William Godwin's Diary

Gent, Sophia

  • Name: Gent, Sophia
  • Gender: Female
  • Birth Date:
  • Death Date:
  • Occupation: painter

Sophia Gent was the daughter of William Daniel, the watercolour painter and seems to have been the wife of Thomas Gent. Godwin sees Gent with some regularity between 1824 and 1832 when he enters Gent's death on 7 November 1832. Earlier that year, Godwin received a letter from Sophia Gent, expressing her happiness that Godwin and her husband had chanced to meet the previous evening, and hoping that Godwin would come to take Family fare at 4 o'clock Saturday next, and that he would come two hours earlier so that she could commence making his likeness. The entries in the diary suggest that Godwin met Gent by chance at the theatre on 24 January 1832; Sophia Gent writes to him the following morning; and Godwin calls on Gent (not mentioning Sophia) on 28 January. Thereafter there are references both to Gents, and to S Gent, and both have been coded as inbcluding Sophia. Gent dies in November 1832 and Godwin calls on Sophia shortly after., and maintains contact until his own death.

Godwin notes his death on 7 November 1832 but this might be identical with the reports of the death of Thomas Gent, esq, St Martin’s Lane, died on 6.11.1832 The Times, 8 November 1832. His death is also recorded in the Morning Chronicle of 15 November and he is only given a line in both papers.

  • MS. Abinger c. 14, fol. 111: not dated, Thursday am 26 January 1832
  • The Times, 8 November 1832
  • Morning Chronicle, 15 November 1832
  • Christine R. Alsop, Memorials of Christine Majolier Alsop, compiled by M. Braithwaite (London, 1881), p. 94.
  • Marshall p. 380

This table lists the people this person is most frequently noted with in the diary.

Name Number of Meetings
Gent, Thomas 10
Daniel, William 5
Caunter, Reverend John Hobart 2
Rothwell, Richard (Ireland) 2
Wood, 1
Wood, Mrs Somerville 1
Knowles, James 1
Uwins, Thomas 1
Joseph, Samuel 1
Westall, Richard 1
Coke, first earl of Leicester (1837) Thomas William 1
Godwin, Mary Jane (Clairmont) (née de Vial) 1