William Godwin's Diary

Wilson,

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This person is mentioned in the diary a total of 145 times, but was not at home (N) 7 times, and was a venue (V) 25 times.

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

1794

10  March  1794

1795

9  July  1795 15  October  1795

1796

19  March  1796 5  April  1796 14  December  1796 22  December  1796

1799

14  November  1799

1800

15  April  1800

1802

3  August  1802 15  November  1802 26  November  1802 10  December  1802

1803

1  February  1803 3  February  1803 27  February  1803 27  February  1803 27  April  1803 29  June  1803 12  November  1803

1804

3  January  1804

1805

11  September  1805

1806

15  June  1806

1807

19  March  1807 12  August  1807 (V) 20  October  1807

1808

15  September  1808 19  November  1808

1809

27  July  1809 (V) 25  October  1809 27  October  1809 (V) 13  November  1809

1810

16  March  1810 (V) 22  March  1810 (NV) 23  March  1810 (V) 10  May  1810 (V) 29  August  1810 11  October  1810 29  December  1810 (V)

1811

11  March  1811 (V)

1812

16  January  1812 27  February  1812 (NV) 9  September  1812

1813

3  April  1813 (V) 11  May  1813 (V) 12  May  1813 (V) 25  May  1813 (V) 2  June  1813 (V) 28  June  1813 (NV) 12  October  1813 13  December  1813 (V)

1814

6  April  1814 1  December  1814

1815

28  January  1815 (V) 9  February  1815 (V) 31  March  1815 5  April  1815 (NV) 7  April  1815 (N) 1  August  1815 27  September  1815 (V) 30  September  1815 (V) 12  December  1815

1816

12  April  1816 22  May  1816 23  September  1816

1819

24  March  1819 22  May  1819

1821

27  August  1821

1822

15  April  1822 19  December  1822

1827

19  January  1827 18  July  1827 13  September  1827 (V)

1828

2  January  1828 17  July  1828

1829

16  January  1829 16  February  1829 (V) 15  July  1829 (V)

1830

1  July  1830

1834

2  February  1834 9  February  1834 13  February  1834 19  February  1834 8  March  1834 (N) 10  March  1834 11  March  1834 13  April  1834 18  April  1834 3  May  1834 7  May  1834 (N) 9  May  1834 28  May  1834 15  June  1834 18  October  1834 25  October  1834 4  November  1834 12  November  1834 18  November  1834 22  November  1834 5  December  1834 7  December  1834 28  December  1834

1835

1  January  1835 14  January  1835 16  February  1835 15  March  1835 19  March  1835 3  April  1835 28  May  1835 12  June  1835 22  June  1835 6  July  1835 9  July  1835 22  July  1835 24  July  1835 29  July  1835 1  September  1835 17  September  1835 8  October  1835 19  October  1835 25  October  1835 27  October  1835 27  October  1835 28  October  1835 29  October  1835 30  October  1835 31  October  1835 31  October  1835 2  November  1835 3  November  1835 4  November  1835 9  November  1835 9  November  1835 10  November  1835 14  November  1835 2  December  1835 4  December  1835 14  December  1835 22  December  1835

1836

11  January  1836 18  January  1836 11  February  1836 17  February  1836 28  February  1836 17  March  1836

  • Name: Wilson,
  • Gender: Male
  • Birth Date:
  • Death Date:

The first entry in 1788 is 'Wilson calls: correct for him Graham's Letter to Pitt on Scotch Reform' (ie: Robert Graham, A letter to the Right Honourable William Pitt ... on the reform of the internal government of the Royal Boroughs of Scotland. With an appendix. London, 1788. 23pp. see DNB Graham [later Cunninghame Graham], Robert, of Gartmore (1735–1797)). The publisher is listed as John Murray of 32 Fleet St., London (trading from 1743-1793), which suggests that Wilson might be the printer, but it is not possible to identify him from the list of printers, which contain several Wilsons, and no reference is made in the advertisement for the pamphlet in the London Chronicle, 17 May 1788. Moreover, if the 1788 Wilsons are the same as those of 1794 and 1796 where he is linked with Debrett, Mackintosh, and similar venues, is that he might have a more prominent role in political circles.

Jane Rendall and C. J. Woods, show that this Wilson is likely to be John Wilson (b. 1761 d. c 1818), brother of Thomas Wilson of Dullatur ( b. 20 October 1758 d. 27 June 1824), who is connected with Wolfe Tone. John Wilson is in London by 1787, having opted for a legal career, and was the London secretary of the burgh reform movement. Rendall shows that there was considerable communication between Wilson and Sheridan on the question of burgh reform, which makes it likely that rather than being the printer of the piece, Wilson was in fact its advocate. This first entry, and the two subsequent entries in the 1780s, have been identified as John Wilson. It is not possible to identify later entries as John.

