A three-week Holiday in Ramsgate during July and August 1829

A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE DURING JULY AND AUGUST 1829 JOHN WHYMAN In 1955 and 1966 Archaeologia Cantiana published two examples of holidays which had been spent specifically touring the county of Kent, both of which were edited by Dr Felix Hull and have been reproduced subsequently in Essays in Kentish History. They were 'A Tour into Kent, 1759', undertaken by members of the Mount family of London, and 'A Kentish Holiday, 1823', which was enjoyed by Charles PowelJ, the second son of Baden Powell of Speldhurst and Hester, when he was sixteen years of age. 1 The purpose of this article is to reproduce with some commentary and assessment an 1829 diary account of a three week holiday to Ramsgate2 which, in stark contrast to the earlier examples for 1759 and 1823, is somewhat unique in providing details of daily expenditure. All three examples share, however, one interesting feature in having been discovered among family papers deposited in archive or record offices.3 Contemporary historical sources on eighteenth- and nineteenthcentury holidaymaking are noticeably silent on the costs involved, so that while travel journals, diaries and letters often tell liberally of the scenery of a place or describe fully its amusements or company, they rarely, with one or two exceptions,4 comment on the expenses incurred, except to point out some exorbitant anomaly. To Kent ' See Arch. Cant., lxix (1955), 171-8, and lxxxi (1966), 109-17; or M. Roake and J. Whyman (Eds.), Essays in Kentish History, (1973), 185-92, 283-91. 1 Journal of an Excursion to Ramsgate in July and August 1829, uncatalogued MSS Tyler Collection (Ramsgate Scrapbook), Cathedral Library and Archives, Canterbury. > Respectively Berks. R.0., D/EMT F5, Kent Archives Office: U 934 F8, and among the papers of Frank Walter Tyler (1871-1955) in the Tyler Collection, the Cathedral Library, Canterbury. I am grateful to Dr. W. Urry, for having drawn my attention to this source when he was Cathedral Archivist at Canterbury. • A good but general e xception occurs in V.J.B. Torr, 'A Tour through Kent in 1735', Arch. Cant., xliii (1931), 279-80, or in Roake and Whyman, op. cit., 183-4, 18£ JOHN WHYMAN belongs one of the best English examples of pre-Victorian recorded holiday expenditure. It dates from the end of the 1820s and relates to a holiday spent in Ramsgate, the journey from London and back using Thames steamboats which were then plying with great regularity. In this Journal of an Excursion to Ramsgate in July and August 1829 there is not only a day-by-day diary account of how the holiday was actually spent but, in addition, every detail of expenditure incurred right down to the cleaning of shoes is entered from 20th July to 10th August, 1829. Here was a middle-class seaside holiday, taken at the height of the season, which recorded very meticulously the amounts of money spent on it. It is the expenditure which most calls for analysis and assessment rather than the clearly stated text of the diary, which requires only a short introduction and a little elaboration by way of footnotes. The author, Mr. Benham, was keen on sketching and copying church monuments and inscriptions and had been to Ramsgate before in 1826. 5 The other members of his party included his wife, Charlotte, who was often referred to as Mrs. B. or Mrs. Benham, their infant child and a servant and nursery maid, Betsy Thornton. The diary suggests that Mr. Benham had married a somewhat younger wife and yet, while he did not join her in sea bathing, he walked almost every morning at an early hour to and from the church of St. Lawrence. It is possible, too, that he might have married beneath his station, judging by the numerous references to Mrs. Benham and her consumption of porter, but equally there are few clues to the author's own occupation, except that he was engaged in business in London. The Benhams in selecting Ramsgate for their holiday in 1829 patronized a prosperous, well-developed and expanding steamboat resort, which in 1831 was described as 'an extensive, well-built, and fashionable watering place, frequented by some of the first families where for the Kentish portion of a long tour undertaken on horseback by four Cambridge gentlemen there is an overall account of expenditure 'settled and signed by all four gentlemen' for individual days and periods falling between 26th July and 9th August, 1735. 5 According to the Journal of 705 inscriptions relating to the parish of St. Lawrence, 99 dated from a previous visit to Ramsgate in 1826. Resulting from the two visits were 770 inscriptions, viz: St. Lawrence 705 The New Church (St. George) 9 Monkton Church 30 Birchington 12 St. Nicholas 14 TOTAL 770 186 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE in the kingdom', and being 'somewhat smaller, and less populous than Margate, ... its amusements are not so lively and numerous, but are equally inviting to that grade of society who resort thither for a short relaxation from the anxieties and cares of a metropolitan life'. 6 A few years previously The Times had noted how 'the introduction of steamboats [since 1815] has given the whole coast of Kent, [and] the Isle of Than et in particular, a prodigious lift'. 7 JOURNAL OF AN EXCURSION TO RAMSGATE IN JULY AND AUGUST 1829. Monday, July 20. Started at 9.12 from off the Tower Stairs, London in the Magnet Steam Boat and after a pleasant journey arrived at Margate at ½ past 4 precisely, thence in a coach to Ramsgate which we reached at precisely ½ past 5. 8 Found our old lodgings engaged,9 therefore took a sitting room and 2 bedrooms at Mr. Cullen's in Hertford Place which place was erected in 1813. After having given my friend Hunt of Burgess's Library 10 a call and taken some refreshment we retired to rest greatly fatigued by the day's exertion. 6 G.W. Bonner, The Picturesque Pocket Companion to Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, and the Parts Adjacent, (1831), 146-7. 7 The Times, 28th September, 1824. • Until well into the nineteenth century passengers bound by water from London to Broadstai.rs or Ramsgate chose to disembark at Margate thereby avoiding what was seen to be a hazardous voyage around the North Foreland. This point was confirmed by Capt. Large, who commanded the City of Canterbury steamboat belonging to the Herne Bay Steam Packet Co. in evidence on 8th April, 1851, to the House of Commons Select Committee on the London and Blackwall Railway Extension to Tilbury Fort, etc. Bill, H.L.R.O., Committee Office Evidence, Vol. 15. 9 A reference to the previous visit in 1826; see above, n. 5. '0 Burgess & Hunt's circulating library in Queen Street, Ramsgate is listed in trade directories of the 1820's and 1830's; for instance, on page 406 of Pigot & Co's London and Provincial New Commercial Directory, for 1823-4, or on pages 857 and 858 of Pigot & Co's National, London and Provincial Commercial Directory, for 1833-4. According to Bonner, op. cit., 162, Messrs. Burgess & Hunt operated in 'a very convenient and handsome building', which contained in 1831 'a choice and valuable collection of books, which have l:!een selected with much care and a proper regard both for amusement and instruction'. In addition 'the proprietors have also an extensive establishment, where printing is performed in all its branches', apart from selling 'all sorts of jewellery, trinkets, music, stationery, Tunbridge ware, perfumery, etc.' 187 JOHN WHYMAN £ s. d. Paid Coach from 3 New Millman St. to Tower Stairs 3 6 Paid Waterman at the Stand for putting in the Luggage 6 Paid Porterage of Luggage from Coach to the Wherry 1 0 Paid Waterman to the Steam Boat the Magnet 1 6 Paid for Times Newspaper 9 Paid fares for Mrs. B. and myself 24s., Servant 10s., Infant nothing 1 14 0 Paid Sailors' Box ls., 1 bottle of Port ls., Woman 6d. 2 6 Paid Porterage of Luggage to Ramsgate Coach 6 Paid Coach fare to Ramsgate 3 0 Paid Porterage of Luggage from the Crown Hotel to our Lodgings 2 0 Total Expense of the Journey 2 9 3 Tuesday, July 21. Rose at ½ past 6. Walked round the cliffs, up High Street to the new Church 11 which people were cleaning. Went in and copied the only Inscription there. . The following odd Notice is on a board outside the Church: Notice it is particularly requested that no nuisance be committed against the walls of the Church 11 Following the creation of Ramsgate as a separate parish from the old parish of St. Lawrence by Act of Parliament in 1826, St. George's Church, Ramsgate, was completed in the Gothic style in 1827 to hold 2,000 persons, at a cost of £27,000, financed from subscriptions and parochial rates apart from £9,000 donated by the Church Commissioners. Its tower, 137 feet high, was 'generally admired' as 'a very prominent feature, ... for its boldness of design and chasteness of execution', Bonner, op. cit., 146, 157; Picture of Ramsgate, or A Guide to the Various Amusements, Public Libraries, Building Improvements, etc. of that celebrated Watering Place, (Ramsgate, 1833), 35; and The Post Office Directory of the Six Home Counties, (1851), 399. 