Thomas Virgo his book 1750 : manuscript.

Twickenham, circa 1750-1758.

1 volume (approximately 140 pages) ; 19 x 13 cm

English

Purchased from Dean Cooke, November 2020.

This material is available for research.

Thomas Virgo a gardener employed by Lady Ogle at Twickenham, Esquire Screase in Wimbleton, and James Hall in Huntintonshire, among others.

A notebook kept by Thomas Virgo, a gardener, in which he records a wide range of observations on the best care for specific plants he uses but also advice on thatching, the making of ice and ponds, catching wasps, building fires and other areas that hint at how he earned a living. He records many recipes for a wide range of aliments -- several remedies for gout, rheumatism, and hoarseness and at least one for coughs, piles, pleurisy, and dropsy. Also included are notes on topics as varied as the Anabaptists, the age of the moon, virginity, supplies for drawing, an occasional verse, and some brief Biblical glosses. He occasionally records purchases that he has made and advice on re-using old clothes (getting gloves from old britches). Additional, unrelated, entries were made by a later owner in the early- to mid-19th century, on pages left blank by Virgo. These later entries include mentions of the death dates of several people including Lady Heathcote; Arthur Thistlewood and his companions sentencing to the Tower or a house of correction; details of weather on specific days.

February 22, 2021

Thomas Virgo His Book 1750. The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University.

Thomas Virgo His Book 1750. The Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University.