& Commercial ?Dap Soak of 

 jfotjn Kictjaris of MarmtodJ 



By W. NEVILLE STURT. 



(Read 20th February, 1917.) 



HE reason of my venturing to come before you by 

 proxy is that some years ago I had the good 

 fortune to come into possession of a Commercial 

 Day Book which belonged to Mr. John Richards, 

 of Warmwell. 



We are indebted to the late Mr. W. 

 Bowles Barrett, of Weymouth, for repro- 

 ducing in our Proceedings extracts from a 

 Diary of Mr. Richards for the five years, 1697- 

 1702,* and thereby putting us upon a footing of 

 intimate acquaintance with him for that period of his life. 

 Most of us, I think, would be glad to know as much of our 

 own kin who lived 200 years ago as Mr. Richards reveals of 

 himself in his too brief diary. It is a simple record of a 

 country gentleman who managed his estate with care, entered 



* Proceedings, Dorset Field Club, 

 3049. 



Vol. XXVIII. (1907), pages 