188 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGAlE or in the Churchyard under pain of punishment as the act directs. Returned to the Lodgings. Charlotte, myself and the Servant each took half a pint of Warm salt Water - Breakfast at 9 - Mine was the Yolks of 2 Eggs mixed in a Pint of milk and Tea. After Breakfast walked with Charlotte to Market .... Dinner at 2 o'clock consisted of roasted Lamb, Peas and Currant and Raspberry Pie ... After tea Charlotte and I with the child and Servant walked on the Pier until 8 o'clock . . .. Supper at 9. To bed at ¼ past 10. This morning wrote to my wife's eldest Sister Phillis Dueroz of 27, Brook Street, Holborn, London to let them know of our safe journey and arrival here. Paid: £ s. d. 7½ 7½ 4½ 9 ½ lb. Butter fresh 1 lb. Candles - ½ common ½ Rush Lights ½ lb. Mould Candles 1 lb. Figs Anniseed Cordial for the Child 2 lb. Loaf of Bread ½ Pint of Milk 1 Pint do. 5 English Eggs ¾ lb. of Lard for Pie and Pudding Crust at lOd. lb. 4 lbs. Flour 1 Pint of Porter (Mrs. Benham) Baking Pie 2 lb. Loaf of Bread ½ Peck of Peas (Prussian Blues) 1 lb. Black Currants ½ Gallon of Potatoes 1 Leaf of Raspberries 2 lb. red Currants Cake of Brown Bread 1 lb. Brown Sugar Salt and Pepper Goosberries ripe 3¾ lbs. Ribs of Lamb at 9d. per lb. 3 5¾ l½ 3 6 7½ 10¾ 3 1 5¾ 4 2½ 3 2½ 4 2 7 3 1 2 10 11 6¾ N.B. William Alexander Hunt born 15th. Jan. 1789 at Ostend now of Burgess's Library, Ramsgate. 189 JOHN WHYMAN Wednesday, July 22. Rose at 5 and walked to St. Lawrence - turned out Philpot the Sexton who let me into the Church at ¼ to 6 where I copied the following Inscriptions. ...A t ½ past 7 returned to Breakfast after which went with Mrs. B - to market and thence to the Beach where we each took a chair for half an hour, 12 thence returned to our lodging. At ½ past 12 to 1 called on my friend Hunt and bought red ink, pencil and rubber. At 2 returned to dinner which was Soles fried and Cold Lamb and potatoes and currant and raspberry Pie. At ½ past 4 after my nap we went on the Pier and saw the Royal Sovereign Steam Boat from London come into the harbour and land its passengers. Paid: £ s. d. For the cleaning of 1 Pair of Boots 2d. and Shoes Id. 3 1 pint Milk last evening 2 1 oz. Coffee 3 1 pint of Porter for Mrs. B. 3 Bread 5¾ Milk 1 ½ pints 3 Gooseberries ld., cherries ld. , 2 Red Ink 6d., Indian Rubber 3d., Blacklead Pencil 9d. 1 6 Paid for sitting on Chairs on the Beach 2 1 pair of Soles 1 0 Strawberries 4 4 9¾ 12 Ramsgate may well have been one of the first seaside resorts to provide visitors with an early form of the deckchair. c. 1835 a valetudinarian noted 'I must not omit to notice Ramsgate Sands (where) for the accommodation of visitors, a number of chairs (some hundreds) have been placed on them, to a considerable distance - the charge being only ld. per day, for each person', Sea Side Reminiscences: A Collection of 'Odd Thoughts' picked up at the Chief Watering-Places on the South Coast of England, and designed to Assist Strangers and Visitors in their Rambles, (c. 1835), 15. The chairs seem to have been attached to a Subscription Marquee it being observed in The Visitor's Guide to the Watering Places, or a Summer Excursion Round the Coast of England, in Pursuit of Health and Recreation, (1842), 179, that 'chairs are placed on the Bathing Sands for the sole use of subscribers [with] an attendant to remove them to any situation'. Certainly Pigot & Co ... for 1833-4, op. cit., 856, pointed out that the bathing proprietors, Messrs. Barling, Foat & Wells, opposite the pier gates, possessed 'a splendid marquee upon the bathing sands, furnished with the London and other journals and approved periodicals'. A subsequent source also observed how 'near the pier, the visitors who fill the houses in the terrace and crescent . . . do congregate, seated for their customary three hours on their penny chairs; the ladies working or reading their well worn novels', MacKenzie Walcott, A Guide to the Coast of Kent, (1859), 112-3. 190 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE Thursday, July 23. Rose at 5 and proceeded to St. Laurence Churchyard. . .. Returned at ½ past 7 to breakfast of Tea and Eggs - after which walked one hour on the cliff opposite the Royal Crescent. . . . Dined at 2 off Skate and potatoes and blackcurrant pie. After the Service walked to see the Gas Co's Works. 13 Paid: £ s. d. Gooseberries 1 1 Quart of Milk 5 5 Eggs 6 A Poor Man who had lately lost his leg by accident 1 0 2 lbs. Blackcurrants 4 A Dish of Skate 6 1 lb. White Sugar - very indifferent 10 1 lb. Brown Sugar 7 ½ lb. Fresh Butter 7 ½ pint of Shrimps for Charlotte at tea 2 For a Gauze and Hankerchief for Charlotte's Neck 1 5 For a Gauze and Veil for the Child 1 0 Bottle of Ginger Beer 3 Pint of Porter 3 For Baking the Pie 1 Loaf of Bread 11 ½ 8 11½ Friday, July 24. Rose at 5 and walked to St. Laurence Churchyard .... At 8 returned to Breakfast of Tea, Eggs and Rolls, after which walked to market with Charlotte about one hour. ... For dinner shoulder of Lamb, potatoes and blackcurrant pie. At ½ past 2 went with Mrs. Hunt 13 It was on Monday evening, 30th August, 1824 that 'the town of Ramsgate was Lighted with gas for the first time', The Times, 2nd September, 1824. This improved source of lighting was supplied by the Isle of Thanet Gas Light and Coke Company, the Chairman, Mr. N.A. Austen, reporting to the general half yearly meeting of shareholders on 17th March, 1828, that 'the progress of the Company's works during the last six months has been regular and progressively improving', with an increase of sixteen private customers at Ramsgate; K.A.O. Cobb MSS. Thomas Francis Cobb, of the Margate brewing and banking family, was then the proprietor of twenty shares. The Ramsgate Gas Works were listed in Pigot & Co . . . for 1833-4, op. cit., 858 at Hardres Street, John Wilkinson, superintendent. 191 \ I JOHN WHYMAN and her 8 children to Cliffsend Fann beyond Pegwell where we had tea, and our party 15 in number, including . . . 2 servants, all en joyed themselves for several hours upon the grass of one of the fields. Reached our lodging before 9 o'clock all highly delighted by our treat. Paid: Gooseberries ld. , Currants 3d. Shoulder of Lamb 4 lbs. 14 oz. at 9d. per lb. 1 Gallon of Imperial Blue Peas 4 hot Rolls for Breakfast Cleaning 1 pair boots and 1 pair shoes Milk 1 ½ pints of London and other porter 4 New Laid Eggs Saturday July 25. £ s. d. 4 3 8 4 3½ 3 3 4½ 6 6 0 Rose at ½ past 5 and walked to St. Laurence Church. .. .A fter breakfast went to Market with Charlotte and walked for about an hour. This being Market day we had an opportunity of observing its extent. It has 3 divisions - Meat - Vegetables - Fish- and these were well stocked with every common thing in season. 