Person record for Holcroft, Thomas and Holcroft, Louisa (née Mercier)

Thomas Holcroft was one of Godwin's closest friends for many years. He was a sigificant collaborator in Godwin's writings, notably Political Justice as well as being an important dramatist and novelist in his own right. Holcroft left for Germany in 1799, partly due to the notoriety he had gained as an 'acquitted felon' of the 1794 Treason Trials. He returned to England in 1802 and had further success on the stage. Godwin and he fell out over a character in Godwin's Fleetwood which Holcroft felt was based on him. They were reconciled on Holcroft's deathbed.

Godwin’s first mention of Holcroft is in 1788, which is used consistently until the first instance of abbreviation of ‘Ht’ in 1792. Other variations have included ‘H’ (where context has determined that the initial refers to Holcroft) and Holct. 1795 is the last mention of Holcroft’s full name, and thereafter Godwin uses Ht consistently. Where possible, when Godwin refers to Holcrofts plural, we have established his partner based on chronology, as he married several times. Holcroft married in 1765 and has a daughter Ann. His wife died prematurely but no further details are known. In 1774 he married Matilda Tipler, wiith whom he had his son William and daughter Sophy, this wife dying c 1775. He married his third wife, Dinah Robinson, in 1778, with whom he had a daughter Fanny. The diary notes the separation of Holcroft from his third wife on 6 January 1790, and notes her death on 31 October 1790. Godwin seems to have had no independent relationship with Holcroft's third wife (hence, left uncoded). He married his fourth wife, Louisa Mercier on 4 March 1799. The DNB makes no mention of issue from Hocroft's fourth marriage, but Godwin refers to L Ht and sons in the diary from 1803. Also, the account of Holcroft's death in his Life refers to an incident where Holcroft asks his wife if it is her children making a noise on the stair (p. 310). The Morning Chronicle (25 March 1809) reporting Holcroft's death refers to him having left an amiable wife and six children under the age of nine and two daughters from a previous marriage!

There is a reference to a 'Ht' on 4 Jan 1802 which has been left uncoded as Holcroft is still abroad. '2 Hts' and '3 Holcrofts' entries which appear 1802-5 have been coded for Thomas and Louisa. After Holcroft marries Louisa, all instances of 'Hts' have been coded for her as well. Similarly to other entries, she has also been included in any meals Godwin takes at 'Ht's' and for 'Call on Hts' but NOT for any 'call on Ht' or 'Call at Ht's'. N.B. This is despite evidence of Godwin's inconsistent use of the possessive apostrophe ie 'Dine with Nicholsons, Smiths, Ht's, etc' Note also on 9 Aug 1804, Godwin refers to 'L and T Ht' this has been coded as Thomas and Louisa, despite the unusual nature of the reference.

There is a range of references to Holcroft's activities that can be traced through the entries, although the meaning of many of them remains obscure. For example, 17 September 1788 'Explain to Holcroft' and 29 September 1788 'Holcroft explains to Robinson'. In November 1789 a series of entries from 8 November 1789 to 17 November 1789 provides a narrative of the running away of Holcroft's son, their pursuit to Gravesend and then Deal; the suicide of his son, and then his funeral. This is followed in 6 January 1790 by 'Separation of H and sa femme' . Holcroft's third wife (Diana Robinson) dies on 31 October 1790 and an inquest and funeral follow on 2-3 November 1790. Unsurprisingly, Holcroft also features largely in references to quarrels or 'demêlé'.

The diary also refers to Harwood Holcroft, probably one of his sons, named in gratitude after Col. Harwood who was a close friend to Holcroft as well as being his son-in-law (with Ann).

