Thomas Turner (diarist and shopkeeper)

Thomas Turner (June 9, 1729 - February 6, 1793) was, among several other minor economic activities, a shopkeeper of East Hoathly, Sussex. He is now most widely known for his diary.

Born in Speldhurst, Kent, Thomas Turner's father took a shop in Framfield, Sussex from 1735. Although little is know of Turner's schooling, his clear handwriting, practical mathematical abilities and wide intellectual interests suggest a reasonable level of education. [David Vaisey, ‘Turner, Thomas (1729–1793)’," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" (Oxford University Press, 2004)] By the age of 21, in 1750, he had taken his shop in East Hoathly.

Turner married his first wife, Margaret (‘Peggy’) Slater (1733-1761) on October 15, 1753. They were to have one child together, Peter, born on August 19, 1754. On January 16, 1755 Turner wrote that ‘This morning about 1 o’clock I had the misfortune to lose my little boy Peter, aged 21 weeks, 3 days.’ [David Vaisey, ed., "The Diary of Thomas Turner, 1754–1765" (Oxford University Press, 1984 and CTR Publishing, East Hoathly, 1994)]

The Diary, 1754–1765

Turner kept a journal for eleven years of his life, the first surviving entry of which is February 21, 1754. The diary served a number of purposes, including as an accounting book, a record of legal and property dealings, a place for religious reflection and as a means of describing Turner’s everyday life. It is not uncommon for an emotional entry about his relationship with his wife or dealings with friends to be followed by a list of the food eaten at dinner or a table of the day’s expenditure, for example.

Angst, guilt and depression are recurring themes in Turner's entries. The failure of his marriage to live up to Turner's expectations is a frequent cause of low mood. Alcohol is of considerable torment to Turner: while his diary entries show a morally-motivated desire to remain sober, he is often a frequent and heavy drinker.

Turner's role within East Hoathly's socio-economic hierarchy was such that he commonly dealt with people of a wide range of social distinctions. While his jobs of shopkeeper, undertaker, schoolmaster and overseer of the poor kept him in close contact with a diverse range of poorer residents, Turner's economic standing was sufficient enough to make him a regular participant at vestry meetings and an occasional visitor to the Duke of Newcastle's Halland House. Unlike diarists such as Samuel Pepys or John Evelyn, Turner was not a man of national importance, located at the centre of English society.

Turner's literacy, manifested in regular book, newspaper and periodical reading, and his frequent trips to Lewes give the diary a wider field of coverage than East Hoathly. Reading is well documented in the diary: Turner often mentions what he has read, and frequently provides a short commentary detailing what he thinks of the text. Samuel Richardson’s "Clarissa" is described as too prolix and "The Merry Wives of Windsor" as ‘in a very conspicuous manner in regard to humour’; Turner found the morality of book thirteen of Homer’s "Odyssey" especially appealing. Other reading ranges from the newest editions of "The Gentleman’s Magazine" and "The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure" to Joseph Addison’s early-eighteenth century periodical the "Spectator". John Wilkes’s polemical work "The North Briton" is also mentioned favourably, giving a contemporary political involvement to his learning.

The diary has never been published in full. David Vaisey's edition retains about one third of its content, with much of Turner's mundane financial dealings and repetitive phrases omitted. The edition also includes a family tree, short biographies of the diary’s major characters and a list of all the reading material mentioned by Turner. The original manuscript is held by Yale University.

Later life

Turner ends the diary a few weeks after his second marriage, to Mary Hicks (1735-1807), on June 19, 1765. The final entry, on July 31, states that ‘I begin once more to be a little settled and am happy in my choice.’ Although Hicks is not ‘a learned lady, nor is she a gay one’, Turner seems content. It is at this important juncture that the diary ends.

In the years after his second marriage, Turner was able to live comfortably and buy his shop, as well as land and East Hoathly’s main public house. He also fathered seven children - one girl and six boys. Only three of the children lived to be older than twenty — his three youngest, Peter, Frederick I and II, all died in early childhood.

Turner died on February 6, 1793 and is buried in East Hoathly churchyard. His gravestone is on the right hand side of the church near the Clements Room, just in front of the table tomb of Philip Turner his son, and Philip's family. There is also a gravestone for Peter and Frederick, sons of Thomas and Mary Turner at the same place; and a commemorative plaque marks his house.

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