Rake's Diary: The Journal of George Hilton

by George Transcribed By Hillman Anne Hilton

145 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinatingly early journal (1700-1722/3) by a northern English gentleman - in the true sense of the word. George Hilton of Hilton Hall was from the top gentry of the county of Westmorland. He determined to maintain "Ann exact diary of al my actions together with ann account of my pockett expenses..." Every day he notes where he was, and whom he met. The entertainment lies in his extraordinary honesty when admitting his drunkenness. He relates his regret on an occasion when he becomes "mortally fuddled" and hits a man, putting out his eye (for which he is bound to pay £50 damages). On another occasion he relates how he "gott mortally fuddled parted with my owne horse lost my hatt wigg & steel buckell & handchuchers wipe sword & coate & bridle..." Hilton regularly resolves "to have soe punctuall a gaurd over my inclynacions as never to loose my reason by immoderate drinking." He enumerates the number of days he gets drunk (a prodigious number indeed). He "picked upp a couple of whores and gott a severe clapp", and days later we find him "not out of the house all this day taking confounded phisicke for a clapp". His dissolute life evokes Hogarth's "Rake's Progress", but in spite of (or maybe because of) his shortcomings he comes over as a sympathetic, almost lovable character. This is one of the best of English diaries, and why it is not better known beats me.