One possibility is Wilson, Andrew, (1793 (before) – 1842) 5 Catherine St. 6 Wild Ct, Lincoln's Inn Fields. 12 Duke St, Camden Town. Bishop's Ct, Old Bailey Printer, Stereotyper/stereotype founder, Typefounder, who printed the Argus 1793/4. He was employed by Stanhope to develop a stereotype process which he had bought from the Glasgow inventors, Alex Tilloch and Andrew Foulis. Trading as Cooper and Wilson; Wilson and Co However, we know nothing of Wilson prior to 1793, and Godwin's first contact antedates this by 5 years.

One of the 1800 entries is at Johnson's, the other (uncoded) is someone Godwin meets when travelling near Shrewsbury and visiting Darwin and Bage. G refers to Wilson, reporter on 3.8.1802 - coded with this keycode.
27.2.1803 the entry, included here, reads Capt Wilson.
3.1.1804 includes C Wilson.
11.9.1805, includes an R Wilson.
12.8.1807 included Wilson (printer).
15.9.1808 includes Wilson, bookseller.
27.07.1809, write to Wilson (York).
25.10.1809 and 13.11.1809 includes a W. Wilson

Wilson of York is there 16.3.1810, and 22.3.1810 and later (and in 1811); 29.8.1810 also records W Wilson; Wilson Bookseller is also there 29.12.1810. A lot of plain Wilson's in 1813, then a W Wilson in 1814 and several in 1815. And both plain and W Wilson in 1816. In 1827, write to Jos and then Joshua. In 1828 a Joshua and a Walter Wilson are seen separately. In 1929 he writes twice to Wilson (Lincoln). This does not include Effingham Wilson, from 1830. After a long gap John Wilson calls in 1834, and subsequent Wilsons might be John Wilson

Although the range includes several different Wilsons, there is a distinct group of 64 from 1834 to 1836, the first of which is John Wilson and subsequent ones are plain Wilson. Many are solo dines or sups and Wilson seems to have helped Godwin move his library at the end of 1835 (lots of 'Wilson, books'). They might all be John Wilson, but alternatively could be further references to Effingham Wilson. Unidentified

.

Jos. Wilson (1827-01-19) Joshua Wilson (1827-07-18) Joshua Wilson (1827-09-13) Joshua Wilson (1828-01-02) Joshua Wilson (1829-01-16) are all likely to refer to Joshua Wilson (1795–1874), barrister, who 'devoted much time to the investigation of early dissenting history' (DNB). They are mostly letters (but they are not in Abinger).

12.5.1813: 'dine at Wilson’s , w. Lambs and Dyer; adv. Eaton and capt. Burney:' The conjunction with Lamb suggests this entry at least might refer to Walter Wilson (1781–1847), nonconformist biographer (see DNB), who was a friend of Lamb's and appears in his letters. Confusingly, there are several refs to W Wilson which begin the following year - the year Walter Wilson moved from London, according to the DNB. Then much later, 17.7.1828 'Walter Wilson calls', the only time the name his written out in full. These have not been coded.

Joshua is the only Wilson who can be identified with any degree of confidence.

  • London Chronicle, 17 May 1788.
  • DNB.
  • Jane Rendall and C. J. Woods ' 'The unravelling of a mystery: Thomas Wilson (1758-1824) of Dullatur, the Scotttish second husband of Matilda Tone' Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies, forthcoming.

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

Name Number of Meetings
Dyer, George 4
Perry, James (Pirie) 2
Debrett, John 2
Tierney, George 2
O'Bryen, Dennis (O'Brien) 2
Godwin, Mary Jane (Clairmont) (née de Vial) 2
Mackintosh, Sir James (of Kyllachy) 1
Stoddart, John 1
White, 1
Dawe, George 1
Thelwall, John 1
Twiss, Richard 1
Boaden, James 1
Nicholson, William 1
Fillingham, William 1
Gawler, Captain John Bellenden (Ker) 1
Curtis, 1
Lamb, Charles 1
Lamb, Mary Anne 1
Cadell, Robert 1
Playfair, John 1
Ballantyne, John 1
Mathews, Charles 1
Macrone, John 1
Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft (née Godwin) 1
Hume, Joseph 1
Smith, Arthur 1
Aldis, Lady Mary Frances (née Berridge) 1
Aldis, Charles 1
MacDonald, 1
Scott, William 1
Scott, Thomas Hobbes 1
Reynolds, Frederick 1
Reynolds, Elizabeth (née Mansel) 1
Maxwell, William 1
Webb, 1
Taylor, (Taylor Lanc) 1
Fenwick, John 1
Ritson, Joseph 1
Moore, Sir Graham 1
Weld, 1
Smith, George 1
Sherwin, (Count Dip) 1
Johnson, Joseph 1
Knight, Robert 1
Bosville, William 1
Horne Tooke, John 1
Shaw, George 1
Ellis, Sir Henry 1
Planta, Joseph 1
Aikin, Arthur 1
Lindsay, Dr James 1
Bonnycastle, John 1
Fuseli, Henry (Johann Heinrich Füssli) 1
Kenney, James 1