MS. Abinger c. 41, fols. 13-14: not dated
MS. Abinger c. 31, fol. 14: not dated
MS. Abinger c. 31, fol. 19: not dated
MS. Abinger c. 8, fol. 74v: not dated
MS. Abinger c. 31, fol. 67: not dated
MS. Abinger c. 15, fol. 12: 15 September
MS. Abinger c. 1, fols. 79-80: 24 July 1788
MS. Abinger c. 1, fol. 81: 4 August 1788
MS. Abinger c. 1, fol. 83: 5 August 1788
MS. Abinger c. 1, fol. 82: [5] [August] [1788]
MS. Abinger c. 1, fol. 84-5: 6 September 1788
MS. Abinger c. 31, fols. 2-6: c. 1790
MS. Abinger c. 31, fol. 7: c. 1790
MS. Abinger c. 1, fol. 100: [1791]
MS. Abinger c. 52, fol. 5: c. 1791
MS. Abinger c. 17, fol. 31: c. 1792
MS. Abinger c. 31, fols. 8-10: [1794]
MS. Abinger c. 2, fols. 45-6: 7 July 1794
MS. Abinger c. 2, fols. 48 & 49v: 9 October 1794
MS. Abinger c. 2, fol. 50: 10 October 1794
MS. Abinger c. 2, fols. 101-2: 22 July 1795
MS. Abinger c. 3, fols. 57-8: 6 April 1797
MS. Abinger c. 3, fols. 70-1: 26 July 1797
MS. Abinger c. 3, fols. 75-6: 10 September [1797]
MS. Abinger c. 54, fol. 43: 10 September 1797
MS. Abinger c. 55, fols. 5-8: [1797-9]
MS. Abinger c. 21, fols. 59-60: [1797-9]
MS. Abinger c. 22, fols. 185-7: [1797-9]
MS. Abinger c. 31, fols. 11-13: c. 1798-9
MS. Abinger c. 31, fol. 14: c. 1798-1800
MS. Abinger c. 31, fols. 15-18: c. 1798-1800
MS. Abinger c. 4, fols. 53-4: 1 November 1798
MS. Abinger c. 4, fols. 64-5: 24 December 1798
MS. Abinger c. 44, fols. 44-7: c. 1799-1800
MS. Abinger c. 4, fols. 125-6: 19 July 1799
MS. Abinger c. 4, fols. 137-8: 19 September 1799
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 18-19: 22 November 1799
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 37-8: 10 December 1799
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 39-40: 13 December 1799
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 52-3: 31 December 1799
MS. Abinger c. 22. fols. 138-40: [2 May 1800]
MS. Abinger c. 54, fols. 50-4: [2 May 1800]
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 132-3: 20 May 1800
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 71-2: 24 January 1800
MS. Abinger c. 44, fol.18: 28 January 1800
MS. Abinger c. 44, fol. 19: 7 Febuary 1800
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 85-6: 11 Febuary 1800
MS. Abinger c. 7, fols. 15-16: 6 March 1801
MS. Abinger c. 7, fols. 101-2: 20 March 1802
MS. Abinger c. 44, fol. 20: 21 March 1800
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 100-1: 1 April 1800
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 104-5: 18 April 1800
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 106-7: 22 April 1800
MS. Abinger c. 5, fol. 119: 29 April 1800
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 122-3: 9 May 1800
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 126-7: 13 May 1800
MS. Abinger c. 5, fols. 134-5: 27 May 1800
MS. Abinger c. 6, fol. 3: 3 June [1800]
MS. Abinger c. 6, fols. 9-10: 13 June 1800
MS. Abinger c. 6, fols. 13-14: 20 June 1800
MS. Abinger c. 6, fols. 30-1: 15 August 1800
MS. Abinger c. 6, fol. 40: 2 September 1800
MS. Abinger c. 6, fols. 45-6: 9 September 1800
MS. Abinger c. 6, fols. 60-1: 24 October 1800
MS. Abinger c. 6, fols. 78-9: 24 November 1800
MS. Abinger c. 6, fols. 86-7: 28 November 1800
MS. Abinger c. 6, fols. 104-5: 26 December 1800
MS. Abinger c. 7, fols. 80-1: 1 January 1802
MS. Abinger c. 7, fols. 89-90: 2 February 1802
MS. Abinger c. 7, fols. 91-2: 17 February 1802
MS. Abinger c. 7, fols. 95-6: 1 March 1802
MS. Abinger c. 7, fols. 105-6: 6 April 1802
MS. Abinger c. 7, fols. 123-4: 2 May 1802
MS. Abinger c. 7, fols. 126-7: 27 May 1802
MS. Abinger c. 18, fol. 30: 1803
MS. Abinger c. 18, fol. 25: 2 September 1803
MS. Abinger c. 8, fols. 36-7: 3 September 1803
MS. Abinger c. 18, fol. 26: 9 September 1803
MS. Abinger c. 18, fol. 27: 11 September 1803
MS. Abinger c. 8, fols. 46-7: 16 October 1803
MS. Abinger c. 22, fol. 173: [16 November 1803]
MS. Abinger c. 22, fol. 174: [16 November 1803]
MS. Abinger c. 22, fols. 175-7: 16 November 1803
MS. Abinger c. 42, fols. 6-7: 24 November [1803]
MS. Abinger c. 8, fol. 69: 20 April 1804
MS. Abinger c. 8, fols. 70-1: 21 June 1804
MS. Abinger c. 8, fol. 74r: 23 September 1804
MS. Abinger c. 8, fol. 75: 25 September 1804
MS. Abinger c. 8, fol. 78: 27 September 1804
MS. Abinger c. 8, fols. 79-80: 1 October 1804
MS. Abinger c. 8, fols: 81-2: 3 October 1804
MS. Abinger c. 18, fol. 35: 3 October 1804
MS. Abinger c. 18, fol. 39: 4 December 1804
MS. Abinger c. 8, fols. 94-5: 1 January 1805
MS. Abinger c. 8, fols. 96-7: 2 January 1805
MS. Abinger c. 8, fol. 103: 28 Febuary [1805]
MS. Abinger c. 18, fol. 44: 3 March 1805
MS. Abinger c. 18, fols. 45-6: 3 March 1805
MS. Abinger c. 18, fol. 42: 1-2 January 1805
Morning Chronicle, 25 March 1809
DNB
Thomas Holcroft, The life of Thomas Holcroft, continued by William Hazlitt, ed. by Elbridge Colby, 2 vols (London: Constable & Co., 1925)

