Thomas Marchant

  General Notes:

GENTLEMAN DIARIST/FISHTRADER and eldest son of WILLIAM MARCHANT born 1648
THOMAS sold avowdson of Rusper to William Martin 6th November 1721 for £700 " and five guineas over"
Will written 22/11/1718 - proven 10/1728 leaving his real estate to his wife E L I ZABETH. The rest of his personal estate to be divided between his children by hi s wife with £50 and his watch to his eldest son WILLIAM. His friend John Lindfield was to receive a tobacco box engraved with THOMAS's name in cypher . Will is mentioned in Diary as witnessed by John Smith (butcher), John Westover and THOMAS 's "man" Dick Banks
Inventory transcribed by Ian Nelson 5/1997. Will dated 2.10.1615 proved 7.11.1 6 1 5 (PCC 109 Rudd) mentions wife. SEE MARCHANT CD ROM.
MT11.

Ian & Hilary Marchant also note:
But tonight, Hilary had another look, a closer look. And she has established, pretty much beyond doubt, that one of the Thomases, the great-great-grand-father of John, who was Elkanah's grand-father, was in fact Thomas Marchant the diarist. And that, what's more, I am the eldest son of the eldest son in an unbroken line all the way back to Thomas the Diarist. He was a land-owner, a well-to-do farmer, and a successful fish breeder. And I am his heir.
Here's some stuff about him from 'Highways and Byways in Sussex', by EV Lucas, published in 1904
'Less than two miles west of Hurstpierpoint is Albourne, so hidden away that one might know this part of the country well and yet be continually overlooking it. The western high road between Brighton and London passes within a stone's throw of Albourne, but one never suspects the existence, close by, of this retired village, so compact and virginal and exquisitely old fashioned. It is said that after the execution of Charles I Bishop Juxon lived for a while at Albourne Place during the Civil War, and once escaped the Parliamentary soldiers by disguising himself as a bricklayer. There is a priest's hiding hole in the house.
The … drive brings us to Hurstpierpoint, or Hurst as it is generally called, which is now becoming a suburb of Brighton and thus somewhat losing its character, but which the hills will probably long keep sweet. …
To Hurst belongs one of the little Sussex squires to whose diligence as a diarist we are indebted for much entertaining knowledge of the past. Little Park, now the property of the Hannington family, where Thomas Marchant, the diarist in question, lived, and kept his journal between 1714 and 1728, is to the north of the main street, lying low. The original document I have not seen, but from passages printed by the Sussex Archæological Society I borrow a few extracts for the light they throw on old customs and social life.
"October 8th, 1714. Paid 4s. at Lewes for 1/4 lb., of tea; 5d.for a quire of paper; and 6d. for two mousetraps.
October 29th, 1714. Went to North Barnes near Homewood Gate to see the pond fisht. I bought all the fish of a foot long and upwards at 50s. per C. I am to give Mrs. Dabson 200 store fish, over and above the aforesaid bargain; but she is to send to me for them.
"October 30th, 1714. We fetched 244 Carps in three Dung Carts from a stew of Parson Citizen at Street; being brought thither last night out of the above pond.
"October 31st, 1714 (Sunday). I could not go to Church, being forced to stay at home to look after, and let down fresh water to, the fish; they being-as I supposed-sick, because they lay on the surface of the pond and were easily taken out. But towards night they sunk."
The Little Park ponds still exist, and although fish-breeding is not what it was, many of the Sussex ponds are still regularly dragged, and the proceeds sold in advance to a London firm. Sometimes the purchaser wins in the gamble, sometimes the seller.The fish are removed alive, in large tanks, and sold as they are wanted,chiefly for Jewish tables. But we must return to Thomas Marchant:-
"January 16th (Sunday) 1715. I was not at church having a bad headache.
"January 25th, 1715. We had a trout for supper, two feet two inches long from eye to fork, and six inches broad; it weighed ten-and-a-half pounds. It was caught in the Albourne Brook, near Trussell House…. We staid very late and drank enough.
"April 15th, 1715. Paid my uncle Courtness 15d. for a small bottle of Daffey's Elixir.
"July 18th, 1715. I went to Bolney and agreed with Edw. Jenner to dig sandstone for setting up my father's tombstone, at 5s. I gave him 6d. to spend in drink that he might be more careful.
"August 7th, (Sunday) 1715. I was not at church as my head ached very much.
"November 22nd, 1716. Fisht the great pond and put 220 of the biggest carp into the new pond, and 18 of the biggest tench. Put also 358 store carp into the flat stew, and 36 tench; and also 550 very small carp into a hole in the low field.
"November 24th, 1716. Fisht the middle pond. Put 66 large carp into the new pond, and 380 store tench into the flat stew, and 12 large carp, 10 large tench, and 57 middle sized tench into the hovel field stew.
"June 12th, 1717. I was at the cricket match at Dungton Gate towards night.
"January 24th, 1718. A mountebank came to our towne to-day. He calls himself Dr. Richard Harness. Mr. Scutt and I drank tea with the tumbler. Of his tricks I am no judge: but he appears to me to play well on the fiddle.
"January 30th (Friday), 1719. King Charles' Martyrdom. I was not at church, as my head ached very much.
"February 28th, 1719. We had news of the Chevalier de St. George, the Pretender, being taken and carried into the Castle of Milan.
"September 19th, 1719. John Parsons began his year last Tuesday. He is to shave my face twice a week, and my head once a fortnight, and I am to give him 100 faggots per annum.
"September 30th, 1719. Talked to Mrs. Beard, for Allan Savage, about her horse that was seized by the officers at Brighton running brandy.
"December 5th, 1719. My Lord Treep put a ferral and pick to my stick. [My Lord Treep was a tinker named Treep who lived in Treep's Lane. My Lord Burt, who is also mentioned in the diary, was a farrier.]
"July 28th, 1721. Paid Harry Wolvin of Twineham, for killing an otter in our parish. [An otter, of course, was a serious enemy to the owner of stews and ponds.]
"February 7th, 1722. Will and Jack went to Lewes to see a prize fight between Harris and another.
"September 18th, 1727. Dined at Mr. Hazelgrove's and cheapened a tombstone."
Thomas Marchant was buried September 17, 1728.'

