilty of robbery and assaults, is hanged at Tyburn. Francis Hackabout and James Dalton probably inspired William Hogarth for his set of engravings: The Harlot's Progress, issued in 1730/1731. Secret History of Georgian London by Dan Cruickshank 1730 Whooping cough especially in London; measles epidemic http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1733 « In the reign of George II, Walpole’s excise and gin acts were accompanied by another series of riots. The Excise Act was swiftly withdrawn after a siege of Parliament; then there were election and turnpike riots (with some cross-dressing) around the country. » www.housmans.com/kingmob.pdf

1728 12th September : he married Ann PARTON at St. Andrew's Holborn

1731 23rd August : baptism of Ann, buried at St. Andrew's Holborn next 4th September Thomas and his wife are already living at Dean Street, High Holborn. 1732 9th August : baptism of Thomas, buried at St. Andrew's Holborn next 8th November

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Thomas Cosby (1706-1765) synopsis

1735 9th August : at St. Andrew's Holborn, he married Olive, Mr WARD's widow, probably nee LLOYD, baptized 26th August 1708 Ludlow Shropshire. She seems to be Welsh. She gave one boy and 2 girls living adults. (Marriage Licence Allegations Index - Faculty Office – 10th June 1735)

1735 January 8 England Gale ‘Most violent since 1703’ http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1736 July 5 England Floods. All low meadows flooded. Heavy rain http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1736 July 26 London riots «By 1735 there were 7000 shops, licensed and unlicensed, in the Middlesex area of London alone that offered gin and brandy—their enticement read, “drunk for a penny, dead drunk for twopence, and straw for nothing.” Between 1727 and 1735 the annual consumption of spirits had increased from 3.5 million gallons to 5.5 million with the growth in the number of gin shops providing quick and easy access to drink. In February 1736 the Middlesex justices, concerned over drunkenness among journeymen, apprentices, and servants in particular because of the plethora of gin shops, petitioned the Parliament to restrict excessive sales of spirits. In March, Parliament responded with the Gin Act, whose provisions were to take effect on June 24. By the terms of this act any retailer in possession of “Spiritous Liquors” would pay a duty of 20 shillings per gallon on the spirits, and all inns, alehouses, or other shops providing spirits would pay 50 pounds per year for a license to do so. Although the actual application of the act’s provisions was postponed until Michaelmas (September 29), George Rude surmises from contemporary documents that its terms contributed to riots that erupted in Whitechapel, Shoreditch, and Spitalfields in July. The immediate catalyst for the rioting in Shoreditch and Spitalfields, however, was the replacement of English workmen involved in constructing the new church of St. Leonard’s with lower-paid Irish workmen. The immediate target of these riots, which broke out on July 26 and involved perhaps 2000 protesters, was the Irish residents, and in the course of the rioting several of their houses in the two areas were damaged by the mob. During the riots in Shoreditch, members of the mob shouted against “putting Down Gin”—a denunciation of the Gin Act. […] Certainly the Gin Act, despite the imposition of thousands of fines and penalties, failed of its intent—by 1743 the consumption of spirits had risen to 8 million gallons. » http://www.bookrags.com 1736 London « From 1736, lights were to be lit each night of the year. Traditionally they had been lit until midnight ; from 1736 they were lit until sunrise. » London A Social History by Roy Porter 1738 August London Tottenham Court Fair "1738, Tottenham Court, at Fielding's and Hallam's Great Booth, near the turnpike in Tottenham-Court, during the Fair, the town will be diverted with a new Entertainment (never perform'd before), call'd the Mad Lovers, or Sport upon Sport, with the Comical Humours of Squire Graygoose and his man Doodle, my Lady Graygoose, and Capt. Atall." Notes and queries by Oxford Journals (1859) p. 411 1739 January 6 London Tottenham Court “boxing match at Tottenham fair. 'Yesterday was fought at Tottenham-Court Booth the great BoxingMatch between Stephenson the Coachman and Taylor the Barber; there was a prodigious crowded House of Nobility and Gentry, at five Shillings a Ticket: The Odds before they began was six to four on the Coachman, who has but one Eye;

1736 1st August : burial of his father John COSBY, in St. Sepulchre's churchyard. He was still leaving in his house of Charter-House-Lane.

1737 13th May : his son Thomas is baptized at St. Andrew of Holborn (0.2 ml from St. Sepulchre) Thomas and his second wife are still living at Dean Street, High Holborn, but seem moving to Tottenham Court as early as 1737/1738 1738 16th April : birth of his daughter Olive 1738 2nd May : she is baptized at St. Anne of Soho.

