Oldys, Francis, The Life of Thomas Pain (London: John Stockdale, 1791) pp.8-10

Transcribed by G Lamb for the HRGS.

p.8

Mary Lambert, who is still praised by her own sex as a pretty girl of modest behaviour, our author [Thomas Pain] married on the 27th of September, 1759.*  She was the daughter of James Lambert, who, with his wife Mary, came to Sittingbourne, as an exciseman

p.9

some time before the year 1736; and who was soon after dismissed for misconduct: on this dismissal he set up a shop, and made greater gains by acting as bum-bailiff fo Sittingbourne: yet he died in bad circumstances, on the 24th of May, 1753;+ his wife dying about the same time, in a mad-house.  The women of Sandwich, to this hour, express their surprise, that so fine a girl should have married so old a fellow: yet, Mary was scarcely twenty-one++; while Thomas was only twenty-two.  The fact is that our author has always appeared to

p.10

female eyes a dozen years older than he was...

* In the church register there is the following entry: -Thomas Pain, of the parish of St. Peter's, in the town of Sandwich, in Kent, bachelor, and Mary Lambert of the same parish, spinster, were married in this church, by licence, this 27th day of Sept. 1759, by me William Bunce, Rector.

+ The Parish Register of Sittingbourne

++ Mary, the daughter of James and Mary Lambert, was baptized on the 1st of January, 1738.  See the parish register of Sittingbourne.