DAGENHAM liREACH. 1 65 



Dundas, Bart., Sir Hugh Palliser (Governor of Greenwich Hos- 

 pital), Sir Joseph Banks, F.R.S., Edward Hulse, Charles Alexander 

 Crickitt, M.W, and Bamber Gascoigne, Esquires. They appear to 

 have taken a lease, and the object of the club was " for maintaining 

 and keeping in repair the Houses and Premises, Szc, Boats, Tackle, 

 «S: Nets " ; and " that the Society should be united as much as 

 possible in social and friendly intercourse." For this end arrange- 

 ments were made for meetings. A steward was appointed to live in 

 the house, and look after the stock of wines, etc., and provision 

 made by a clause for the nomination of six new members, of whom 

 four were elected — Robert (afterward Sir) Preston, of Woodford, 

 ^Villiam Smith, of Barking, John Pardoe, of Leyton, and the 

 Earl of Sandwich. They improved the house, and erected 

 stabling for thirty horses. On some occasions as many as ten 

 four-in-hands have been seen on the road to the Breach. Among 

 the members, later on, were James Hatch, of Claybury, Edmund 

 Antrobus, and some Members of Parliament. This club lasted till 

 18 1 2, when it was broken up. The property then belonged to Sir 

 Edward Hulse, who sold the furniture, etc. 



But something more permanent survived ; for there is little doubt 

 that to these gatherings we may trace the origin of the ministerial 

 "Whitebait Dinners," which have only been discontinued in recent 

 times. Mr. Timbs, in his "Club Life of London," tells the story ; 

 but, in the face of the information contained in the original docu- 

 ments just mentioned, the details are probably not strictly accurate. 

 To Sir Robert Preston it is probably due, as he says, that Mr. Pitt 

 was first invited, and that the invitation became a yearly one, the 

 place of meeting being altered to Greenwich, in consequence either 

 of its being nearer to London, and more easily reached, or perhaps 

 the change took place after the club had broken up. Pitt, however, 

 died in 1806, some six years before this. 



Some years later, the "Gulf" and land was let to Richard Webb, 

 of P.elmont Castle, Purfleet, who erected the two cottages." He 

 subsequently sold his interest to Joseph Fry, of Plashett, and in the 

 " Memorials of Sir T. Fowell Buxton " may be seen some letters 

 dated from Dagenham Breach. It was here that his wife, Mrs. 

 Elizabeth Fry, spent, in her later years, the summer months ; and 

 "her brother, Samuel Gurney, also came, and kept a boat here. He 



T7 From MSS. of Mr. Edward J. .Sage, who has also kindly given me access to origina 

 sources i)f information, relating to the various dock schemes, in his collections. 