1 • After dinner at 2 which consisted of Lamb Pie and blackcurrant pie walked and saw the Steam Vessel from London arrive in the Harbour. After Tea hired a carriage and taking up Mr. Hunt by the way we were conveyed to Birchington, whose Church containing some old Brasses and monuments we went into, but there was not sufficient time to allow of my copying anything. Took a glass of sherry wine at the Powell Arms on account of the coldness of the evening ... Paid: Currants ld. Gooseberries 1 pint 2d. 2 lbs. of Blackcurrants £ s. d. 3 5 14 In 1833 Ramsgate market, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, was said to be 'well supplied with excellent meat, poultry, fish and vegetables', being 'frequently attended by persons from the French coast with fruit, eggs and other articles', Picture of Ramsgate, op. cit., 37, and Pigot & Co . .. for 1833-4, op. cit., 856. Imported French eggs poured into Ramsgate in great quantities during June 1828 and were sold in Canterbury at thirty for ls., according to The Maidstone Journal and Kentish Advertiser, 17th June, 1828. 192 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE ½ lb. of Rump Steak to put in the pie at ls. per lb. ½ pint of Peas - Imperial Blues Quarter of French Beans Lettuce Milk Cleaning shoes 1 pair ½ lb. of London fresh butter at ls. 6d. per lb. ¾ lb. of Lard at 10d. per lb. Quarter of Flour Black Ink 1 pint of Porter Baking 2 Pies 1 Pint Bottle of Sherry Wine Biscuits at Birchington 1 Pint of Ale for the Man Paid the Ostler The Sexton for viewing the Church The Carriage Washing - Drapery 2 pieces of flannel 1 long white frock 1 long white petticoat 1 child's cap 1 coloured apron Sunday, July 26. 6 3 3 1½ 5 1 9 7½ 10¾ 1 3 2 2 6 2 4 2 1 0 5 0 4 2 2 1 1½ 1 15 2¼ It being a very wet and stormy morning did not rise till ½ past 7, and the weather continuing extremely boisterous and wet prevented Charlotte and myself from attending God's house. Our servant however was not to be kept from the duty, she therefore went to the New Church, 15 thus exhibiting a faithfulness which ought to shame and stimulate me. . . . Dined at ½ past 1 off cold Lamb pie and French Beans and Lettuce dress'd with vinegar, sugar and pepper and Blackcurrant pie. 15 St. George's Church, Ramsgate; see above, n. 11. 193 JOHN WHYMAN Monday, July 27. Rose at 6 .... Went to St. Laurence Churchyard .... Returned at ½ past 7 and took Mrs. B- to see the Steam Vessel go out of the Harbour for London - the weather very rough. At ½ past 8 breakfast on Rolls, Tea and Eggs. After breakfast the weather cleared and we walked on the Pier. After dinner walked on the Plains of Waterloo and the atmosphere being remarkably clear saw the Coast of France very plainly. . . . After Tea walked on the Royal Crescent. I wrote to the Gas Works this day ... . Took for my supper ½ doz. figs and milk and after it ½ pint of Gruel - to bed at 10. Paid: Milk yesterday and to-day Porter yesterday and to-day Cleaning Boots and Shoes 5 Eggs ¾ lb. Lard for Pie Crust Rush Lights and Common Candles ½ lb. Salt Butter Mould Candles Baking Pie Red Currants for Pie Potatoes Brick Loaf of Bread 4 lb. Bread A fine fowl for boiling Red Currants in the morning 2½ lbs. of Pickled Pork at 9d. One Week's Lodging Tuesday, July 28. £ s. 3 1 1 11 d. 10 6 4 6 7½ 7½ 6 4¼ 1 5 3 2 11¼ 0 1 8 6 2 2 4½ Rose at¼ to 6. Went to St. Lawrence Churchyard ... Returned at 8 to Breakfast ... After Dinner at½ past 2 joined Mrs. Hunt and her 8 children and proceeded to Shallows Tea Gardens near St. Peters 16 where we enjoyed ourselves until ½ past 6 playing and swinging with the children . . . 16 Described in 1830 as 'a favourite resort with juvenile parties', who 'may bring their own tea and sugar', where '8d. each is charged for the other ac companiments of the tea table', G .A. Cooke, A Topographical and Statistical Description of the County of Kent, New Ed. (1830), xx:x. 194 A 1HREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE Paid: Currants 4 pair of small Soles for Dinner - very sweet 1 lb. Lump Sugar IOd. and ¼ Tea ls. 9d. for the Shallows Bread, Butter and Water and the Use of Table, etc., in the Shallows Gardens, 6 Adults at 8d and 8 children at 4d. each For attendance at the Shallows tho' not demanded A Box of Anderson's Scot's Pills 1 ½ pints Milk Cleaning Shoes and Boots 1 pint of porter 3 Hot Rolls for Breakfast Wednesday, July 29. £ s. d. 3½ 1 0 2 7 6 8 1 0 1 1½ 3 3 3 3 13 8 Rose at ¼ to 6 and walked to St. Lawrence Churchyard. Returned at ½ past 7 to breakfast. . . . Dinner of Boiled Leg of Lamb and Turnips. At ½ past 4 walked on the pier to see the steamboat from London arrive and the duke of Wellington happening to be also on the pier we had the opportunity for the first time of seeing his grace. After tea at 6 walked to St. Lawrence's and returned round by the Mills and the Royal Crescent by 8 o'clock when we found the house locked up and all its inmates out. After walking a short time found the Servant who let us in. . . . Received a Letter from Miss Phillis Dueroz of Brook St., Holborn, my wife's sister. Paid: Leg of Lamb 5 lbs. at 10d. per lb. Bunch of Turnips Letter from London Fruit 3d. - 2 qts. of Red Currants 5d. ½ lb. brown Sugar for the Pie Gave a Beggar for Charlotte Milk Cleaning shoes Pint of Porter ¾ lb. lard at 10d. Baking a Pie 195 £ s. d. 4 2 3 8 8 3½ 1 5 2 3 7½ 1 JOHN WHYMAN 4 lbs. Loaf of Bread Washing - 2 pairs of cotton Hose 2 child's pellises 1 do. White Frock 1 do. Pinafore 1 do. Shirt 6 Neckerchiefs 14 Draperies 1 Child's Flannel 1 do. Nightgown Thursday, July 30. 11¼ 2 5 2 1 1 6 9 1 1 10 11¼ Rose at 5 and walked to St. Lawrence Churchyard . . . but had to way till 10 minutes past 6 before I could wake the Sexton to give me the Key. . . . At 12 walked to Mrs. Hunt's at Effingham Place, and thence walked to the pier. Took a boat and were rowed out of the Harbour for an hour. ... At 5 went to Mr. Hunt's and drank tea with him and his family. Paid: £ s. d. Gave a poor man with one arm only - but suspicious 1 Boathire - one hour 2 0 Blackcurrants 2 A Lettuce 1½ 1 lb. Brown Sugar 7 ½ lb. Salt Butter being preferred before fresh 5½ 1 Quart Milk 4 fu􀁨. 3 4 lbs. of Flour 10¾ Cleaning One Pair of Shoes 1 4 11¾ Friday, July 31. Rose at½ past 5 and went to St. Lawrence's but failed to make the Sexton hear me knock at his door and, as the Rain came on very heavily, I thought it better to return . . . Received a Letter from 196 A TI-IREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE London stating that business would not recall me home till Monday week. Wet and windy the whole of the day therefore Charlotte and I went only to see the sluices opened in the Harbour. 17 Paid: £ s. d. Milk 5 furt􀁝 3 5Eg􀁞 6 4 lb. Loaf 11¼ 2 Mutton Chops ½ lb. 5 Cleaning Shoes 2 A Plate of Raspberries 1 ½ For showing us and explaining the Steam Engine 6 Waiting at the Inn at Birchington [?]. 3 ½ peck Windsor Broad Beans 3 Saturday, August 1. 3 9¾ Rose at 4¾ and walked to St. Laurence Churchyard. Returned at ½ past 7 and after Breakfast went to Market with Charlotte and thence to the Beach where we took a chair for an hour .... After dinner walked in Frazer's Nursery Garden 18 and thence on the pier to see the Steam Boat come in. Paid: Cleaning Shoes Milk 1 Pint Porter Baking a Pie ½ lb. of London fresh butter 5 Eggs £ s. d. 1 5 3 1 9 6 17 Owing their origin to the celebrated eighteenth-century civil engineer John Smeaton who constructed in 1779 an inner basin as a backwater to cleanse the outer harbour which was silting up, by means of a cross wall, in which were two sluices, 'the operations of which were amazingly powerful', such that 'they entirely cleared away the sullage from it down to the chalk, besides carrying out of the harbour's mouth great quantities of sand', E. Hasted, The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, Vol. X, 2nd Ed., (Canterbury, 1800), 393. Subsequently Smeaton's wooden sluices 'got very much out of repair, and at last were closed', causing dredging to be an ever recurring problem, when Sir John Rennie, as Civil Engineer to Ramsgate Harbour, presented evidence on 11th July, 1850, to The Select Committee on Ramsgate and Margate Harbours (660) (1850), 90. " Listed in Pigot & Co . ... for 1833-4, op. cit., 858, under 'Nursery and Seedsmen' as Alex. Fraser, Hermitage Nursery. 197 JOHN WHYMAN Fish Gallon of Potatoes 3 Pints of Gooseberries for the Pie Breast of Lamb 5¼ lbs. at 10d. per lb. Chairs on the Beach Fruit at the Nursery Sunday, August 2. 