The cash book of Edward Acton

Joy Sims and Michael Barritt had the chance to examine the cash book of Edward Acton for the period 1753 – 1755. This remarkable document gives a quick look at a 2-year slice of 18th century life in the Acton family.

Edward Acton cash book (image) [+]
This is one page in Edward Acton's cash book

Edward Acton of Acton Scott, who married Anne Gregory of How Caple, kept a comprehensive cash book during 1753-1755. Amongst the interesting entries we find that his wife was treated for smallpox in January 1753, paying £1.1s to a Doctor Eyers for his services. The following year Anne gave birth to Susanna, their only child, when the couple paid Nurse Symonds from Hereford £4.4s for a 15-week stay. Nurse Plat succeeded Nurse Symonds and received 2s.4d. for coming to the Parish. During March 1753 Mr. Langslow, the apothecary, received 2s.6d. to bleed Mrs. Acton—the only recorded instance of Mrs. Acton being bled, but there are several entries recording that Mr. Acton was bled. Further evidence of Susannah’s birth was shown by increased payments to washerwomen, and employment of needlewomen who made little stockings and bonnets.

Edward’s journeys were generally limited to the summer months, when some of the recorded visits included Pitchford, Aldenham, Kinlet, Walcot, Bucknall, and repeated trips to Hereford where his father lived, and to Ludlow. These presumably necessitated an overnight stay as the book records him paying servants between 1s. and 4s.

The book records that in March 1754 Edward was sworn a burgher for Bridgnorth at a cost of 5s.10p; however, expenses associated with this event were £1.2s.3d. At the same time he bought a silk handkerchief for 5s. and a pair of slippers 4s.
Edward’s leisure activities included card-playing at Plowden, with occasional losses of up to 3s. He records buck hunting at Plowden, the Blew Hunt, and otter hunting. An interesting entry for 5th June 1754 is 5s. “for churching me,” but there is no corresponding entry for Mrs. Acton.

Entries in his cash book include a wide range of fish including eels, whiting, herring, mackerel, presumably salted or smoked, as well as crab, lobster and oysters. He bought eggs very frequently, and fowl. Ginger from Ludlow cost him 2s. Rabbits were 1s., but a hare was just 6d.
Edward Acton appears to have been a generous man as there are frequent entries for sums of 6d or 1s “…to a poor child or women.”