[Original of page 23] i [Original of page 28] ii Almanack 1734 William Dalby INTRODUCTION TO THE TRANSCRIPT This small leather-covered almanac (15 cm by 9.5 cm) was used by William Dalby from 1734 to at least 1747 to record business transactions. The book now in the Nottinghamshire Archives was in the possession of a seventh generation descendent of William Dalby who died on the fifth day of December 1777 aged 68. He was known to have operated the mill at the highest point of Mill Lane in Bradmore, Nottinghamshire. Unfortunately, William does not record any place name within the book. His son William, whose third marriage was to Sarah Hallam possibly related to the William Hallam recorded in the book, continued as the miller after his father’s death. In 1792, William junior, is recorded in a Bunny Estate survey as paying rent of £2/11/0 per annum for Mill Close with windmill. The mill itself was rated at £1/5/0. John Dalby, a younger son of William senior, was the only other Dalby name written in the book. He was also a miller probably with his brother or after his brother’s death. John was the chief beneficiary of his father’s will and married Catherine Lane perhaps related to the Thomas Lane recorded in the almanac. The pages of the original book are not numbered. Page 1 of this transcript represents the front cover (with no legible writing) and page 77 is inside the back cover. All the handwritten information is transcribed and together with the printed text is reproduced in the original page order. Crossing out, which presumably indicated completed transactions, is also copied. William would have operated on the toll system, providing a service to local farmers and householders. Entries give his charge for milling the quantity grain provided by the customer. Different charges incurred within a few weeks may have arisen from the prevailing wind conditions. Calm periods caused a lack of income while rent or maintenance costs would still have to be paid. Charges also varied with the type of grain and the amount of dressing required for animal feed or bread making. Page 46, and its original on page 76, shows the pay for one day’s work to be 1 shilling (5p). Typically, the charge for milling a bushel of corn was about 3 shillings (15p) which seems quite expensive when a pair of millstones in a good wind could grind up to 2 bushels per hour. It may be seen that many of the customers ran up significant debts which were paid off over many months, sometimes by the exchange of goods, e.g. see page 37 where a strike of apples is valued at about 1s 9d. William also lent small sums, so he must have been fairly wealthy to stand these debts. iii WILLIAM DALBY’S CUSTOMERS The following list was compiled from parish records, but there is no way of linking the people to those mentioned by William Dalby. Often names were spelled phonetically and therefore not identically. However, a high proportion of them in the list would have been his customers. Of the 40 or so recorded in the almanac about 42% were associated with Ruddington, 25% with Bradmore, 16% with Bunny and others with Keyworth, Plumtree and Owthorpe. Occupations were rarely recorded but three farmers and one shoemaker were identified. It is also interesting to note that Thomas Dickinson of Bradmore was a miller aged 23 when he married Elizabeth Boot of Ruddington aged 20, at Lenton in 1737. It is possible that Thomas operated the mill at the top of Spinney Hill just in the parish of Ruddington. Abbreviations: bap. = baptised, Bu. = Bunny, Br. = Bradmore, m. = married, Ru. = Ruddington. Robert Bartram m. Mary Lane at Bu. 18.11.1731. Robert and Mary bap. children at Bu. 1733-1745. Bartram family possibly from Whatton. John and Mary Bennet bap. children at Bu. 1711-1733, and another bap. 1756, presumably a different John and Mary Bennet. William Brambly m. Sarah Goulder at Ru. 27.1.1734, bap. daughter 1735. Or William Bramley m. Mary Horsley 13.5.1744 at Ru. bap. children 1745-1761. Ann Brown nee Savage, born 1696, m. 1724, husband Thomas died 1737, Ann continued farming one of Br.’s main farms, died 1774. At 1737 the inventory included wheat £2, barley £15, pease £12, hay £7, calves £30, swine £3, sheep £20, horses £45, crops on the ground £40. Thomas Cleaton m. Martha Barkby at Bu. 7.10.1730. Also Thomas and Jane Cleaton/ Clayton bap. children 1743. Thomas Cleaton of Bu. buried 19.1.1748. Jane