Draft:Abraham Scrivener
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Abraham Scrivener (fl. 1840s) was a naturalist and merchant who ran a business at Deptford Bridge, Greenwich.
Natural history business
[edit]Scrivener's adverts from the 1840s described him as a naturalist[1] and 'importer of shells.'[2] Scrivener offered for sale live birds and taxidermy specimens of birds, lizards, snakes, occasionally a leopard or tiger, bird cages, insect specimens, plus more general items like furniture, fishing tackle, glass shades for oil lamps, clocks, Dutch and Flemish paintings and fine china.[1][3][4] Scrivener was listed as a trader in the category "Foreign Bird, Shell &c. Dealers" in Samuel Bagshaw's 1847 History, Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Kent.[5]
Circa 1845 Scrivener branched out into selling cooking sauces inspired by the West Indies and the Caribbean [spelling is verbatim from original advert]:
SCRIVENER’S Barbadoes or Caribean Sauce for fish, game, soup, steaks, &c., currie powder, Chutnee, Cayenne, soy caser-reep [Cassareep, a traditional Guyanese condiment], and other sauces. A. S. begs particular public attention to his original Barbadoes or Caribean sauce, as worthy of extensive patronage. Captains of ships and the Trade supplied on the most reasonable terms. - Advertisement for Scrivener's shop in the Kentish Independent newspaper, 6 December 1845.[2]
Petty crimes at the shop
[edit]In February 1844, a drunk man, Thomas Furnell, fell through the window of Scrivener's shop and had to pay for the damage.[6]
In May 1846 three young boys aged under twelve, John Crawley, John Coggin and Timothy McCarthy, appeared at Greenwich Police Court after stealing a two ounce weight and some minerals from Scrivener's shop. A local police constable had witnessed the crime, but Scrivener declined to prosecute the children.[7]
In May 1848, a 48-year-old woman named Mary Collins was committed for trial for stealing three yards of cloth from Scrivener's shop, with a value of 2 shillings [worth roughly £10 as of April 2025].[8][9][10] Collins was tried at the Old Bailey on 12 June 1848 and imprisoned for eight days.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "[Advertisement] A. SCRIVENER, NATURALIST, Importer of Shells, Birds, East India Matting, French Shades, Foreign Furniture, Paintings, &c". The Kentish Independent. 6 July 1844. p. 1 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "[Advertisement] A. SCRIVENER, Importer of Shells, Birds, East India Matting, French Shades, Paintings, Foreign Sauces, &c. 6, Deptford Bridge, Greenwich". 6 December 1845. pp. Kentish Independent – via The British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Robson's London Commercial Directory, Street Key and Conveyance List: ninth edition [Robson Commercial Directory for 1830: Part II: SCO-SCA]". ancestry.co.uk.
- ^ "Importation of Splendid Furniture from Hamburgh: A. Scrivener: 3, Deptford Bridge, Greenwich". Kentish Mercury. 14 December 1844. p. 1 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Bagshaw, Samuel (1847). History, Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Kent: Greenwich Directory. Sheffield: G. Ridge. p. 543 – via ancestry.co.uk.
- ^ "BREAKING WINDOWS. Wednesday. — Thomas Furnell of No. 4, Bennet street, Baths, was charged before Mr. Jeremy, with breaking the shop window of Mr. Abraham Scrivener, dealer in foreign birds, tackle. &c., and also with destroying a quantity of stained glass, in the same..." Kentish Mercury [Greenwich Gazette]. 10 February 1844. pp. 10–11 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Greenwich Police Court: Juvenile Thieves". Surrey Mercury. 23 May 1846. p. 3 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Felony: Mary Collins, an elderly woman, was committed for trial, for stealing a piece of floorcloth, from the shop of Mr. Scrivener, of Deptford Bridge". Kentish Mercury. 13 May 1848. p. 5 – via The British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b "The Proceedings of the Old Bailey: MARY COLLINS. Theft; simple larceny (from 1827). 12th June 1848". oldbaileyonline.org.
- ^ Modern value calculated using the UK National Archives historic currency converter, then the Bank of England's inflation calculator.