Excerpts from the Diary of Thomas Isham
From Gyles Isham, (Ed.) and Norman Marlow, (Transl.), The Diary of Thomas Isham of Lamport (1658
– 81) kept by him in Latin from 1671 to 1673 at his Father’s Command, (Farnborough 1971),
December 14th 1671
Mr Whitelaw, a Scotsman, master of Guilsborough School, came to dinner, and among other things
told us that the master of Shrewsbury School had been barred out by his pupils, and while trying to
enter again through the window had been shot in the arm with a bullet by one of the boys. He also
told us that the daughter of Stephen Langham Esq. was to be married today to a Mr Style of Kent.
January 2nd 1672
Mr Clerk of Northampton came here with a drunken man, who being invited to supper drank to
Mother and made himself ridiculous before everyone. William Baxter went to Cambridge.
April 19th 1672
War being proclaimed and begun against Holland, many soldiers are being pressed in town and
country. Today, thirty-three men passed by our village on their way to London, to fight the Dutch, and
ten armed men, horse and foot, were assigned as their escort. One of the escort was Abraham, the
brother of Edward Freeman. When they arrived near Brixworth they rested on the grass and had
dinner brought from the town, bread and cheese, with plenty of strong ale. They are being kept away
from towns as far as possible, in case they desert up narrow alleys or lurk in hiding. Dell had three
pups, one of which she carried one night to the bedroom, after its tail had been docked (whether we
had shown it too much fuss and affection or to prevent its ears from being lopped or because she
hated it, I do not know) and left it there; before anyone could come to its aid it was dead.
August 3rd 1672
Today we read in The Gazette that our fleet has returned from the East Indies. Mr Ward and Mr Wase
came. The wife of the elder Mr Knight abused the wife of the younger, but when she proceeded to
attack her the other threw her to the ground. A fierce quarrel arose, and Mrs Knight the elder accused
her daughter-in-law of familiarity with Robert, saying that when her husband went to Kettering Robert
slept with her. Some said she meant Robert our groom but she denies this.
November 13th 1672
Mr Greene called and said that the Harborough scholars shut out their master, Dr Bury, and wedged
the doors with horseshoes, so that no one can get in except friends and those whom they have a mind
to admit. They collected little jars of gunpowder as usual, which they wrapped in paper, set alight and
flung into the streets. They prepared four or five hundred of these squibs for the market, which is held
under the school, and when the people came to buy and sell they threw these missiles all together.
These so terrified the women that they scattered all the cocks and hens and they fled into other
enclosures, so that very few could be found. They put one ball under the crate of a man selling
crockery. There was a dog in it which was so terrified that it upset the crate and broke a lot of crockery.
When the man saw this he nearly burst out crying, saying that his goods were done for and he was
ruined. Lewis and Richard Porter took two partridge. John Chapman returned from London.
March 13th 1673
Mrs Lane sent my father a letter, saying that her husband was out of his mind and had gone off to
London and had spent eight pounds in a single night at Northampton, though he had with him only
his son Francis and a boy. He had assembled all the musicians and a great crowd of common people.
She was therefore asking Father’s advice on the best thing to do.