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Updated: June 13, 2025
After bidding solemn farewell to wife and parents, and dressing, by the advice of James Burridge, in his worst clothes, to be the less a mark for thieves and cut-throats, John Clare very early one morning in April, 1820, started for Stamford, and having met Mr.
"We'll see to it that they find out what is the trouble, Fleming," said the patrol leader, whose name was Burridge. "By the way, I know a scout in your troop Graves. He was on a scout with us a few weeks ago, when he was visiting down here. Seemed to be no end of a good fellow." Harry was surprised for he had heard nothing of this before. But then that was not strange.
This man, an old farm-labourer called James Burridge, as soon as he heard of Clare's intention to undertake the dreaded journey, hurried up to entreat him to abandon the plan. To enforce his advice, he gave a vivid description of the horrors awaiting the unwary traveller in the great metropolis, and the fearful dangers that beset his path on every side.
"It could be," I said encouragingly. "Gar!" he chuckled. "One man did try to straighten it out once when Mr. Burridge was away. Got about a third of it cleaned up when he come back. Gar! You oughta seen him! Gar!" "What did he do?" "What did he do! What didn't he do! Gar! Just took things an' threw them about again. Said he couldn't find anything." "You don't say!" "Gar! I should say so!
Many that we met knew him, and all, when they saw his round, red face, smiled unconsciously. At the corner of the High Street a pale-faced little drudge of a girl passed us, saying as she slipped by "Good-evening, Mr. Burridge." He made a dart and caught her by the shoulder. "And how is father?" he asked. "Oh, if you please, Mr. Burridge, he is out again.
The first test of strength came when a vagrant evangelist from Alabama arrived and desired to use the church for a series of evening lectures. The question had to be decided at once. Palmer was absent at the time. "Here is a request for the use of the church," said one of the trustees, explaining its nature. "Well," said Burridge, "you'd better let him have it."
"It's just as Billy Drumgold told him once: 'Burridge, he says, 'you've got everything in this store that belongs to a full-rigged ship 'cept one thing. 'What's that? Burridge asks. 'A second-hand pulpit. 'Got that too, he answered, and takes him upstairs, and there he had one sure enough." "Well," I said, "what was he doing with it?" "Danged if I know. He had it all right.
He once told his brother-in-law that one New Year's Day a voice called to him in church: "Elihu Burridge, how about the lonely rich and poor of Noank?" "Up I got," he concluded, "and from that day to this I have never neglected them." When any one died who had a little estate to be looked after for the benefit of widows or orphans, Burridge was the one to take charge of it.
As to Burridge, he still continued the same trade, till being taken for stealing a bay gelding belonging to one Mr. Wragg, he was for that offence finally condemned at the Old Bailey.
I was never quite sure whether she remembered seeing us at the Burridge, whether she penetrated the parts we were playing. She was none the less feminine because she had aspirations in a commercial way. As Kennedy had first observed, she was well worth study.
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