William Godwin's Diary

Mills, Alfred

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This person is mentioned in the diary a total of 27 times, and was a venue (V) 7 times.

You may also examine their meals and meetings in more detail.

1790

15  June  1790

1796

18  March  1796

1797

4  February  1797

1800

5  August  1800

1802

22  April  1802 14  May  1802 24  May  1802 (V) 8  June  1802 15  June  1802

1806

9  December  1806

1809

9  November  1809 20  November  1809 (V) 25  November  1809 29  November  1809 (V)

1810

11  January  1810 17  January  1810 31  January  1810 (V) 5  February  1810 (V) 7  February  1810 (V) 13  February  1810

1812

25  March  1812

1814

5  January  1814 (V) 8  June  1814 9  June  1814 11  June  1814 13  June  1814

1817

16  June  1817

  • Name: Mills, Alfred
  • Gender: Male
  • Birth Date: 1776
  • Death Date: 7  December  1833
  • Occupation: draughtsman

See DNB

Most of the 25 entries, between 1790-1817, are plain calls. Perhaps the only useful one might be 'Mills applies to W Allen' (11.6.1814). W Allen is 'W. Allen, F.R.S. and L.S. William Allen (1770­1843), of Plough Court, Lombard Street, was a prominent Quaker philanthropist and scientist, who at the time he subscribed to Hazlitt's book held a lectureship at Guy's Hospital. He was a friend of Thomas Clarkson, who as Hazlitt's patron may have been responsible for interesting him in the History, though it is worth adding that when subscribing to Coleridge's The Friend in 1809, he dealt not with Clarkson but with Montagu. Allen was elected FRS in 1807.' Duncan Wu, 'Hazlitt's Unpublished History of English Philosophy'. Allen was involved, with Robert Owen, in financing the New Lanark experiment.

It is possible that Mills refers to Alfred Mills (1776–1833), draughtsman, who was a designer of illustrations for books for educating the young: these include Pictures of Roman History in Miniature (1809), Pictures of Grecian History (1810), Pictures of English History in Miniature (1811), and A Short History of the Bible and New Testament (1810). He worked or publishers such as Darton and Harvey of Gracechurch Street, and J. Harris of St Paul's Churchyard. The coincidence of interests in juvenile literature, and in the subject matter of their works is striking, as is the intensity of their contact in 1809-10, when the Juvenile Library is most active.

The attributions in the 1790s are very tentative, although they are in publishing circles. But in 1802 he identifies A Mills. A Mills and Alfred Mills are also noted in 1814. This might suggest that the interim Mills entries are to another Mills. But given Godwin's rather haphazard use of initials, it is difficult to say for sure. The entry for Capt Mills in 1806 has not been coded, not a Mills entry shortly after in the same circle around Curran.

  • DNB
  • Duncan Wu, ‘Hazlitt’s Unpublished History of English Philosophy: The Wider Context’, The Library 7.1 (2006) 25-64.

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

Name Number of Meetings
Debrett, John 2
Johnson, Joseph 2
Tierney, George 1
Bosville, William 1
Gillies, John 1
Parry, 1
Barry, Major Henry 1
Ridgeway, James 1
Bonnycastle, John 1
Fuseli, Henry (Johann Heinrich Füssli) 1
Allen, William 1
Hollis, Timothy 1
Hollis, John 1