NATURAL HISTORY. 
39 
Mr. Laugher was formerly a wholesale wine and 
brandy merchant, in Tower-street, London, and sus- 
tained the loss of an immense sum of money, (said to 
be between one and two hundred thousand pounds,) 
by the failure of a considerable house in Bartholomew- 
lane. He never drank strong beer, small beer, or 
spirits ; his principal diet being coffee, tea, bread, and 
spring water. He recollected the quartern loaf at 
twopence farthing, meat at one penny per pound, 
and butter at twopence halfpenny. In 1813, this 
remarkable man appeared likely to live many years. 
He walked well for his great age ; rose at four o'clock 
every morning, and took a long walk after break- 
fast.^ He however died in 1813, and for five months 
previous to his death, resided as a pauper in the 
workhouse of St. Martin' s-in-the-Fields, London. 
He retained his faculties until within three days of his 
dissolution. 
Dr. Nash, in his "Worcestershire," gives this 
notice under the parish of Bayton. "July, 1778, 
I saw Elizabeth Palmer, who said she was 105 years 
old. Her maiden name was Allerton. She was born 
in the parish of Rock ; afterwards she lived in Mam- 
ble, and now lives in Bayton ; the register of Rock 
was burnt some years ago, so that her age cannot be 
ascertained from thence ; but one Potter, who within 
these few months lived not a stone's cast from her, 
aged 95^ said, he remembered Betty Palmer, a woman 
^ I give this statement from authentic sources ; but there seems some doubt as to 
the extreme age of this man, as his name does not appear in the parish register 
of Martley. 
