A Portion of the Journal Kept by Thomas Raikes, Esq., from 1831–1847

Abstract

Diarist Thomas Raikes (1777–1848) was an Old Etonian whose social world included some of the most influential people of his day. Raikes was no politician - he had an established reputation as a 'dandy' - and he spent much of his time in gentlemen's clubs in London, especially the Carlton and White's. He was ostensibly employed by his father, a merchant and later governor of the Bank of England, and was married with four children. His reputation as a man about town was confirmed by the posthumous publication of these diary extracts, in four volumes from 1856 to 1857; they focus on his time abroad, mostly in Paris. Volume 3 starts in mid-1836 in Paris and covers the period until autumn 1839, during which Raikes both comments on political upheaval in Britain and travels through France, Prussia and Italy, observing European society and politics.