Cleaton of Bu. buried 1.30.1759. Family possibly from Wysall. James and Rebecca Freer bap. children at Bu. 1734-1745. John Gun farmer of Br. and wife Ann bap. son Thomas 1791. Also John Gun of Ru. bap. son James 1726 at Ru., no other record so less likely. William Hallam-several possibilities. William bap. son at Ru. 1744; William son of George and Elizabeth bap. 1724 Plumtree; William and Elizabeth bap. son at Costock 1743. Alice Hand daughter of John Hand and Elizabeth Johnson (m. 1682 Plumtree) bap. at Ru. 1689, brother John bap. Ru. 1695. No other record so presumed spinster. John Hardmeat age 23, son of John, m. Martha Boot age 22 both of Ru. at Flawforth 8.8.1733. Nathaniel Henson son of William bap. at Bu. 29.7.1700. m. Ruth Duke 31.7.1726, bap. children at Bu. 1730-1742. iv John James of Br. buried 1757, or John buried 1783. Was one of these the vicar’s ploughman referred to in Bu. registers 1739? Thomas Lane of Br. m. Catherine Hooton 1741, no baptisms associated. A Thomas Lane died 1780. Thomas Leeson sutor (shoemaker) age 40, son of Joseph, m. Margaret Daft, both of Ru. 10.9.1722. Daughter bap. at Ru. 1727. Mary Linacre (1) of Bu. buried 7.4.1736. (2) Wife of William buried July 1747. Thomas Linacre widower of Bu. m. Jane Redfern 4.7.1714 at Bu. 4.7.1714, buried 3.6.1754. His son Thomas and wife Mary bap. children at Bu. 1733-1758. John Lovatt m. Rebecca Tomson at Bu. 12.6.1747, son bap. 10.12.1747. John Lovat’s wife Hannah buried at Ru. 2.4.1734; daughter Hannah age 23 m. Samuel Parker, housewright age 24, both of Ru. by licence at Ru. 1737. John Marshall present in Br. 1782, Marshall family also present in Ru. 1736, daughter Ann m. at Ru. Joseph Nixon born 1711, m. Mary Lowe at Ru. 23.4.1734, farmer at Br. bap. children at Bu. 1735-1747, died 1788. Thomas and Mary Oliver bap. children at Ru. 1747-1755. Gervase Pike born c 1708, Keyworth, m. Mary Wilfrod 1.12.1733 at Keyworth, bap. children there 1734-1745. John Price son of John bap. Ru. 5.12.1719, m. Mary Turpin 17.5.1741, bap. son at Ru. 1744. Richard Price son of John and Mary bap. Ru. 1717, m. Mary Newbold 12.11.1743 at Ru., bap. son at Ru. 1745. Thomas Price m. Mary Street at Ru. 23.4.1728. Joseph Priestley could be Br., Bu. or Ru., not enough information. Adam Saxby m. Jane Davy at Wilford 27.12.1734, bap. children at Ru. 1736-1744. Adam buried Ru. 21.6.1745. Richard and Anne Screton bap. children at Ru. 1711, also1749 may be father and son also m. to an Anne? Screeton family originated from Willoughby on the Wolds. Joseph Shepherd bap. at Bu. 1698. Joseph and Jane Shepherd bap. son at Bu. 1727. Joseph and Elizabeth bap. son at Bu. 1751. Also Joseph and Emmot Shepherd bap. children at Ru. 1728-1734. Harold Spencer m. Ann Blagg 1726 at Owthorpe. No other record found. John Street son of John and Elizabeth bap. 1694. Witnessed will of John Nixon 1722. Son of William and Elizabeth buried 1735. No conclusive identification. Joseph Street of Ru. m. Elizabeth Carver of Bu. at Bu. 20.4.1725. Elizabeth Street buried at Ru. 1749. Thomas and Sarah Taylor bap. children at Bu. 1733-1748. Richard and Sarah Topley buried a daughter at Ru. 15.1.1746. Richard either son of Richard and Martha Topley of Ru., born 1709, or son of Richard and Mary Topley of Ru., born 1710. William Turner son of Joseph bap. 1705 Plumtree, No other record found. v Edward and Elizabeth Vose at Manor Farm, Br. bap. children at Bu. 1735-1750. Elizabeth died 1766, Edward died 1771. Edward and Ann Wheatley of Br. bap. children 1733-1736. John White m. Elizabeth Attewell at Ru. 1743; or John White m. Hannah Burrow at Ru. 1751. Thomas and Sarah White bap. son Thomas at Ru. 1730. Thomas White m. Elizabeth Moor at Ru. 1750. Also Thomas White m. Rebecca Hall 1757 at Bu. George Woodward born c 1696 Ru. George and Margaret Woodward bap. children at Ru. 1746. Stephen Wright born 1689 Ru. son of Stephen and Elizabeth, m. Ann Harday 26.4.1715, Cotgrave. Stephen Wright buried Ru. 1735. A NOTE ON CORN VOLUMES In Imperial measure: 1 Strike equals 1 bushel, equivalent to 8 gallons or 36.4 litres 2 Hoops equal 1 bushel 4 Pecks equal 1 bushel 32 Quarts equal 1 bushel A bushel of modern wheat weighs about 65 lb or 30 kg. POOR ROBIN’S ALMANAC Poor Robin’s Almanac was published from 1663 to 1828. Almanacs were widely available to the ordinary person and usually had a theme: the 1734 version has a historical bent and monetary tables.