My first 18th century billhead

I purchased my first 18th century UK billhead back in December.

Billhead is for Thomas Walker broker and dealer in ship stores located at King's Place New Buildings in Portsea which is part of city of Portsmouth located on Portsea Island. Items purchased by John Porteus for the ship Derwent.

From wikipedia:

The area was originally known as the Common and lay between the town of Portsmouth and the nearby Dockyard. The Common started to be developed at the end of the seventeenth century, as a response to the overcrowding in the walled town of Portsmouth. This development worried the governor of the dockyard as he feared the new buildings would provide cover for any forces attempting to attack the dockyard. In 1703, he threatened to demolish any buildings within range of the cannons mounted on the dockyard walls. However, after a petition to King George, royal consent for the development was granted in 1704. In 1792 the name of the area was changed from the Common to Portsea. By then it was home to a mixed, dockside population.

In the 18th century, and for long afterwards, the dockyard was the main employer in Portsea. In the 1700s men worked from 6am to 6pm with half an hour for breakfast and one and a half hours for lunch. Men were not allowed to smoke or light fires in the dockyard. On the other hand they were allowed to take home 'chips' of wood. However some of these 'chips' were very large and carpenters ended up making furniture like beds from 'chips'! (from History of Portsea).

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THE EPHEMERA OF BUSINESS

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