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Thomas Cosby (1706-1765) synopsis and though the Coachman at the very beginning of the Battle struck the Barber just above the Eye such a Blow, that the Wound seem'd as if done with a Sword, and the Blood gush'd out and run into that Eye that he could scarcely see, yet the Barber flung him seven times successively, fought away boldly, and beat him in eleven Minutes: Peartree was the Coachman's Second, and Boswell the Barber's. There were vast Sums of Money lost on this Match: A noble Lord took a bett of 300 Guineas to 200 that the Barber would beat the Coachman. During the Battle, Part of the Benches fell down, several were hurt, and a Man had his thigh broke.'” St. Pancras: being antiquarian, topographical, and biographical memoranda by Samuel Palmer 1739 March 14 William Udall, highwayman, is hanged at Tyburn http://www.londonlives.org 1739 July 30 London Tottenham Court “On Thursday next, the 30th instant, at the Great Booth at Tottenham-Court, will be an extraordinary Trial of Manhood between JOHN BROUGHTON, of St. James's Market, AND GEORGE STEPHENSON, Coachman to a Nobleman, For One Hundred Pounds. The Doors to be open'd at Nine o'Clock. N. B. Gentlemen are desir'd to come early, large Sums of Money are depending, and the Combatants are oblig'd to mount exactly at Eleven o'Clock." St. Pancras: being antiquarian, topographical, and biographical memoranda by Samuel Palmer 1739 October 22 England Aurora? Meteor? ‘Frightful fiery dragon’ seen over all England. Cloudy http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1739 December 25 England Severe winter ‘Great frost’ began. N’ly winds almost constant till summer 1740 http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1739 Intensely cold winter; scarlatina (London) http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1740 January 11 England Cold Bitter E'ly gale, 20° F, Plymouth http://www.phenomena.org.uk « The winter of 1739-40 was one of the most severe ever remembered, and from the long continuance of the frost from Christmas Day, 1739, to February 17th, 1740, when it began to thaw, but very gradually, it has been known ever since as the Great Frost. It was impossible for the colliers from the north to get up the river, and the distress among the poorer classes was terrible, not only from want of fuel, food and water, but also of work. The watermen and fishermen with a peterboat in mourning, and the carpenters, bricklayers, and labourers walked in procession through the streets begging, and to the honour of the city and all, great sums were collected and disbursed. Another terrible calamity happened a few days after the frost had begun : there was a terrible gale which did incalculable damage in the river, dragging vessels from their moorings and dashing them against one another, while the large sheets of ice floating in the stream overwhelmed the wherries and lighters and barges, and sunk many, especially those laden with coal and corn. Above the bridge the Thames was frozen completely over and a Frost Fair was held on it. Various shops were opened for the sale of toys, cutlery, and other light articles. Printing presses were set up and the usual drinking booths and puppet shows abounded. All sorts of sports and activities were there, and the place became a perfect carnival, as if the populace were utterly oblivious of the misery and distress which existed on shore. » http://www.londononline.co.uk

1739 17th June : Elizabeth, his second daughter, is born 1739 18th June : she is baptized at St. Anne of Soho.

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Thomas Cosby (1706-1765) synopsis

1741 3rd May : birth of his second son, John 1741 10th May : he is baptized at St. Anne of Soho.