This table lists the people this person is most frequently noted with in the diary.

Name	Number of Meetings
Holcroft, Louisa (née Mercier)	85
Nicholson, William	59
Fenwick, John	45
Godwin, Mary Jane (Clairmont) (née de Vial)	41
Foulkes, John	35
Thelwall, John	30
Reveley, Maria (Gisborne) (née James)	28
Tuthill, Sir George Leman	25
Perry, James (Pirie)	25
Stoddart, John	23
Shield, William	22
Fenwick, Elizabeth (Eliza) (née Jaco, pseudonym Reverend David Blair)	22
Barry, Major Henry	22
Alderson, Amelia (Opie)	20
Cole,	20
Robinson, George	20
Harwood, Colonel William	19
Dyson, George	19
Jennings, Joseph Clayton (Jennyns)	19
Porson, Richard	18
Cooper, Thomas (Abthorpe)	18
Jennings, Mrs (Jennyns)	18
Jardine, Major Alexander	16
Marshall, James	15
Reveley, Willey	15
Merry, Robert	15
Parry,	15
Wollstonecraft, Mary (Godwin)	13
Opie, John	12
Wolcot, Dr John (pseudonym Peter Pindar)	12
Barry, James	11
Crosdill, John	10
Tobin, James Webbe	10
Debrett, John	9
King, John (Jacob Rey)	9
Mercier, Charles André	9
Clementi, Muzio	9
Barlow, Joel	8
Mackintosh, Sir James (of Kyllachy)	8
Montagu, Basil	8
Hamilton, Archibald	8
Taylor, John	8
Batty, Robert	8
Stewart, John (Walking Stewart)	8
Hazlitt, William	7
Cooper, Elizabeth Priscilla	7
Parr, Samuel	7
Godwin, Hannah	7
Hazlitt, John	6
Dyer, George	6
Gerrald, Joseph	6
White,	6
Williams, Helen Maria	6
Richter, Henry James	6
Horne Tooke, John	6
Holcroft, Sophia (Cole)	6
Northcote, James	5
Sinclair, Charles	5
Rowan, Archibald Hamilton	5
Bannister, John	5
Inchbald, Elizabeth	5
Weld,	5
Banks, Thomas	5
Chalmers, Alexander	5
Aickin, James	5
Tobin, John	5
Powell, James	4
Northmore, Thomas	4
Kippis, Andrew	4
Frend, William	4
Richter, John	4
Bosville, William	4
Maxwell, William	4
White, Luke	4
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor	4
Davis,	4
Parry, Dr Caleb Hillier	4
Parry, Charles Henry	4
Sharp, William	4
Fawcett, Joseph	4
Curran, John Philpot	4
Phillips, Sir Richard (Philip Richards)	4
Dealtry, Peregrine (Perry)	4
Carlisle, Sir Anthony	4
Kentish, John	4
Hays, Mary	4
Reynolds, Elizabeth (née Mansel)	4
Tarleton, Sir Banastre (baronet)	4
Imlay, Fanny (Godwin)	3
Adair, Robert	3
Parr, Sarah Anne (Wynne)	3
Moore, Sir Graham	3
Mergez, Georges Nicholas	3
Maitland, James (eighth earl of Lauderdale)	3
Davy, Sir Humphry	3
Este, Reverend Charles	3
Webb,	3
O'Connor, Arthur (Conner) (Condorcet-O'Connor)	3
Smith,	3
Fergusson, Robert Cutlar	3
Buchan, Dr Alexander Peter	3
Johnson, Joseph	3
Godwin, John	3
Rowan, Sarah Jane (née Dawson)	3
Ritson, Joseph	3
Gillies, John	3
Lawrence, Sir Thomas	3
Hollis, Thomas Brand	3
Frost, John	3
Joyce, Jeremiah	3
Hoare, Prince	3
Courtenay, John (Courtney)	2
Grattan, Hon Mrs	2
	2
Tierney, George	2
Underwood, Thomas Richard	2
Woodfall, Henry Sampson	2
Robinson, Pollingrove	2
Parr, Catherine Jane	2
Dibbin, Henry	2
Lofft, Capel	2
