The latest addition to the C. Black Coffeehouse demonstration is this fine journal, hand made by Mr. P McClintock, the stationer. It will soon house 2 years worth of research on taxation & laws concerning the business of an 18th century coffeehouse, as well as the detailed accounts needed for the proper reporting of said business.
In preparation for this ledger, over the past 18 months I've been keeping waste-books, the preliminary stage in the so called "Italian style" of bookkeeping popular during the mid-18th Century. I've steadily been writing down various the "transactions" at events; who took so much coffee on Sunday, who I purchased ribbon from in exchange for a cup of tea, who promised to pay for that 1/4 pound of coffee and those newspapers, who owes so much in gambling &c. Now all that remains is translating the information into the new ledger, which I'm sure will require many more trips to my bookshelves to check that I'm following the proper format. While not necessarily difficult, I do find the act of bookkeeping to be daunting. So many steps, so many things to remember & above all, it has to be organized well for fear the King's Man might find something questionable!
I'm sure the Kings Men will go easy on your bookkeeping in comparison to those who make moonshine in the hills of Connemara!
ReplyDeleteI used a ledger for a business as the basis for my masters' thesis. So this post has me all sorts of geek happy!
ReplyDelete(and if you wanted to see pages of said 18th century Socttish ledger... you know where to find me)