1740 Intensely cold winter; scarlatina (London) http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1741 August London Tottenham Court fair “THE following is copied from a Daily Advertiser, of the year 1741. 'At Lee and Woodward's Great Theatrical Tiled Booth, near the Turnpike, during the time of Tottenham Court Fair, (which began on Tuesday the 4th inst. and will end on Monday the 17th,) will be presented, The Generous Freemason; OR. TIIE CONSTANT LADY; With the comical humours of Squire Noodle & his man Doodle.Squire Noodle, Mr. Woodward; Clerimont, Mr. Cross; Doodle, Mr. Yanghan; (he rest of the characters from both the Theatres. To which will be added, anew Pantomime entertainment, in grotesque characters, called Harlequin Sorcerer. Harlequin, Mr. Woodward;Columbine, Miss Robinson, being ber first appearance on any stage. X. B.—During the time of the fair, we shall begin at ten in the morning, and at nine at night. August 10, 1741." Dramatic table talk: or, Scenes, situations, & adventures, serious & comic, in theatrical history & biography (1825) Volume 2 by François Joseph Talma p. 20 1741 December 11 London Meteor Daylight fireball, trail vis. 20 min. http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1741 Severe typhus (London) http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1741-1742 London “Extensive and highly fatal epidemic of louse-borne typhus fever that caused over 7,500 deaths in London, England, in 1741 and nearly 1,200 in January and February of 1742. These figures, of course, are not totally reliable, as record-keeping in the 18th century was not uniform, and precise cause of death was not always accurately assessed. […] The epidemic followed an exceptionally cold winter in 1740, subsequent crop failure, and critical unemployment, conditions that contributed to the misery of London's poor population.” Encyclopedia of plague and pestilence: from ancient times to the present by George C. Kohn 1742 Severe typhus (London); measles epidemic http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1743 August 16 First set of written rules for boxing drafted by John Broughton and friends at Broughton’s Amphitheatre in Tottenham Court Road, London. The seven rules became known as the Broughton Rules http://www.supersport.com/boxing 1744 March 31 “Mr Sheridan … made his London debut at Covent Garden Theatre on 31 March 1744, as Hamlet, a role he repeated on 3 April. […] The following season he joined Fleetwood at Drury Lane... For his hastily arranged benefit on 13 December, he acted Hamlet; tickets were available from him at Mr Grignon's, a watchmaker in Russell Street, Covent Garden, opposite Tom's Coffe House.” A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Volume 13, Roach to H. Siddons: Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and Other Stage Personnel in London, 16601800 by Philip H. Highfill, Kalman A. Burnim, Edward A. Langhans (1991) p. 340

1742 12th June : burial of his mother Mary COSBY, in St. Sepulchre's churchyard. She was still leaving in her house of Charter-House-Lane. 1742 18th November : baptism of James COSBY, son of Thomas and Lydia, at St. Anne of Soho. Has Thomas Cosby lost his second wife, or is there another Thomas living in the same parish ?

1744 4th April: in The Proceedings of the Old Bailey, reference Number: t17440404-11, Offence: Theft - grand larceny, Verdict: Guilty, Punishment: Transportation. "197. Eleanor Callen , of St. Martin's in the Fields, was indicted for stealing a silver spoon, value 9 s. the goods of Thomas Cosby , March 10. Thomas Cosby. The Prisoner lived with me as a servant five or six weeks, and in that time I lost a silver spoon, a pawnbroker stopped it and advertised it, I went to him and found it. George Sherrard. The Prisoner came to my shop (I think on a Saturday night) to pawn a spoon, I asked her whose property it was, she said she was then a nurse keeping at a gentlewoman's at Tottenham-court, who desired her to pawn it ; I not being satisfied with this account, told her I should have occasion to go that way the next morning, and wou'd call there ; then she began to hesitate, I told her I would stop the spoon, and if she brought any body to give an account of her she should have it again ; but she not coming in two or three days I advertised it, and Mr Cosby came and owned it. Guilty." 6

Thomas Cosby (1706-1765) synopsis

He seems moving from Tottenham Court to Russell Street between 1744 and 1745. 1745 11th May : In The London Gazette Issue 8431 published on the 11 May 1745. Page 3 of 4. "Whereas a Commission of Bankrupt is awarded and issued forth against Thomas Cosby, of Russel-street, in the Parish of St. Paul Covent Garden, in the County of Middlesex, Vintner, and he being declared a Bankrupt, is hereby required to surrender himself to the Commissioners in the said Commission named, or the major Part of them, on the 21st and the 25th of May instant, and on the 25th of June next, at Three in the Afternoon on each of the said Days, at Guildhall, London, and make a full Discovery and Disclosure of his Estates and Effects ; when and where the Creditors are to come prepared to prove their Debts, and at the second Sitting to chuse Assignees, and at the last Sitting the said Bankrupt is required to finish his Examination, and the Creditors are to assent or to dissent from the Allowance of his Certificate. All persons indebted to the said Bankrupt, or that have any of his Effects, are not to pay or deliver the same but to whom the Commissioners shall appoint."

