The Musical Coalman

Thomas Britton (14 January 1644 – 27 September 1714) was an English charcoal merchant best known as a concert promoter. Remembered today as ‘The Musical Coalman’.

Britton moved to London at a young age and apprenticed himself to a small coal-man (a charcoal merchant) in Clerkenwell. He learnt the trade and returned to his home village of Rushden Northamptonshire, but soon returned to London in search of bigger and better opportunities. Setting up a business that rivalled his former master, he turned a stable off Aylesbury Street in Clerkenwell into his store and home.

In London, Britton became known for his singing voice. His business proved successful, and he spent much of his spare income on building up a library. In doing so he became known to other book collectors, and people who shared his passion and was able to meet and discuss literature with various nobles.

In 1678, Britton fitted the loft of his Clerkenwell house out as a tiny concert hall, fitting a harpsichord and an organ with only five stops. This was an unglamorous venue, accessible only by an external staircase, the relative novelty of a series of concerts, coupled with the support of Roger L'Estrange, who inaugurated the venue with a performance on the viol, known also as Viola  da gamba attracted a considerable audience.

Britton's knowledge of literature and the arts became well known, and his modest and honest nature and acceptance of his social position was often noted. These were qualities appreciated by contemporaries who considered themselves socially superior. His concerts became regarded as the premier venue for chamber music in London, with an audience drawn from a wide social spectrum. The concerts were free at first, but Britton later requested an annual subscription of ten shillings, considered exceptionally low even at the time.

By 1712, Ralph Thoresby was able to note: "On our way home called at Mr. Britton's, the noted small-coal man, where we heard a noble concert of music, vocal and instrumental, the best in town’.

Britton's social successes sparked some jealousy, and his concerts were alleged to be meeting places for religious dissenters, atheists, or forums for political intrigue. However, their accessibility and the popularity of Britton gradually put paid to these rumours.

In 1694, Britton auctioned a substantial part of his library. Despite his social successes and considerable income, he continued to work as a small coal-man all his life.
The concert series ran for thirty-six years and was the longest-lasting in the late seventeenth century.

In September 1714, Justice Robe, a Middlesex magistrate, decided to play a practical joke on the superstitious Britton. He employed a ventriloquist named Honeyman to project his voice and tell Britton that his end was near and that he should fall to his knees and repeat the Lord's Prayer. The elderly Britton did so, and was so affected that he died within a couple of days.
Following his death, Britton's widow sold his collection of music, which was mostly purchased by Hans Sloane.

Today in Aylesbury street at the junction with Jerusalem Passage in Clerkenwell a green plaque marks the location of Thomas Britton’s house.

There are 8 portraits of Thomas Britton the one featured in this post is by John Wollaston
oil on canvas dated 1703 which is on display at the Handel House Museum, in London.