Lofft, Sarah (neé Watson)	2
Knight, Robert	2
Symonds, Henry Delahoy	2
Hanger, George (Baron Coleraine)	2
Paine, Thomas	2
Salomon, Johann Peter	2
Plumptre, Annabella (Bell)	2
Smith, Charlotte (née Turner)	2
Noel, Francois Joseph Michel	2
Pinkerton, John (pseudonym Robert Heron) (pseudonym H. Bennet)	2
Boaden, James	2
Heywood, Samuel	2
Holcroft, Ann (Harwood)	2
Manning,	2
Fell, Ralph	2
Disney, John	2
Cooper, Grace Mary Rae	2
Burdett, Sir Francis (fifth baronet)	2
V, P	2
Lamb, Charles	2
Knight, Thomas	2
Wollstonecraft, James	2
Kearsley, Thomas	2
Higgins, Godfrey	2
Smith, George	2
Plumptre, Anne	2
Cooke, George Frederick	1
Knapp, Leonora	1
Blake, Arthur	1
Hayward, Richard	1
Hill, (Thomas)	1
Taylor, Richard	1
Tobin, Captain George	1
Morton, Thomas	1
Lamb, Mary Anne	1
Surr, Thomas Skinner	1
Fell, Sarah	1
Smart,	1
Mercier, Charles	1
Scott, Thomas Hobbes	1
Banks, John Cleaver	1
Combe, William (Combes)	1
Fawcett, Charlotte (née French)	1
Fenwick, Eliza Anne	1
	1
	1
Cavendish, Georgiana (Duchess of Devonshire, née Spencer)	1
Mercier, Louis	1
Otton,	1
Petion, Jerome	1
Knox, Vicesimus	1
Kemble, Maria Theresa (née De Camp)	1
Hollis, John	1
Dyson, Abraham	1
Kemble, John Philip	1
Yaniewicz, Felix (Feliks Janiewicz)	1
Siddons, Sarah (née Kemble)	1
	1
Baddeley, Robert	1
Clairmont, Clara Mary Jane (Claire)	1
Turner, Thomas	1
Chandler, John Westbrooke	1
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft (née Godwin)	1
Dawe, George	1
Bourgeois, Peter Francis	1
d'Ohsson, Chevalier Ignatius (Mouradgea)	1
Parkinson, James	1
	1
Desenfans, Noel Joseph	1
	1
	1
	1
Busby, Thomas	1
Aikin, John	1
Wordsworth, William	1
Taylor, 'Opera'	1
Kinnaird, Lord George	1
Palmer, Thomas Fyshe	1
Lewis,	1
Quick, John	1
Carey, Captain Charles John (Cary) (ninth Viscount Falkland)	1
Moore, John	1
Woodforde, Samuel	1
Edgeworth, Maria	1
Smirke,	1
Dignum, Charles	1
Richter, George	1
Raine, Jonathan	1
Tweddell, John	1
Calonne, Vicomte Charles Alexander	1
	1
Ridgeway, James	1
Kyd, Stewart	1
Wakefield, Gilbert	1
Jardine, Juana	1
Moore, C[harles]?	1
Gawler, Captain John Bellenden (Ker)	1
Williams, Edward (Iolo Morganwg)	1
Iliff, Edward Henry	1
Lee, Richard ('Citizen')	1
Carey, Henry Thomas (eighth Viscount Falkland)	1
Losh, James	1
Pigott, Charles	1
Wedgwood, Thomas	1
Cowley, Hannah (née Parkhouse)	1
Beaufoy, Henry Hanbury	1
Ballantyne, James	1
Rous, George	1
Allen, Robert	1
Gregory, George	1
Wedgwood, Josiah (jr.)	1
Fitzpatrick, Richard	1
Pinkerton, Ann (Nancy)	1
Jones, Margaret	1
Perry, Anne (née Hull)	1
Jones, Louisa	1
	1
Arnot, John	1
Lawrence,	1
Twiss, Francis	1
Sheridan, Richard Brinsley	1
Priestley, Joseph	1
Macleod, Norman	1
Fordyce, James	1
	1
Mendoza,	1
Maurice, Thomas	1
Scarlett, James (first Baron Abinger)	1
Grey, Charles	1
Hare, James	1
Stanley, Earl of Derby Edward	1
Miller,	1
Dermody, Thomas	1
Williams, David	1

