24 A COMMERCIAL DAY BOOK. 



was one of his executors? My theory, a bold one, is that 

 James's cousins were partners in the cloth business at Exeter, 

 and that the brother of John, anxious to be near him, 

 dissolved partnership or left the management to his cousin. 

 Then the latter 's health gave way, and at the same time 

 John was resuming his work in London and would be fre- 

 quently absent from Warmwell. There was not the same 

 inducement therefore to live at Knighton, and the cousins 

 exchanged places. For these reasons I am inclined to think 

 that John returned to London and his brother went to Exeter 

 in or about 1702. 



*s It is at any rate certain that cousin James, according to 

 the book, lived at Knighton up to his death, with the 

 exception of a short time when he is described as "of 

 Dorchester," where he probably went to be near his doctor. 



The dispute between the heirs of John and George Richards 

 leads to a consideration of another question. Who carried 

 on the business of John Richards after his death in 1722 ? 

 Hutchins says that William was a merchant, and it has been 

 supposed that he succeeded his father ; but there is nothing 

 in the book to show that he did ; indeed, there is strong 

 evidence to the contrary. There is no mention of John or 

 William. 



There can, I think, be little doubt that, at the beginning 

 and throughout a great part of the Day Book, we have the 

 actual handwriting of John Richards, and a fine example 

 it is of the best script of the time. Regarding this book as a 

 sort of private memorandum book, the following entries can 

 hardly be in any but John Richards 's own handwriting. 



Jan. 1, 1715. First there is a payment to Richard 

 Locke "for 3 qrs. Bed and Board for myself and two 

 servants from Lady Day to Christmas last past, 9 months, 

 56 5s." 



Next come " Sundry disbursements on myself, Coach, 

 horses and servants, &c., 481." 



Then " I compute my 5,000 stock to be worth at the 

 markett price of 98 p.c., 4,900." 