1 6 5 4½ 4 4½ 2 5 9 4 Rose at ¼ past 7. . . . In the morning and afternoon heard the Rev. Mr. Elvin at St. Lawrence Church and in the evening Mr. Townsend at his Meeting House. 19 Monday, August 3. Rose at ¼ past 5 and went to St. Lawrence Churchyard . . . Returned at 8 to breakfast after which walked to the sands where Charlotte bathed . . . . Walked round by Jacob's Ladder. After dinner it came on to rain and this continued the whole afternoon and evening confining us to the house. Paid: Cleaning Shoes 2 Days Milk 2 Days Porter ¾ lb. Lard 7½d., Baking ld., Rhubarb for the Pie 6d. 2 lbs. Brown Loaf from the Calais Cottage - very good A 4 lb. Common Loaf - very good Bathing Machine for Charlotte20 £ s. 1 1 d. 2 10 6 2½ 4½ 11¼ 0 19 Apart from the established Anglican churches of St. Lawrence and St. George, visitors to Ramsgate in 1828 could also elect to worship at 'a handsome chapel of ease' in Chapel Place which had been consecrated in 1791 by Archbishop Moore, near to which 'the Independents have a meeting-house', W.H. Ireland, A New and Complete History of the County of Kent, Vol. 1 (1828), 549. Among the dissenting places of worship were chapels supported by Methodists, Anabaptists and HighCalvinists. zo Bathing arrangements and terms were given much publicity as would be expected in a Picture of Ramsgate (1833), op. cit., 32-3, where it was noted how the building of a new harbour at Ramsgate had improved the sands, which afforded 'a 198 A TIIREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE Fruit for Mrs. Hunt's children on the Beach Medicine for myself and the Infant Week's Lodging 2 1 0 1 11 6 1 17 8¼ Tuesday, August 4. Rose at ½ past 5 and proceeded to St. Lawrence Churchyard. Returned to breakfast at 8 after which walked on the Pier. Dinner at ½ past 1. Confined most of the day on account of the weather .... Walked with Mr. Hunt to the Library, staid till 8 when Charlotte called for me and we returned to our Lodging - Supper at 9, to bed at 10. Paid: A Pair of fine Soles ls. 6d. and a Weaver fish 3d. 1 lb. of White Currants - Wall fruit Paid an aged woman Paid for washing a Shirt 3d. , a chemise 2d. , etc. A Memorandum Book Fine Cabbage - omitted yesterday A Letter from Ann Balfour 1 lb. Figs A Packet of Robinsons Patent Groats for Gruel £ s. 1 1 1 d. 9 3 3 6 0 1 8 8 6 delightful parade for the company upon leaving the machines after bathing', with 'upwards of twenty machines {being] employed every morning during the season'. Direction posts were placed on the sands 'to prevent persons bathing openly from approaching the machines or offending the decency of those who use them'. Bathers waited their tum in 'several convenient waiting rooms' before entering 'cleanly and comfortable machines, with careful and experienced guides, under whose protection the most delicate and timid may bathe in safety'. The 'Terms of Bathing' were as follows: A lady taking a machine, guide included ............ . Two or more ladies, guide included, each ........... . A child taking a machine, guide included ............ . Two or more young children, ditto, each ............ . A gentleman taking a machine, guide included A gentleman bathing himself ....................... . Two or more gentlemen, guide included, each Two or more gents, bathing themselves, each ........ . No bathing on Sundays after 10 o'clock s. d. I 3 1 0 1 3 9 6 0 3 9 Judging from the terms so quoted Mrs. Benham would have shared a bathing machine with at least one other female bather. 199 JOHN WHYMAN 7 Captains Biscuits for Mrs. Hunt Copy of Burgess & Hunt's Ramsgate Guide21 Milk Porter Shoes ½ lb. Salt Butter Coffee 1 oz. Salt 4 lb. Loaf of Bread Wednesday, August 5. 6 2 0 5 3 1 6 3 1 11¼ 11 8¼ Rose at ¼ to 6, [and] proceeded to St. Lawrence Churchyard. Returned at 8. After Breakfast accompanied Charlotte to the Beach where she bathed after which walked on the Pier and then at ½ past 12 returned. After dinner took a Chaise and proceeded to Margate. Went over the Infirmary22 and the New Baths on the Fort of which Baths I bought a view. 23 Met our friend Mrs. Hagger of London on the Pier and accepted her invitation to tea. Returned through Broadstairs by 9 o'clock. 21 All over the country but especially in seaside resorts circulating library proprietors branched out into publishing maps and guidebooks relevant to their localities, an early instance occurring in August 1777 when Joseph Hall, as Margate's first librarian, produced a map of the Isle of Thanet, from a survey by R. Bridgen, priced at 3s. 6d. or 5s. in a case. Some librarians displayed a great interest in and knowledge of the antiquities and topography of their area even though commercial gain was the prime motivating force behind publications of this sort. Ownership of printing works proved to be a considerable asset in this respect as with Messrs. Burgess and Hunt, see above, n. 10. '' Meaning the Margate Royal or 'General Sea Bathing Infirmary' or Hospital, intended for poor people, suffering from scrofula or tuberculosis, coming mainly from London, which having been founded in 1791 had opened its doors during 1796 at Westbrook, as 'the country's first hospital for tuberculosis', when sixteen patients were admitted. Within twenty years it had treated 3,756 patients, and by 1833 was able to accommodate over 200 patients during the summer months, in 'a neat and plain building of considerable dimensions .... supported by voluntary contributions': K.A.0., The Original Minutes of the Margate Infirmary, 1791-1793, 15th June, 1792; C. Dainton, The Story of England's Hospitals, (1961), 93; The Gentleman's Magazine, lxxxvi, Part I (January, 1816), 17; Bonner, op. cit., 103-4; Picture of Ramsgate (1833), op. cit., 67. 23 The reference here is to Margate's Clifton Baths which a guidebook of 1828 described as being 'well worthy of notice, being equally novel and extraordinary', R.B. Watts, A Topographical Description of the Coast between London, Margate and Dover, (1828), 66. These famous baths were constructed during the 1820's. Their excavation into chalk cliffs, which began in 1824, involved the removal of about 200 A TI-IREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE Thursday, August 6. Rose at 6 and continued to copy the inscriptions at St. Lawrence from ½ past 6. . . . Returned at 8 to breakfast. The following are the expenses of yesterday. £ s. d. Bathing - Mrs. Benham 1 0 A 4 Wheeled Single Horse Carr for Afternoon 9 0 Man Driver 1 0 Turnpike 4½ Put into the Infirmary Box24 10 0 Paid for Walking on the Pier at Margate ld. each25 3 A View of Clifton Baths 1 6 View of do. 2½ Milk 4 Beer 3 Cleaning Shoes 1 Biscuit 1 5 English Eggs 6 ½ peck of Broad Rodney Beans 3 Apples for Pie 4 Baking 1 ½ a Shoulder of Southdown Mutton 4½ lbs. at 8d. per lb. 2 10 Quarturn of Flour 10¾ ½ lb. Candles 3¾ 1 9 3½ 40,000 cubic yards of chalk, as the cliffs were cut down to within about six ft. of the level of the seashore. The baths, etc., were then erected on a base of 'hard rock chalk . .. cased with brick-work'. For a detailed description of the Clifton Baths as they appeared in 1830 see Cooke, op. cit., xxx-xxxii. 24 Following on from n. 22 above, problems of finance were ever pressing throughout the nineteenth century so far as the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital was concerned, and every financial contribution, however small, was welcomed. Holidaymakers to nineteenth-century Thanet were encouraged to visit the infirmary and while there to donate something for its financial support. " Under Margate's fourth Pier and Harbour Act of 1812, 52 Geo. III c. 186, it was enacted 'that every visitant to Margate during the months of June, July, August, September and October, who might resort to the promenade on the Pier, should for that liberty pay one penny per day', clause lxiv. For the Margate Pier and Harbour Company, which was constituted under the same Act, this ld. toll was one useful way of cashing in on Margate's profitable summer trade from 1812 onwards. 