Hover over a bar to see number of appearances/year.
Click on a bar to jump to that year.

This person is mentioned in the diary a total of 369 times, but was not at home (N) 13 times, and was a venue (V) 141 times.

You may also examine their meals and meetings in more detail.

1798

5 August 1798 30 September 1798 11 November 1798

1799

10 January 1799 11 January 1799 3 February 1799 17 February 1799 3 March 1799 5 March 1799 (V) 7 March 1799 16 March 1799 17 March 1799 (V) 31 March 1799 (V) 7 April 1799 16 April 1799 21 April 1799 26 April 1799 (N) 28 April 1799 (V) 12 May 1799 (V) 19 May 1799 26 May 1799 (V) 2 June 1799 9 June 1799 (V) 19 June 1799 23 June 1799

1802

16 September 1802 (N) 19 September 1802 (V) 21 September 1802 26 September 1802 (V) 5 October 1802 (V) 10 October 1802 (V) 18 October 1802 7 November 1802 11 November 1802 16 November 1802 (V) 21 November 1802 (V) 29 November 1802 (V) 5 December 1802

1803

9 January 1803 (V) 21 January 1803 23 January 1803 31 January 1803 (V) 21 February 1803 (V) 11 March 1803 14 March 1803 22 March 1803 26 March 1803 28 March 1803 (V) 31 March 1803 3 April 1803 6 April 1803 11 April 1803 (N) 14 April 1803 22 April 1803 (V) 8 May 1803 (V) 22 May 1803 24 May 1803 31 May 1803 (V) 3 July 1803 (V) 8 July 1803 23 July 1803 2 August 1803 4 August 1803 (V) 7 August 1803 14 August 1803 18 August 1803 (V) 19 August 1803 (V) 24 November 1803 (V) 1 December 1803 (V) 14 December 1803 (V) 18 December 1803 (V)

1804

1 January 1804 (V) 4 January 1804 (V) 5 January 1804 15 January 1804 19 January 1804 29 January 1804 1 February 1804 (V) 12 February 1804 19 February 1804 (V) 29 February 1804 (V) 7 March 1804 (V) 12 March 1804 18 March 1804 (V) 19 March 1804 (V) 21 March 1804 (NV) 23 March 1804 (V) 26 March 1804 (V) 1 April 1804 (V) 14 April 1804 22 April 1804 (V) 30 April 1804 (V) 1 May 1804 11 July 1804 (V) 17 July 1804 18 July 1804 (V) 25 July 1804 (V) 28 July 1804 (V) 3 August 1804 (V) 19 August 1804 (NV) 19 August 1804 22 August 1804 (V) 27 August 1804 (V) 30 August 1804 1 September 1804 (V) 2 September 1804 (V) 4 September 1804 (V) 10 September 1804 (V) 6 October 1804 (V) 13 November 1804 (V) 24 November 1804 (V) 26 November 1804 (V) 30 November 1804 (V) 1 December 1804 2 December 1804 (V) 14 December 1804 (V) 25 December 1804 29 December 1804 30 December 1804 (V)

