Six north country diaries - The MAN & Other Families

169
THE DIARY OF THOMAS GYLL
IXTRODUCTIOX.
Thomas Gyll, the writer of the following diary,i was the only son of
Thomas Gyll, who possessed a patrimonial estate at Barton in the
North Riding of Yorkshire. He was born at Barton in 1700,
educated at Richmond School, and at Trinity Hall Cambridge, entered
at Lincoln's Inn 2-1 January, 1718/9, called to the bai' in 1725, where
he practised with ability and integrity. He was appointed solicitorgeneral
of the County Palatine of Durham in 1733, and recorder of
the city of Durham in the year 1769. He is stated to have been
tall and erect in person and to have had regular and handsome
features.
He devoted much of his leisure to history and archaeology,
and had developed tastes for the tine arts. He died unmarried at
Durham, where he had long resided, on Sunday, the 12 March, 1780,
and was buried at Barton.
'
It is not known whether the original diary is in existence, liut a
transcript was made for the Society by the late Canon Raine, who added the
few notes indicated by his name.
• ('/. Xeirca.