1745 March 5 “He [Mr Sheridan] was back in London to play Richard III on 5 March. […] On 31 August 1745 the London Daily Advertiser reported he had just arrived in London from Ireland.” A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Volume 13, Roach to H. Siddons: Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers, and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800 by Philip H. Highfill, Kalman A. Burnim, Edward A. Langhans (1991) p. 340

1746 June 24 Kent, England Thunderstorm “Continual storm of hail, rain & flame’. Much damage. http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1746 Scarlatina especially severe in London; smallpox http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk

1747 17th November : In The London Gazette Issue 8694 published on the 17 November 1747. Page 3 of 4 : "Whereas the acting Commissioners of the Commission of Bankrupt awarded against Thomas Cosby, of Russell-street, in the Parish of St. Paul Coventgarden, in the County of Middlesex, Vintner, have certified to the Right Honourable Philip Lord Hardwicke, Baron of Hardwicke, Lord High Chancellor of Great-Britain, that the said Thomas Cosby hath in all Things conformed himself according to the Directions of the several Acts of Parliament made concerning Bankrupts ; This is to give Notice, that by Virtue of an Act passed in the Fifth Year of his present Majesty's Reign, his Certificate will be allowed and confirmed as the said Act directs, unless Cause be shewn to the contrary on or before the 12th of December next". Happy end : Thomas solved his debts, until the next time... Once more he seems to move, from Russell Street to Tothill Fields, circa 1748.

1747 November 30 England Cold Lasted to Dec. 10. Snow 14 inches deep http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1747 Scarlatina especially severe in London http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk

1748 Scarlatina especially severe in London http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk

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Thomas Cosby (1706-1765) synopsis 1749 May 15 England Thunderstorms Widespread damage by hail & floods http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1749 June 15 England Summer snow Skiddaw snow lay till 16th http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1749 November 30 London the British Lying-In-Hospital was set up in Brownlow Street, Long Acre, Covent Garden Man-Midwife, Male Feminist: The Life and Times of George Macaulay, M.D., Ph.D. (1716-1766) by James Wyatt Cook, Barbara Collier Cook p. 59 1749 Scarlatina especially severe in London http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1750 February 19 London Earthquake Also on French coast http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1750 March 8 London Earthquake Houses damaged http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1750 July 18 – 20 England Heat Hot from July 8. Several persons & many horses died http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1750 October 3 the Gentleman Highwayman James MacLaine is hanged at the Tyburn tree, convicted of 20 highway robberies in six months, often in the then-relatively untamed Hyde Park. Amongst his victims were Horace Walpole and Lord Elgington. Wikipedia 1750 November 18 « Westminster Bridge had been built, being then the only one besides London Bridge, which at last had been cleared of its houses and considerably repaired in 175758. » London A Social History by Roy Porter 1750 Widespread Scarlatina epidemics rife throughout the 1750s Scarlatina (Plymouth, London, Kidderminster epidemic) http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1750 London “... Black Assize of the Old-Bailey court-house. Sir Michael Foster, a justice of the King's Bench who had presided at the Old Bailey just a few months before, recorded that the court and the passages leading to it were unusually crowded, that these passages, which led directly from Newgate prison, were particularly filthy and that a foul smell was present in the courtroom. He stated that 'within a week or ten days at most, after the session, many people who were present … were seized with a fever of the malignant kind; and few who were seized recovered.' The Lord Mayor of London and the presiding judge, as well as many other gentlemen of condition died of the fever. In addition to several jury members, at least 40 other people who attended the trial were fatally infected. The incident set off a reaction of panic, and there are reports, some greatly exaggerated, that many Londoners fled the city to escape infection. Evidence indicates, however, that the fever affected only those who had attended the assize.” Encyclopedia of plague and pestilence: from ancient times to the present by George C. Kohn 1751 Scarlatina (Plymouth, London, Kidderminster epidemic) http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1752 April 22 Poor-House St. Paul's Covent Garden Burial of Betsy Careless, once reputated for her beauty and disguised innocence, but notorious courtesan and later bagnio-owner of Covent Garden Secret History of Georgian London by Dan Cruickshank 1752 July 31 London, England Waterspout Lifted 2 boats from Thames, Vauxhall http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1752 Smallpox http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk

1749 5th August : Whitehall Evening Post On Saturday Ann Corbet was committed to Bridewell, and Mary White to the Gatehouse, by Thomas Ellys, Esq, for stealing a large Quantity of Milk from Thomas Cosby, a Cowkeeper in Tothill-Fields, Westminster (his milkmaids?) (source : Marion Hearfield Cowkeepers in the 17th and 18th Centuries, 2009 from http://gale.cengage.co.uk/)

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Thomas Cosby (1706-1765) synopsis 1754 May 30 End of the trial of Elizabeth Canning, a fascinating, extraordinary & never solved case Wikipedia 1755 Measles epidemic http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk

