A London tradesman seeks a partner for life (1803)

Matrimony1803

MATRIMONY.—A TRADESMAN, in a pleasant part of London, wishes to meet with a PARTNER for LIFE. A handsome face is not so much his wish as an agreeable, prudent Person; a Widow would not be objected to if her age did not much exceed his own, which is under 30. Some fortune is expected. A line to A. B., under cover to Mr. Woffington, No. 41, Lombard-street, post paid, will meet with the strictest honour and secrecy.

The Times, London, December 28, 1803, as reprinted in Alice Clay, ed., The Agony Column of the “Times” 1800–1870 (London: Chatto and Windus, 1881). Read the book on Project Gutenberg

In plain English

A tradesman under 30, living in a pleasant part of London, wants to meet a wife. Good sense and a pleasant nature matter more to him than looks, he would consider a widow who is not much older than he is, and he expects her to bring some money. Letters go to A. B., care of Mr. Woffington at 41 Lombard Street, with the postage paid, and will be kept in strict confidence.

Who wrote it, and to whom

Newspaper	The Times, London
Date	December 28, 1803
Written by	A tradesman, under 30, signing A. B.
Addressed to	Women, including widows not much older than him
Where	Letters to A. B., care of Mr. Woffington, 41 Lombard Street

Context

The Times printed short personal notices like this one; by the Victorian era its personal column was known as the agony column. In 1881 Alice Clay collected notices from 1800 to 1870 in a book, now free on Project Gutenberg, which is where this one is transcribed from.

Replies went “under cover” to a third party at 41 Lombard Street, in the City of London, so the advertiser’s own name stayed out of it: an early version of the reply box that newspapers later ran themselves.

In the Personals Dictionary

Box, care of the office In confidence Personal column

Tagged

matrimony widows and widowers written by men

How to cite this ad

“A London tradesman seeks a partner for life.” Personal notice, The Times (London), December 28, 1803; reprinted in Alice Clay, ed., The Agony Column of the “Times” 1800–1870 (London: Chatto and Windus, 1881). Transcribed in The Personals Archive, AseeksB, https://www.aseeksb.com/archive/1803-the-times-tradesman-partner-for-life.html.

Public domain: published in 1803, and reprinted in 1881.

Transcribed from Alice Clay’s 1881 collection, in its Project Gutenberg edition, and checked against it; spelling and punctuation are as printed there. We have not seen the original page of the Times.

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