1805

20 January 1805 30 January 1805 15 February 1805 (V) 4 October 1805

1809

23 March 1809 (V) 24 March 1809 (V) 26 March 1809 (V) 3 April 1809 (V) 9 April 1809 11 April 1809 13 April 1809 (V) 20 April 1809 23 April 1809 1 May 1809 2 May 1809 3 May 1809 4 May 1809 12 May 1809 18 May 1809 19 May 1809 28 May 1809 7 June 1809 (N) 11 June 1809 21 June 1809 11 July 1809 12 July 1809 16 July 1809 (V) 19 July 1809 11 August 1809 14 August 1809 25 August 1809 26 August 1809 30 August 1809 12 September 1809 15 September 1809 19 September 1809 (V) 20 September 1809 27 September 1809 3 October 1809 18 October 1809 29 October 1809 30 October 1809 11 November 1809 17 November 1809 22 November 1809 24 November 1809 28 November 1809 5 December 1809 9 December 1809 14 December 1809 18 December 1809 (N) 31 December 1809

1810

10 January 1810 11 January 1810 17 January 1810 18 January 1810 18 January 1810 19 January 1810 4 February 1810 6 February 1810 7 February 1810 13 February 1810 6 March 1810 28 March 1810 5 April 1810 19 June 1810 (V) 8 September 1810 17 November 1810

1811

5 May 1811 24 July 1811 24 August 1811 18 November 1811 21 November 1811

1812

27 March 1812 26 April 1812 6 June 1812 14 June 1812 (V) 14 July 1812 26 August 1812 3 October 1812 (V) 27 October 1812 27 October 1812 30 October 1812 (V) 4 November 1812 25 November 1812 (V) 25 November 1812

1813

10 January 1813 14 February 1813 (V) 6 April 1813 (V) 30 May 1813 (V) 8 June 1813 14 June 1813 24 June 1813 (V) 1 July 1813 (V) 18 July 1813 (V) 20 July 1813 21 July 1813 27 July 1813 1 August 1813 (NV) 12 August 1813 20 August 1813 (NV) 25 August 1813 (V) 12 September 1813 (V) 4 October 1813 31 October 1813 (V) 1 November 1813 19 November 1813 25 December 1813 31 December 1813

1814

17 January 1814 30 January 1814 3 February 1814 (V) 11 February 1814 1 May 1814 (V) 29 May 1814 (V) 28 June 1814 (V) 12 July 1814 17 July 1814 (V) 8 August 1814 14 August 1814 (V) 16 August 1814 23 August 1814 8 September 1814 11 September 1814 (V) 18 September 1814 22 September 1814 (V) 24 October 1814 2 November 1814 8 November 1814 22 November 1814 24 November 1814 27 November 1814 29 November 1814 (V) 1 December 1814 (V) 2 December 1814

1815

1 January 1815 23 January 1815 (V) 29 January 1815 15 March 1815 (V) 19 March 1815 24 March 1815 (V) 4 May 1815 19 May 1815 21 May 1815 (V) 25 May 1815 11 June 1815 (V) 2 August 1815 (V) 28 August 1815 2 September 1815 (N) 3 September 1815 15 September 1815 (V) 24 October 1815 22 December 1815 24 December 1815 (N)

1816

15 February 1816 (V) 20 February 1816 26 February 1816 28 February 1816 28 February 1816 19 June 1816 25 June 1816 2 July 1816 22 July 1816 30 July 1816 11 August 1816

1818

16 July 1818 5 August 1818 13 August 1818 20 August 1818 2 September 1818 (V) 9 September 1818 24 September 1818 3 October 1818 (V) 27 October 1818 12 November 1818 16 November 1818 (V) 26 November 1818 (V) 29 December 1818 (V)