201 JOHN WHYMAN At ½ past 11 proceeded in the Carr we had yesterday (which we hired for the day) through Cliffsend and Minster to Monkton and copied the following Inscriptions in the Church .... From Monkton proceeded to St. Nicholas and put up at the Bell where the host furnishing us with plates and knives and forks and a clean Table Cloth, and supplying us with Bread and excellent Ale, we enjoyed the cold mutton with which we were already provided, and our appetites exceeding our provision a few slices of excellently flavoured Ham boiled, although cut rather clumsily, enabled us to complete a hearty dinner. That done went to the Church where the Monuments were so numerous that I was obliged to content myself with tracings of the Brasses that were at all curious and such other memorials as a very hasty visit would pennit. . . . Continuing our intended Tour we proceeded to Birchington where at the Powell Arms we were regaled with Tea, doubly grateful to us on account of · the warmth of the weather. Paid: Carriage for the Day Driver Entrance into Monkton Church and for getting the key Drawing Paper ½ quire Leather for the Tracings 7 Currant Buns Gave an old Shepherd For accommodation at St. Nicholas For attendance do. Entrance into St. Nicholas Church Tea at Birchington Man do. Attendance For getting into Birchington Church Cleaning Shoes Milk Beer Friday, August 7. £ s. d. 14 0 2 6 1 5 4 1 2 9 2 6 2 0 6 6 0 8½ 3½ 6 1 4 l½ 1 12 3½ After breakfast accompanied Charlotte to the Beach where she bathed. Dined at ½ past 1, after which hired a boat by which we, 202 A 11-IREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE i.e.: Mrs. Benham, myself and our little one, Mrs. Hunt and 2 of her daughters, viz: Ann and Anise, and our Nursery Maid Betsy Thornton were conveyed to Shellness near Sandwich. Drank tea at the Red Lyon on the Sandwich Road near the Saltpans, now left to decay there happily being no longer an opportunity of defrauding the revenue of the duty. 26 On our return landed to pick up shells of which we collected a great number but none curious. 27 Got to Ramsgate Harbour at 8 o'clock all pleased with a charming excursion ... This Day I wrote to the Works at Salisbury Square to say we would return on Monday. Paid: 2 Pairs of Soles Cleaning Shoes Milk 1 Pint of Porter 5 English Eggs 1 lb. of Brown Sugar for Pie 1 lb. Lard do. Potatoes 1 lb. Red Currants Baking 2 lb. Loaf ½ lb. London fresh Butter. Boathire and 6d. extra Tea with 6d. for attendance Beer for the Man ½ lb. Gingerbread Cakes £ s. 1 5 5 d. 6 1 5 3 6 7 10 2 3 1 5¾ 9 6 6 6 6 17 10¾ 20 According to The New Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs Guide, 6th Ed., (Margate, 1816), 126-7, salt works had been established at Stonar, being 'excellently constructed', where 'the sea water is drawn during the summer months into open broad shallow pans of great extent, where having continued till its more watery particles are exhaled by the sun, it is conveyed into large boilers, and after being further evaporated, is crystallized in the usual manner'. Fifteen years later Bonner, op. cit., 179, confirmed that these works had ceased to operate some three years previously, 'when the duty on this useful article of general consumption was abolished', whereupon 'the works were taken down, and the crystallization of salt (was) discontinued [because] the profits would no longer yield a remuneration for the capital employed in its production'. 27 Bonner, op. cit., 86, observed how 'with the visitants and their children the search after shells is a fashionable and daily amusement', and though there may be 'no splendid specimens on conchology . . . shells may be found of such exquisite smallness, that many hundred may be stored in a very small bottle'. 203 JOHN WHYMAN Saturday, August 8. Rose at ¼ to 6 and walked till ¼ to 8. At ½ past 11 accompanied Mrs. B- to the Beach where she bathed. Wrote to Charlotte's eldest sister Miss Phillis Dueroz to say we should return on Monday if all well. Paid: ½ peck of very fine peas 1 ½ lbs. of Red Currants 1 lb. Cherries Lettuce Sirloin of Beef 4 lbs. at 9d. White Currants for Eating Paid for Bathing of Mrs. B. who gave the Guide Mrs. Epps. ls. 28 1 Pint Porter Milk Washing: 1 shirt 2 Chemise 6 Neckerchiefs 2 pair Hose 1 Child's Apron 1 do. Nightgown 29 Drapers £ 8d. 1 Child's Frock 1 do. Cap Sunday, August 9. per doz. £ s. d. 6 3 3 1½ 3 0 2 2 0 3 5 3 4 6 2 2 1 1 7 2 1½ 10 4 Rose at ¾ past 5 and walked to St. Lawrence .... At ½ past 10 went to Ebenezer Chapel and heard the Rev. Mr. Young from Margate .... In the evening heard Mr. Goldsmith at Zion Chapel29 after which called on Mr. Hunt and bade him and his family farewell. 28 See above, n. 20, for Ramsgate's bathing arrangements and terms as they existed in 1833. 29 These chapels are listed and shown on a Map of the Town and Royal Harbour of Ramsgate by R. Collard and G. Hurst (1822), British Museum, 3110. (5). lt also shows other amenities, which are mentioned in the diary and accompanying footnotes, including the chapel of ease, Burgess's library and bank, the market, and the bathing rooms. 204 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE Paid: £ s. d. Cleaning Shoes 1 Milk 2 Days 10 Beer 6 Baking I Candle 1 Eggs 4 2 oz. Coffee 6 For the Week's Lodging 1 11 6 A Broken Tumbler Glass 1 2 Church Collections 13 0 Attendance during the 3 Weeks Miss. C. 7s. 2d., Girl ls. 6d. 8 8 2 16 9 Monday, August 10. Rose at 5 and prepared for our return home by the City of London Steam Boat, commanded by Mr. Martin,30 whom we joined at 5 minutes before 8. Started at 8 and after a journey, which was exceedingly wet till 12 o'clock, we arrived without accident at the Tower at ¼ past 5 whence, taking a Coach, we reached home at ½ past 6, thankful for the kind protection of providence during our whole excursion. 30 Capt. K.B. Martin, as author of Oral Traditions of the Cinque Ports and Their Localities {1832) commanded The City of London Steam Packet in July 1832, 30-1. As an employee of the General Steam Navigation Company he was a steam navigation enthusiast who previously had commanded a sailing packet for six years earlier in his career which also had plied between London and the Isle of Thanet, ibid., 28. Having experience both of the old boys and steamboats, he felt well qualified to comment on the superiority of steam navigation as he saw it in 1832. Since 1820 he had never been obliged 'to anchor upon the passage, or put back in port in consequence of any fault, accident, or defect in the steam machinery'. During twelve years 'in the command of different steam vessels' he had had under his care 128,047 passengers, not one of whom had 'received the slightest personal injury'; moreover, 'if a sailing packet, to and from London and Ramsgate, fhadj conveyed 800 passengers in a month, it was thought an extraordinary affair; yet, during the last four weeks (June{July 1832), our returns in the City of London steam packet give 5,356 persons', ibid., 29-30. The City of London Ramsgate steamer subsequently finds mention in Charles Dickens, Sketches by 8oz (1836) in his story of 'The Tuggses at Ramsgate'. 205 JOHN WHYMAN Expenses of Journey Home: Porter for Carrying Luggage to Steam Vessel31 Passage in the Steam Vessel 2 at 12s. and 1 at 10s. Gave the Ship's Crew £ s. 1 Bottle of Porter Wherry to the Custom House Porter for carrying Lugage to the Coach No. 476 Boy for getting a Coach Jack at Waterside Coach hired by mistake Coach really hired 14 1 1 1 1 1 4 d. 0 0 6 6 0 6 1 2 0 6 2 5 9 The whole tone of the above diary and the meticulous attention to detail portray a fully mature character in the person of the author, who consistently rose early from his bed in order to pursue his hobby of copying church inscriptions, especially at the old parochial church of St. Lawrence,32 no doubt to the understandable annoyance of the sexton who on the morning of Wednesday, 22nd July was 'turned out' so that Mr. Benham might enter the church at 5.45 a.m. He was clearly fascinated by much else around him including steamboats, the sluice gates in the harbour, the local gas works and the town market. He was morally ashamed when bad weather defeated his church attendance on 26th July, particularly since his servant went off on her own accord to St. George's Church 'thus exhibiting a faithfulness which ought to shame and stimulate me'. Poor summer weather as an impediment to active holidaymaking is fully confirmed in this diary on more than one occasion. 