> >Sarah Chubb posted: " Just before Christmas I >flicked through a couple of diaries written in >the period 1793-1820. I love reading diaries and >letters. Through them, I feel like I know the >people who wrote them; they become familiar >friends and their world, even if 200 year" >Respond to this post by replying above this line > > >New post on Derbyshire Record Office > > > >[] > ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/author/sarahchubb/> >[] > > ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/introducing-william-porden/>Introducing >William Porden… > > > >by <https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/author/sarahchubb/>Sarah Chubb > >d3311-5-1-000002 > > >Portrait of William Porden (D3311/5/1) > >Just before Christmas I flicked through a couple >of diaries written in the period 1793-1820. I >love reading diaries and letters. Through them, >I feel like I know the people who wrote them; >they become familiar friends and their world, >even if 200 years old, seems as real as our own. > >I thought I would share some of the diary >entries in this blog, partly just because I like >them (a good enough reason in itself - that's >partly what this blog is for), but also because >their author, William Porden, is a Hull man and >so we can do our bit to celebrate Hull's status as City of Culture 2017. > >So firstly, a quick explanation about the man >himself. In his first diary and commonplace >book, he notes family events, but interestingly, >it looks as if he didn't know the date of his >own birth.  He records himself thus: > >W Porden son of Thomas & Hannah Porden of >Kingston upon Hull was Baptised January the 29th >1755 as St Mary's Church and it is supposed his >Birth was sometime in December preceding. > >An eminent architect of his day, he lived in >London and his most famous surviving building is >the riding school and stables at the Brighton >Pavilion, built 1803-1808, which is now the Brighton Dome Concert Hall. > ><https://recordoffice.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/brighton-dome.jpg> >Brighton Pavilion Stables > > >Brighton Pavilion Stables > >If you're wondering why on earth his papers are >held at Derbyshire Record Office, it's >because William Porden's daughter, Eleanor Anne >Porden (1795-1825), was the first wife of Sir >John Franklin (1786-1847), who famously led a >disastrous voyage of Arctic exploration along >the Northwest Passage in 1845 (you'll find >more<https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/?s=Franklin> >blog posts about this here). Their daughter, >Eleanor Isabella Franklin, married into the Gell >family of Hopton Hall, Derbyshire, and so her >mother's and maternal grandfather's papers came >with her into the family and now form part of >our Gell collection D3311 - it all makes sense in a way! > >William Porden didn't use his diaries to >record his everyday life, but begins his diary in May 1793: > >If every man would treasure the Observation, >which he makes in his Journey through life and >Register the remarks of others he would soon >collect an abundance of knowledge and preserve >the means of amusing many a future hour. I have >often made this remark and I have often resolved >to put the matter in execution nay I have >frequently begun to do so; but idleness and want >of perseverance has rendered it of little >effect. I again resolve to do so and I now >again begin to register what has occurred during >a Journey of three or four days. I dare not >flatter myself that I shall be more steady than >I have been – but I will try – Whatever may be >the end I shall considerder all that is got as gain. > >I confess to also being guilty of occasional >idleness and want of perseverance in my blog >posts, and may also not be more steady than I >have been - but I, too, will try. In the >next post, we journey with Mr Porden on the London to Guildford stage... ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/author/sarahchubb/>Sarah >Chubb | 15 February 2017 at 1:00 pm | Tags: ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/tag/diaries/>Diaries, ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/tag/william-porden/>William >Porden | Categories: ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/category/curiosities/>Curiosities >| URL: <http://wp.me/p1jCye-2KT>http://wp.me/p1jCye-2KT > ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/introducing-william-porden/#respond>Comment ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2017/02/15/introducing-william-porden/#comments>See >all comments > ><https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=bba82ab2519c1b6a78d8a94fa8662ac9&email=annete%40aapt.net.au&b=0%2FnnKu%26gf%25vJl%3F%3DvD%7EmXxt%3FazXoujEcUcud_4jovbNzz08V.N>Unsubscribe >to no longer receive posts from Derbyshire >Record Office. 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