1819

11 January 1819

1823

18 June 1823 23 June 1823 10 July 1823 13 July 1823 17 July 1823 27 July 1823 28 July 1823 28 July 1823 2 August 1823

1824

12 July 1824

1825

15 March 1825 28 March 1825

1826

1 April 1826 (V) 19 May 1826 21 May 1826 (V) 25 May 1826 7 July 1826 12 July 1826 26 July 1826 6 August 1826 12 August 1826 (V) 17 August 1826 (V) 22 August 1826 31 August 1826 6 September 1826 (V) 15 September 1826 (V)

1827

29 June 1827 (V) 2 July 1827 1 December 1827 2 December 1827 (V)

1828

9 January 1828 (V) 21 January 1828 (V) 3 March 1828 (V) 5 March 1828 14 March 1828 (V) 8 April 1828 (V) 19 May 1828 11 June 1828 (V) 13 July 1828 8 August 1828 (V) 10 October 1828 13 October 1828 (V) 18 December 1828 (V) 18 December 1828 24 December 1828 (V) 24 December 1828 26 December 1828

1829

3 May 1829 9 May 1829 (V)

1830

10 March 1830 (V) 15 March 1830 (V) 6 April 1830 5 November 1830 25 November 1830 (NV) 26 November 1830 (V) 16 December 1830 (V)

1831

6 March 1831 11 August 1831 15 August 1831 (V) 4 October 1831 5 December 1831 (V)

1832

5 January 1832 (V) 1 July 1832 15 July 1832 (NV) 19 October 1832 11 November 1832 (V)

1833

28 April 1833

1834

5 July 1834 11 September 1834

1836

21 January 1836 (V) 9 March 1836 (V)

Name: Holcroft, Louisa (née Mercier)
Gender: Female
Birth Date:
Death Date:

Thomas Holcroft married his fourth wife, Louisa Mercier in 1799. She was the daughter of Louis Sebastien Mercier, author of Tableau de Paris (1781-88). The last entry for 'Ht' - on 19 May 1809 is 'MJ to Hts' and refers to a visit to Louisa, née Mercier (Holcroft died 23 March 1809). Also 31 December 1809 is coded for Louisa and also for Fanny Holcroft, but not for Thomas Holcroft (then deceased). The DNB makes no mention of issue from Hocroft's fourth marriage, but Godwin refers to L Ht and sons in the diary from 1803. Also, the account of Holcroft's death in his Life refers to an incident where Holcroft asks his wife if they are her children making a noise on the stair. The Morning Chronicle for 25 March 1809 reported Holcroft's death and referred to him having left an amiable wife and six children under the age of 9 and two daughters from a previous marriage (repeated in Jackson's Oxford Journal).

Louisa remarried on 5 March 1812. The DNB entry for James Kenney, Louisa's second husband, suggests that she came to the marriage with two daughters, as well as Holcroft's two daughters by a previous marriage. It suggests that she and Kenney had four further children. This is irreconcilable, both with the Morning Chronicle's account, and with Godwin's own listing of L Ht and sons. Godwin's diary has their wedding (L Ht marries) at 27 March 1812, whereas the DNB entry is for 5 March. Godwin also refers to L Kenney and sons on 20 July 1813, which suggests continuity with L Ht.

After the wedding, however, L Ht is used to refer to her daughter, also Louisa. This can be seen from entries where L Kenney appears with L Ht (e.g. 20 Feb 1816).

The diary also refers to Harwood Holcroft,, probably one of those sons, named in gratitude after Col. Harwood who was a close friend to Hocroft as well as being his son-in-law (married to Holcroft's daughter Ann)

MS. Abinger c. 44, fols. 10-11: 22 January 1810
MS. Abinger c. 19, fols. 17b-c: 1810
Morning Chronicle, 25 March 1809
Jackson's Oxford Journal
DNB
Thomas Holcroft, The life of Thomas Holcroft, continued by William Hazlitt, ed. by Elbridge Colby, 2 vols (London: Constable & Co., 1925)

This table lists the people this person is most frequently noted with in the diary.