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: Diarist.

• connection. The connection between Jessica Woodhouse & myself is as follows:

Jessica Woodhouse . . .
Is linked in some way to . . .
Florian Woodhouse (1922)
His father was Charles Woodhouse (c1900) who married Florence Marchant (1900)
Her father was Charles Marchant (1862)
His father was Thomas Marchant (1812)
His father was Thomas Marchant (1785)
His father was William Marchant (1759)
His father was Thomas Marchant (1731)
His father was William Marchant (1701)
His father was Thomas Marchant (1676)
His father was William Marchant (1648)
His father was Thoms Marchant (1615)
His father was Richard Marchant (1584)
His father was Miles Marchant (1545) & he also had William Marchant (1592)
He had William Marchant (1633)
He had William Marchant (1668)
He had Elizabeth Marchant (1706) who married Robert Saxby (c1704)
They had Robert Saxby (1732)
He had Richard Saxby (1770)
He had Isabella Saxby (1795) who married George Wilson (c1802)
They had Sarah Wilson (c1825) who married Henry Bird
They had George Wilson Bird (1858) who married Monaro Garrett (1862)
Her father was Thomas Garrett (1830)
His father was John Garrett (1805) & he also had Eleanor Garrett (1836) who married John Stafford (1834)
His father was William Stafford (1811) who married Elizabeth Goodall (1814) & they also had William Stafford (1842)
He had Eva Stafford (1874) who married Arthur Clinton (1868)
They had James Clinton (1895) who married Martha Walker (1901)
Her father was Thomas Walker (1854)
His father was William Walker (1820) & he also had Martha Walker (1865) who married John Sutherland (1861)
His father was John Sutherland (1829) who married Margaret Elliot (1835)
They had Elizabeth Sutherland (1863) who married John Nicol (1844)
They had Margaret Nicol (1889) who married G. A. Davies (1994)
He had Colin Davies (1925)
He had me - Robyn Bray (nee Davies) (1950)

Thomas married Elizabeth Stone on 10 Sep 1700 in Slaugham, Sussex England. (Elizabeth Stone was born on 10 May 1679, died in May 1757 in Slaugham, Sussex England and was buried on 13 May 1757 in Hurstpierpoint, Sussex England PR.)

  Marriage Notes:

MT 11.
At time of wedding THOMAS living at Balcombe and ELIZABETH at Rusper
14.9.1996: Maxine and Brian Tyler, present owners of Little Park, showed me ar o u nd their home.
The western side of the house was added - probably by WILLIAM MARCHANT - an d h a s a drainpipe with his and wife MARY's monogram plus the date 1678. Next t o t h e drainpipe is a Sun firemark with policy No. 2658. One room downstairs ha s a n e normous Inglenook fireplace with two inset ovens and a salt store. Thi s roo m ha s wooden panels engraved with fish - an obvious allusion to THOMAS MA RCHAN T an d his carp.
The master bedroom contains a little cubicle with primitive toilet.
Over the centuries the house has been extended and changed. The original par t s a re probably 16th century as is the extension on the eastern side. Some "mo de rnis ation" was carried out in Georgian times. The Victorians added a large c him ney w hich extends down the front of the house and incorporates 4 fireplaces .