1755 3rd June : in The London Gazette Issue 9482 published on the 3 June 1755. Page 5 of 16, then in The London Gazette Issue 9483 published on the 7 June 1755. Page 15 of 16, then in The London Gazette Issue 9484 published on the 10 June 1755. Page 11 of 16 : "The following Persons being Prisoners for debt in the King's Bench Prison in the County of Surry, hereby give Notice, that they intend to take the Benefit of the late Act of Parliament made in the Twenty Eighth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty King George the Second, intitled, An Act for Relief of Insolvent Debtors, at the next General or Quarter Sessions of the Peace to be held for the said County of Surry, or at the Adjournment thereof, which shall happen next after Thirty days from the Publication hereof viz. First Notice [...] Thomas Cosby, formerly of Tothill Fields, in the Parish of St. Margaret Westminster, late of Horse Ferry Road in the Parish of St. John the Evangelist, Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Cow Keeper […]" And now, if he changed his occupation (actually cow keeper) and moved twice (first to Tothill Fields between November 1747 and August 1749, then to Horse Ferry Road not very long before June 1755) he didn't change his mind ; same mistakes, same punishment : jailed once more, but probably freed quicker than before, thanks to the MP...

1758 Influenza type epidemic http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk

1759 : his younger daughter, Elizabeth, 20, married James LANDY at Westminster St. Margaret 1760 22nd January : his granddaughter, Margaret LANDY, is baptized at St. James' Westminster

1760 February 15 England Gale With lightning; 'terrible effects' http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1760 December 30 London Mild winter Pear trees & primroses in bloom http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1760 Measles epidemic; Influenza type epidemic recorded in horses http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1761 September 22 king Georges III coronation at Westminster Abbey

1761 14th December : his elder daughter, Olive, 23, married James LEWIS (Marriage Licence Allegations Index - Vicar-General 1694-1850) Both his daughters weren't too old when married : Would he be not rich, nevertheless Thomas seems living with a slice of wealthiness. 9

Thomas Cosby (1706-1765) synopsis

1765 7th July : Will of Thomas COSBY 7 JUL 1765, Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, PROB 11/910, Rushworth Quire Numbers: 244 - 286, p. 338 : "In the Name of God Amen I Thomas Cosby of Tuttle Fields in the Parish of St Margarets Westminster cow keeper being of sane mind and understanding but weak and feble in body do make this my last will and testament, In primis I give and bequeath my soul to the Almighty God and my body to be interred according to the directions of my executrix hereafter mentioned, Item I give and bequeath to my son Thos Cosby one gold ring value one guinea and to my daughter Olive wife of James Lewes to her and her husband each of them one guinea ring and to my daughter Elizabeth wife _ James Landy to each of them a ring of value one guinea to be given to them at the time of my interment, Lastly I give and bequeath to my dearly beloved wife Mary Cosby all my wordly effects after paying my just and honest debts and also constitute and appoint her my whole and sole executrix to this my last will and testament, Thos Cosby, signed and sealed the 7th day of July 1765 in the presence of us Will Dowling John Birch. This will was proved at London the eighth day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty five before the Worshipfull Andrew Colter ducanel (?) doctor of Laws and Surrogate of the Right Worshipfull George Lay doctor of Laws master keeper on Commissionary of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury lawfully constituted by the oath of Mary Cosby widow the relict of the deceased and sole executrix named in the said will to whom administration was granted of all and singular the goods chattels and credits of the deceased having been first soon duly to administer." 1765 8th August : He is dead now, He was nearly 59. His will is proved by Mary, his 3rd or 4th wife.

1762 February 21 England Blizzard Snow & gale k. many http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1762 September 27 London River disturbance Thames rose suddenly; ships driven on wharfs http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1762 December 25 England Cold Severe frost with E’ly wind http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1762 London Westminster Paving Act « Hitherto it had been the obligation of householders to keep the street in front of their house in good repair. Now paving commissioners were appointed, with paid staffs ; gutters were built on either side of the road, and in main streets Purbeck paving-stones replaced pebbles. » London A Social History by Roy Porter 1763 January 13 England Meteor Bright as Moon, Reading http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1763 August 19 Kent, England Hailstorm Track 40 miles long, great damage http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1763 December 2 England Gale Several k., London, many shipwrecks http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1763 Smallpox http://www.genealogyforum.co.uk 1764 January 13 Europe Gale & floods England http://www.phenomena.org.uk 1765 March 11 Snow & floods England Great snow all over England; many lives lost. Floods after sudden thaw http://www.phenomena.org.uk

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