This book has taken much longer to complete and has involved many more travails than I had ever expected. Along the way, I have tested the patience of more than one Literary Editor at the Royal Historical Society. I especially owe Aled Jones a great many thanks for his continued support and encouragement. Thank you, Aled. At the Royal Historical Society, David Eastwood was the first to help move this project forward, while Jon Lawrence has finally seen it through to completion. During the publication process, Hester Higton acted as a friendly and expert guide through the sometimes awkward problems presented by the formatting and copy-editing of Place's diary.

Before the diaries: Francis Place, 1771–1825  1

Francis Place and the historians  8

Francis Place and the diary  12

The diary years, 1825–1831  24

Many of the difficulties one encounters when editing Place's manuscripts have already been thoroughly discussed and described in Mary Thale's introduction to The Autobiography of Francis Place While relatively few sections of the diaries have literally been cut out of the manuscript, several sections have been crossed out or overwritten. In those cases where I have been able to read through the overmarkings, I have presented them in this text as stricken out or, in a very few instances, noted the section as such in a footnote. As Thale noted, perhaps the most confounding aspect of the manuscripts is Place's awkward and sometimes confusing use of punctuation. Commas are often omitted entirely or replace full stops at the end of sentences. Thus, one sometimes finds commas preceding the capitalization of the first word in what appears to be the next sentence

These Memorandums &c would have been put into the the [sic] fire, but after consideration I thought they might be useful to any one who should Edit the Memoir, as they contain parts of political matters alluded to in other places, and shew the views which I and others took of them. They are preserved only for this purpose. When they have been used in this way they should be destroyed.

This year, was I expected, to have been a quiet year with me. and I hoped and expected that I should be able to employ much of my time on my projected history of North America. But I soon found myself differently occupied. I had the affairs of several persons in my hands at the commencement of the year but as I was, as I thought, resolved not to enter into any more private concerns of other people which were likely to occupy much of my time, I took what pains I could to finish with those I had already undertaken and then intended to proceed steadily with to the conclusion of my own memoirs, and then with the History of North America. I did neither the one nor the other.

These diaries must not be taken to include the names of all the persons I saw or all the matters in which I was concerned.

Sir Francis Burdett called this morning to talk of several matters, but principally respecting the Seamen of the Tyne and the Thames.

Every political man is agitated with the singular state of the Government. The Government cannot indeed be fairly considered as being guided by any body excepting the clerks in Office.

Occupied much in the same way, noticed, in the memoranda dated December 1828.

NB. This is a loose gossiping account – and must be greatly abridged as soon as I can find time to do it.x

Occupied as usual and very busy. Scarcely had the new administration been formed and Mr Denman appointed Attorney General than he presented, or rather caused to be presented a bill to the London Grand Jury a bill against Richard Carlile for a libel. This was an exceedingly absurd proceeding – as it could forward no one purpose of the government, deter no one from writing, and cause a very large circulation of the obnoxious matter of which a very small quantity had been sold. I saw Carlile on the 6 Jany his trial had then been fixed for the 11 at the Old Bailey, and he was in a state of high exultation. On the 7 I wrote a letter to Coln Jones – (see it in Political letter book) – respecting this prosecution in the hope that it might be abandoned. Coln Jones took the letter to the Right Honbl Edward Ellis and read it to him. Ellis seemed to think the prosecution was injudicious, and recommended Jones to go to George Lamb, he did so and Lamb promised to lay it before his brother Lord Melbourne the minister of the home department.

Much occupied in conjunction with Dr Robert Black of Kentucky483 who has undertaken to superintend a number of young men, who are pledged to act together to promote petitions, from all parts of the Kingdom for the repeal of the stamp duty on Newspapers – wrote some 50 letters of introduction for them to members of parliament and to others. To procure money for current expenses, and names of persons with whom to open a correspondence &c &c — arranging &c &c

Jany – continue reading enquiring and writing in conjunction with Joseph Fletcher – on London Corporation – and the report of the commissioners – / the proofs only.