33 While there is much in this diary to interest the social historian, it is the financial details contained therein which deserve careful analysis and assessment. The following table shows the overall cost of this three week holiday to Ramsgate including the journeys there and back. 3 ' Rams gate possessed officially appointed porters for conveying passengers' luggage to and from the steam vessels in the harbour; passengers in 1833 were advised at the London end to have their luggage 'safely deposited in its proper place', as 'the Proprietors of the Steam Vessels are not answerable for the loss of any of the luggage, as they make no charge for its conveyance; so it behoves the Passenger to look after his own property', which at Ramsgate involved seeing 'your luggage safely in possession of one of the appointed ticket porters', Picture of Ramsgate, op. cit., 4, 8. '2 See above, n. 5 and n. 11. '' See entries in the diary dated 3rd August and 4th August. 206 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE The Holiday Expenditure incurred during Three Weeks spent in Ramsgate, July and August, 1829. Item Journey there Journey back Lodging 3 weeks Broken tumbler Attendance during 3 weeks Food and drink Lighting Washing Medical items Stationery Guides and views Mail Bathing, beach, boating, pier Outings Shoe cleaning Charitable donations to individuals To the Royal Sea Bathing Infirmary's box Church collections To the sexton of St. Lawrence's Church34 TOTAL £ s. d. 2 9 3 2 5 9 4 14 6 1 2 8 8 Cost £ s. d. 4 15 0 5 4 4 4 16 O¾ 2 4½ 8 2 3 9½ 3 6 3 8½ 1 4 13 3 3 4 2½ 2 3 1 7 10 0 13 0 7 6 21 10 O¾d The diary in the manner in which it was compiled relates expenditure incurred to how the time was spent on this holiday, so that on the downward journey, for instance, money was paid for a coach to Tower Stairs; to a porter for handling the luggage from the coach to a wherry, which was the means of reaching the steamboat prior to the subsequent establishment of passenger wharves;35 to a waterman for conveying the party and luggage to the Magnet steamboat;30 The Times newspaper was obtained to read on the journey; the steam- ,. At least be derived some financial benefit from being summoned early in the morning by Mr. Benham as o n 22nd July or 30th July, even though on 31st July Mr. Benham 'failed to make the Sexton hear me knock at his door and, as the Rain came on very heavily, I thought it better to return'. 3 ' Passenger wharves may well have been under construction in the summer of 1829 since Bonner, op. cit., 3-4, could report by 1831 that in order 'to facilitate the embarking and landing of passengers, two commodious wharfs have recently been fonned: one close to London Bridge, and the other at St. Katherine's Docks, near the Tower', whereby 'the public are now enabled to go on board and land with perfect saf3e6 ty, without the aid of boats'. The Magnet is mentioned specifically in ibid., 6. 207 JOHN WHYMAN boat fares were paid and money was put into the sailors' box. The party disembarked at Margate and paid porterage on luggage taken to the Ramsgate coach, which for three shillings conveyed them to the Crown Hotel in that town, whereupon further porterage was paid to the lodgings, which consisted of a sitting room and two bedrooms at Mr. Cullen's in Hertford Place, situated away from the seafront. On the return journey the City of London steamboat37 was taken direct from Ramsgate, but firstly a porter was paid one shilling for conveying Mr. Benham's luggage to. the steam vessel;38 money was again paid out in fares and towards the ship's crew39 and a bottle of porter was purchased for one shilling. At Tower Stairs further expenditure was incurred on a wherry to the Customs House, to a porter for carrying the luggage to a coach and on coach f ares and incidentals. The infant was conveyed both ways on the steam vessel free of charge and the servant ten shillings either way 'attending the family'. 40 The total cost of travelling to Ramsgate and back amounting to £4 15s. accounted for 22 per cent of the total holiday expenditure. The total cost of accommodation comprised two major items, lodging and food and drink. Rent for a sitting room and two bedrooms was paid at the weekly rate of £1 lls. 6d. at weekly intervals on 27th July, 3rd August and 9th August. Three weeks basic lodging plus attendance during the stay and making good the cost of a broken tumbler glass absorbed £5 4. 4d. or almost a quarter (24 per cent) of the total holiday expenditure. 7s. 2d. out of the 8s. 8d. attendance money was paid for three weeks service to a l7 See above, n. 30. l• See above, n. 31. l• By 1831 the London(rhanet steamboats had acquired a reputation for comfort and luxury, which Bonner, op. ciJ., 6-7, described as follows: 'Those persons who have not been accustomed to steam-vessels, will, doubtless, be astonished at the accommodations which they will find on board; the cabins being fitted up in the most elegant manner, and with every possible attention to comfort. The company are also provided with draughts, chessboards, etc., and an excellent band of music ... It would be an act of injustice towards the stewards were we not to notice their great activity and civility, and the excellence of the refreshments provided. The dinner, which consists of joints, boiled and roasted, of the very best quality; all vegetables that are in season; and pastry, wines, dessert, etc., - is served up in a style both pleasing and surprising, when the limited size of the kitchen is considered . . . In speaking of these accommodations, we must not omit to notice that there is always a female attendant on board to wait upon the ladies; . .. there is also a very neat cabin fitted up for their particular reception.' •° Certainly The Times during the \1820sl quoted lower fares for 'servants attending families', one such advertisement on 28th June, 1826, inserted by the General Steam Navigation Company on behalf of The Royal Sovereign, stating a tos. single fare for servants. 208 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE Miss C., who possibly was Miss Cullen, the daughter of Mr. Cullen who owned or occupied the house in Hertford Place where the Benhams stayed. Food and drink, as the second major item of accommodation expenditure cost, £4 16s. O¾d., or just over 22 percent of the total holiday outlay. Such is the detail of this diary that even the smallest items of expense under this category were recorded. Breakfast and an early afternoon dinner taken at around two o'clock were the two major meals of the day. Breakfast at nine on the first day consisted of 'the yolks of 2 Eggs mixed in a Pint of milk and Tea'; on the other days breakfast was taken between 7 .30 and 8.30 on 'Tea, Eggs and Rolls'. Dinner was a much more varied meal, consisting on the first day of 'roasted Lamb, Peas and Currant and Raspberry Pie', the ingredients for which cost about 5s. On the following day the Benhams dined on 'Soles fried and Cold Lamb and potatoes and currant and raspberry Pie', the cost of which was reduced by using the cold left-overs of the day before, which suggests a careful attention to the details of daily household management. The entries for 21st and 22nd July reveal how the Benhams took advantage of the soft fruit season and of the custom of having pies baked locally for a penny apiece. Overall the daily accounts of expenditure are interesting for their dietary information and for the prices paid for bread, milk, eggs, meat, fruit, vegetables, etc.