Name	Number of Meetings
Kenney, James	105
Holcroft, Thomas	85
Godwin, Mary Jane (Clairmont) (née de Vial)	73
Lamb, Charles	16
Lamb, Mary Anne	12
Marshall, James	11
Morton, Thomas	11
Nicholson, William	11
Holcroft, Thomas	11
Godwin, William	10
Imlay, Fanny (Godwin)	9
Foulkes, John	9
Harwood, Colonel William	8
Holcroft, Fanny Margaretta	8
Morton, Edw	7
Morton, John Maddison	7
Turner, Thomas	6
Mercier, Charles André	6
Poole, John	6
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft (née Godwin)	6
Curran, John Philpot	6
Clairmont, Clara Mary Jane (Claire)	5
Cooper, Thomas (Abthorpe)	5
Robinson, Henry Crabb	5
Opie, John	5
Alderson, Amelia (Opie)	4
Clairmont, Charles	4
Wolcot, Dr John (pseudonym Peter Pindar)	4
Collier, John Dyer	3
Curran, William Henry	3
Dawe, George	3
Lubé, Denis George	3
Rowan, Archibald Hamilton	3
Rowan, Sarah Jane (née Dawson)	3
Northcote, James	3
Botwright,	3
Collier, John Payne	3
Curran, Amelia	3
Hogan,	3
Taylor, Richard	3
Hill, (Thomas)	3
Holcroft, Louisa	3
Badams, John	3
Stoddart, John	3
Clementi, Muzio	2
Hopwood,	2
Hume, Joseph	2
Dawe, Mary Margaret (Wright)	2
Booth, David	2
Burney, Martin Charles	2
Topping, Mrs	2
Chalmers, Alexander	2
Adams, Dr Joseph	2
Holcroft, Sophia (Cole)	2
Burney, Captain James	2
Barry, James	2
Tobin, James Webbe	2
Montagu, Basil	2
Knapp, Leonora	2
Elwes, Sarah	2
Phillips, Sir Richard (Philip Richards)	2
Godwin, John	2
Reynolds, Richard	2
Pilcher,	2
Buchan, Dr Alexander Peter	2
Lofft, Capel	2
Lofft, Sarah (neé Watson)	2
Cole,	2
Smith,	2
Holcroft, Ann (Harwood)	2
King, John (Jacob Rey)	1
Uwins, David	1
Constable, Archibald	1
Manning, Thomas	1
Ballantyne, John	1
Payne, John Howard	1
Boswell, Sir Alexander (first baronet)	1
Mergez, Georges Nicholas	1
Newton, John Frank	1
White,	1
Hamilton,	1
Pickersgill, Henry William	1
Cunningham, Allan (Hidallan)	1
Ayrton, William	1
Westmacott, Richard	1
Picken, Andrew	1
Miller,	1
Knowles, James Sheridan	1
Carlyle, Thomas	1
Orme, Cosmo	1
Carlyle, John Aitken (Jack)	1
Godwin, Nathaniel	1
Reynolds, Richard	1
Fairley, John	1
Mackintosh, Sir James (of Kyllachy)	1
Hayward, Richard	1
Bannister, John	1
Barry, Major Henry	1
Boaden, James	1
Fell, Ralph	1
Batty, Robert	1
Jones, Louisa	1
Godwin, Hannah	1
Fenwick, Elizabeth (Eliza) (née Jaco, pseudonym Reverend David Blair)	1
Fenwick, John	1
Perry, Anne (née Hull)	1
Perry, James (Pirie)	1
Tobin, John	1
Banks, Thomas	1
Aickin, James	1
Surr, Thomas Skinner	1
Smart,	1
Mercier, Charles	1
Aldis, Lady Mary Frances (née Berridge)	1
Aldis, Charles	1
Wroughton, Richard (Rotten)	1
Hammond, Elton (Hamond)	1
Morgan, John	1
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor	1
Baxter Family,	1
Collier, Jane (Payne)	1
De Boinville, Chastel	1
Boinville, Harriet	1
Hume, Alexia	1
Heywood, Samuel	1
Carlisle, Sir Anthony	1
Wollstonecraft, Everina	1
Davy, Sir Humphry	1
Owen, Robert	1

Holcroft, Thomas

1788

1789

1790

1791

1792

1793

1794

1795

1796

1797

1798

1799

1800

1801

1802

1803

1804

1805

1806

1809

Holcroft, Louisa (née Mercier)

1798

1799

1802

1803

1804

1805

1809

1810

1811

1812

1813

1814

1815

1816

1818

1819

1823

1824

1825

1826

1827

1828

1829

1830

1831

1832

1833

1834

1836