-, at that time. The entries are such as to make it possible to calculate approximately the cost of individual meals and more specifically the distribution of total expenditure over the three weeks between different food items as shown in the following table. Expenditure on Food during three Weeks spent in Ramsgate, July and August 1829. Items Meat Bread and Flour Butter and Eggs Fruit Milk Fish Beer and Porter Vegetables 1 Bottle of Sherry Wine £ s. d. 1 6 5½ 12 11¾ 9 3 8 10½ 8 l½ 7 5 6 3 3 11½ 2 6 £4 5 9¾ On other items, viz: Salt, Sugar, Coffee, Lard, etc. 10 3 TOT AL £4 16 O¾ 209 JOHN WHYMAN It is often claimed that the point of a holiday is lost unless it offers comforts and opportunities superior to those experienced normally in everyday life. Diet and excursions are two indicators of this fact, which seems to have been no less true of the nineteenth century than of more recent times. The Benhams enjoyed obviously a varied diet during their holiday, a diet revealing a high animal protein content, with the consequence that meat formed the highest item of food expenditure, accounting for 27 per cent of the total food bill. Total expenditure on bread and flour did not greatly exceed that on butter and eggs, or fruit, or milk. Not only were several visits made to the market41 but the diary entries comment on the quality of some of the goods purchased, such as 10d. spent on a pound of white sugar which was 'very indifferent' ,42 as against 4½d. for a '2 lbs. Brown Loaf from the Calais Cottage - very good' ,43 or 6d. for a half peck 'of very fine peas'. 44 The total cost of accommodation in Ramsgate embracing lodgings, food and drink, lighting at 2s. 4½d. and washing at 8s. 2d. •s amounted to £10 10 ll¼d. or just over 48 per cent of the total outlay. Without the 8s. 2d. for washing, £10 2 9¼d. was allocated to board and lodging, which is a reasonable total to set against the boarding house terms at that time. Weekly boarding house terms in Ramsgate in 1833 varied from two to three guineas per person,46 while for Margate 'the charges for board and lodging, where both are good, are about two guineas per week - wine, spirits, or ale exclusive. '47 Two adults in a boarding house at two guineas a week for three weeks would have cost twelve guineas, without even allowing for the infant or the domestic servant in this case. Calculations along these lines suggest that a family could save on expenditure by taking furnished lodgings and providing their own food compared to the cost of hotel or boarding-house accommodation. Excursions or outings absorbed·£3 4s. 2½d. or 15 per cent of the total holiday expenditure. Nineteenth-century holidaymakers were often more energetic and adventurous than some of their counter- ., On 21st July, 22nd July, 24th July, 25th July, and 1st August. No doubt unrecorded visits by the servant to the market occurred on other days. " On 23rd July. 43 On 3rd August. 44 On 8th August. 45 Washing bills were settled on 25th July (ll½d.), 29th July (2s. 4d.), 4th August ( ls. 6d.) and 8th August (3s. 4½d. ). •• Picture of Ramsgate, op. cit., 17, with two guineas being quoted for Broadstairs, ibid., 50. 41 'Amusements at Margate', Chamber's Edinburgh Journal, (Edinburgh, 1833), 156, while terms from 30s. to £2. 12. 6d. per week were quoted for Margate in a Picture of Ramsgate, op. cit., 61. 210 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE parts today. Sea-bathing and sitting on the beach occupied relatively little time compared to exploring the neighbourhood, meaning both Ramsgate and the Thanet hinterland. The diary shows that several varied outings were taken, and they, too, can be costed from the details of expenditure. The carriage· excursion to Birchington on 25th July costs 9s. 2d. and involved expenditure on s. d. 1 Pint Bottle of Sherry Wine 2 6 Biscuits at Birchington 2 1 Pint of Ale for the Man 4 Paid the Ostler 2 The Sexton for viewing the Church 1 0 The Carriage 5 0 The first four items were incurred at the Powell Arms in Birchington amounting in total to 3s. 2d. The visit to the Shallows Tea Gardens•8 on 28th July when the Benhams were joined by Mrs. Hunt and her eight children involved expenditure on sugar, tea, bread, butter and water, the use of a table and service 'tho' not demanded' at a total cost of 10s. 3d. The afternoon visit to Margate on 5th August proved to be much more costly as the following details show: A 4-Wheeled Single Horse Carr Man Driver Turnpike Put into the Infirmary Box49 Paid for Walking on the Pier at Margate ld. each50 A View of [the] Clifton Baths51 View of do. TOTAL s. d. 9 0 1 0 4½ 10 0 3 1 6 2½ £1 2 4 An even larger expenditure was incurred on a day tour around Thanet taking in Monkton, St. Nicholas and Birchington, with visits to the Bell at St. Nicholas and the Powell Arms at Birchington, which took place on 6th August. •• See above, n. 16. •• See above, n. 22 and n. 24. 50 See above, n. 25. " See above, n. 23. 211 JOHN WHYMAN Carriage for the Day Driver Entrance into Monkton Church and for getting the Key 7 Currant Buns For accommodation at St. Nicholas For attendance do. Entrance into St. Nicholas Church Tea at Birchington Man do. Attendance For getting into Birchington Church TOTAL s. d. 14 0 2 6 1 2 6 5 0 6 6 4 0 8½ 3½ 1 6 £1 10 8 The final outing of the holiday assumed quite a different form on 7th August when Mr. and Mrs. Benham, their infant and servant, together with Mrs. Hunt and two of her daughters, indulged in an aquatic excursion by hiring a boat which conveyed them to S hellness, near Sandwich, and included taking tea at the Red Lion on the Thanet-Sandwich road. On this occasion a total of 12s. was involved with the hire of the boat from Ramsgate harbour and tea and service each costing Ss. 6d. All these excursions when put together illustrate very well the diversified nature of holiday expenditure, some of it benefiting places outside the resort in which particular visitors might be staying. This is an important point because this diary confirms historically the following general observation on the economics of holidaymaking which was stated thus in 1958: 'the tourist industry can only be seen through the eyes and the actions of the visitor', and 'it is only by obtaining a distribution of expenditure that the importance of the tourist movement to individual trades and business as can be clearly shown'. 52 There has always been variety in holiday expenditure as well as many beneficiaries from it and the Benhams were no exception in 1829, particularly since their expenditure on outings did not exhaust their total outlay on entertainment or amusement. The 3s. 8½d. spent on guidebooks and views and part of the 3s. 6d. spent on stationery was money spent with outings in mind. Yet another fairly sizeable item of expenditure under the broad heading of entertainment was the 13s. 3d. spent on bathing, the beach, boating and the pier. On two si L.J. Lickorish & A.G. Kershaw, The Travel Trade, (1958), 57. 212 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE occasions chairs were hired for sitting on the beach, 53 while being rowed out of the harbour for an hour on 30th July cost 2s., not forgetting the twopence spent on fruit on the beach for Mrs. Hunt's children on 3rd August. Adding together the money spent on outings, bathing, the beach, boating, piers, guides and views a total sum is reached of £4 ls. 2d., equal to almost 19 per cent of the Benhams' total holiday expenditure. Miscellaneous expenditure on medical items (3s. 9½d. ), stationery (3s. 6d.), mail (ls. 4d.), shoe cleaning (2s. 3d.), charitable donations to individuals (ls. 7d. ), a 10s. donation to the Margate Royal Sea Bathing Infirmary, church collections ( 13s.) and 7s. 6d. to the sexton of St. Lawrence Church abosrbed £2 2.s. 11 ½d. The diary fully relates how and why some of these smaller outlays came about. The stationery purchases included red ink, an Indian rubber, a black lead pencil, black ink, a memorandum book, drawing paper and 'Leather for the Tracings'. 54 Among the medical items purchased was a box of 'Anderson's Scot's Pills' for ls. l½d. on 28th July. The ls. 4d. for mail was paid on two letters from London which were delivered on 29th July and 4th August. Among the charitable donations to individuals was 3d. to 'an aged woman' on 4th August, followed two days later by 2d. to 'an old Shepherd', as against only a penny on 30th July to 'a poor man with one arm only - but suspicious'. Generosity prevailed in the shilling given on 23rd July to 'a Poor Man who had lately lost his leg by accident'. Finally, shoe-cleaning was a lowly occupation which by no means was bypassed in the expenses of a holiday. Sums varying from 4d. to a penny were spent on having boots and shoes cleaned on fifteen of the twenty days actually spent residing in Ramsgate. 55 This was no isolated phenomenon for during July, 1795, The General Evening Post had noticed how the humble profession of shoe-cleaning had benefited from the expenditure incurred in holidaymaking, for 'there is, we are told, a man at Margate exercising the profession of a shoe-black who contrives every season to lay up somewhat more than £100!!!'56 This interesting revelation obviously caught the paper's fancy, for a few days later it remarked that 'this may literally be said to be picking money out of the dirt'. 46 Having now analysed the expenditure details of this three week s3 On 22nd July and on 1st August. S4 On 22nd July, 25th July, 4th August, and 6th August. 55 On 22nd July, 24th July, 25th July, 27th July, 28th July, 29th July, 30th July, 31st July, 1st August, 3rd August, 4th August, 5th August, 6th August, 7th August, and 9th August. so The General Evening Post, 9th - 11th July, 1795. s7 Ibid., 14th - 16th July, 1795. 213 JOHN WHYMAN holiday to Ramsgate during July and August, 1829, the following table shows how the overall expenditure was allocated in percentage terms. Percentage Breakdown of the Holiday Expenditure incurred during three Weeks in Ramsgate, July and August, 1829. % The Journey there and back 22 Accommodation, viz: 48 Lodgings (24 per cent) Food and drink (22 per cent) Lighting Washing Entertainment, viz: 19 Outings ( 15 per cent) Bathing, boating, etc. Guides and views Miscellaneous - medical items, 11 stationery, shoe-cleaning, charitable and church donations 100 It is interesting to compare how the findings in the above table closely match those of the mid-twentieth century. A Modern Analysis of Total Holiday Expenditure. 58 British Holidaymakers Overseas Visitors in U.K. % in U.K. % Accommodation, meals and drinks 52 45 Inland transport 21 20 Entertainment and miscellaneous 15 20 Shopping 12 15 100 100 The detailed and unique diary which has been the subject of this article is an important document of nineteenth-century English social history. It shows how a holiday for three people, taking that is s, 1.U.0.T.O., International Travel Statistics, (1951), quoted also by Lickorish & Kershaw, op. cit., 57. 214 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE the servant and the infant in this case as one person, for three weeks in Ramsgate in 1829 cost £21. 10. O¾d., which averages out at £7. 3. 4¼d. per person; £7. 3. 4¼d. per week; and £2. 7. 9½d. per person per week. 215 JOHN WHYMAN ST. LAWRENCE is a pleasant village, half a mile from Ramsgate. It stands on a tolerably high hill, and therefore commands a delightful view of the bay in front, and of the picturesque country and scenery around it. The parish derives its name from the saint to whom THE CHURCH PLATE I is dedicated; this is a very ancient building, particularly the tower, which is of Saxon architecture of the earlier ages. It was formerly one of the chapels belonging to Minster, but in 1275 it was made parochial, by Robert, Archbishop of Canterbury, upon certain conditions, one of which was, that the burial fees should be paid to the mother church, at Minster. The chancel contains many ancient monuments of the Spracklings and Thatchers. Source: G. W. Bonner, The Picturesque Pocket Companion to Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs, and the Parts adjacent, (1831), 169-71. 216 PLATE II 􀀉r1.:_:·􀀊- 􀀃-4􀀄. 􀀆-'- ·. 􀀅¥}:􀀆, 􀀂;: ST. GEORGE'S CHURCH is one of those buildings which have arisen out of the liberal grant made by parlia ment, and placed at the disposal of the commissioners. It is a handsome Gothi< structure, computed to have been erected at an expense of more than £24,000, whid was partly produced by the church commissioners, and partly by subscriptions and parochial rates. This church was designed by Mr. Helmsley, who however. it is to be regretted, did not live to witness its completion, and to enjoy the fame which he would certainly have derived from its elegance and beauty. The tower forms a very prominent feature, and is very generally admired for its boldness of design and chasteness of execution. Source: Bonner, op. cit., 157. 217 JOHN WHYMAN PLATE III SHALLOWS PLATE IV is in the parish of, and very near to, St. Peter's. Here we find the first Baptist chapel erected in the island; it is now only used as a baptistry by the Rev. W.T. Cramp, the worthy, highly respected, and truly Christian minister of the congregation of Baptist dissenters, who now assemble in a new chapel at St. Peter's, which was purchased for them by their very liberal and wealthy pastor. Here are also tea gardens, which, though of a much humbler character than Ranelagh, possess many, and perhaps equal, attractions for the lovers of quiet scenes and country joys. Source: Bonner, op. cit., 196--7. 218 A TI-IREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE PLATE V ... ii. - Source: A Treasury of Kent Prints: A Series of Views from original Drawings contained in W.H. Ireland, A new and complete History of the County of Kent (1828-1831), (Sheerness, 1972), Plate 23. 219 JOHN WHYMAN PLATE VI JACOB'S LADDER is the medium of communication between the pier and Nelson's Crescent, but its very great convenience can only be properly appreciated by those who are well acquainted with the localities of Ramsgate. It is an elegant and substantial stone structure, and is, in truth, well worth examination: it consists of ninety-two steps, the fatigue of ascending which, and reaching the top of the cliff, which is here more than fifty feet high, is greatly diminished by an occasional landing-place. This structure was begun in March, 1826, and finished in September following, at an expense of several thousand pounds; and while it reflects the greatest credit upon the liberality and public spirit of the Pier and Harbour Trustees, is equally creditable to the clever architect by whom it was designed. The old ladder was an ingenious wooden one, of curious construction, but being unsafe and decayed, it was very properly removed. It was built to shorten the journey of the workmen employed on the Western Head. Among the traditions of this place, we find that a daring smuggler, while pursued by Excise riding officers, and seeing no other way to escape capture, boldly galloped up these stairs, - most certainly a very hazardous, but by no means impossible, performance. Source: Bonner, op. cit., 155-6. 220 A THREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE Source: A Treasury of Kent Prints, op. cit., Plate 14. 221 PLATE VII JOHN WHYMAN PLATE VIII THE ROYAL SEA BATHING INFIRMARY - =- -· -.􀂡􀂢·􀂣 ; ·-. situate at Westbrook, was opened in 1796, under the patronage of the King, and was then called simply the Sea Bathing Infirmary; but in 1821, his late Majesty commanded it to be called by the present name, accompanying his desire with a donation worthy of George the Fourth. This building has been from time to time enlarged, and is at present capable of affording accommodation to more than 200 scrophulous patients who are admitted for the summer months; but it is to be hoped that ere long, the benefits of this very valuable institution will be continued for a longer period, and then the curative effects of sea air and bathing will be more durable and certain. The mode of obtaining admission may be known by application to Mr. J. Rainbow, 35 Cannon Street, London; or to Mr. W.A. Hunt, Library, Ramsgate. There are few public charitable establishments so extensively useful, or which afford so great blessings to the indigent sick; and when we consider the dreadful malady which sea air, and sea-bathing, are alone calculated to relieve, we shall easily understand why the wealthy, - having themselves perhaps, experienced their restorative power, - should have kindly hastened to extend their sanative influence to the suffering and necessitous poor. Source: Bonner, op. cit., 103-4. 222 A 1HREE-WEEK HOLIDAY IN RAMSGATE PLATE IXa · " LJ,;hth