Bro. Thomas Topham, The Strong Man.

Mr . J . H . Burn , in a note to a reprint of ten copies of the foregoing in his Islington Collectors , referring to mention made of the Memoirs of the Royal Society , says— " So frequent at this period were the references to the patronage of ' our rarer monsters' by the Royal Society , that at a meeting of that body in March , 1753 , it was declared inconsistent with the honour of the Society to admit showing monsters thereas the ridiculous exhibitors made use of their

, countenance , that of the Royal Family , and persons of consequence , as puffs to attract the populace . " We have mainly directed attention to Topham ' s public performances ; we will next notice a few of his feats enacted in private . The following were related by persons who knew the man . It is said that " One night , perceiving a watchman asleep in his boxnear Chiswell Streethe raised them both from

, , the ground , and carrying the load with great care for some distance , at length dropped the wooden tenement , with its inhabitant , over the wall of Tindall ' s burying-ground . The consternation of the watchman on waking and finding himself in a graveyard , may be easily conceived , and nearly killed the man with fright . It is recorded that on another occasionhaving gone on board a West

, Indiaman lying in the Thames , he was presented with a cocoanut , which , to the no small astonishment of the crew , he cracked close to the ear of one of the sailors with the same facility as au ordinary person would crack an egg-shell . The mate , having made some remark displeasing to Topham , the latter observed that if had pleased he could have cracked the bowsprit over his head We have only space for one more story . It is stated that " Topham being

one day present at a race thut was run on the Hackney Road , he and the other spectators were much annoyed by a man in a cart , who obstinately endeavoured to keep close to the contending parties , and prevented others from seeing the progress of the race . Topham at length resolved to stop the career of this disagreeable intruder , seized the tail of the cart , and drew it back with the greatest easein spite of all the exertions of the driver to make his horse

, advance , either by urging him with voice or whip . The rage of the driver was equalled only by the delight and astonishment of the spectators , while nothing but the fear of being crushed or torn to pieces prevented the fellow from exercising his whip on the formidable cause of his mortification .

He was a Freemason , and a member of a lodge called the " Strong Man Lodge , " doubtless named after him . His life was not a happy one ; his wife proved unfaithful to him , and as a publican he was not successful . It will have been observed in one of the foregoing advertisements that at one period of his career he served in the navy . In the Daily Advertise ) - of August 11 th , 1747 , the death of Topham is recorded ; and the circumstances attending it are stated thus : " Yesterday died

Thomas Topham , known as the strong man , master of a public-house in Hog Lane , Shoreditch , occasioned by the several wounds he gave himself on Tuesday last , after having stabbed his wife in the breast—who is likely to recover . " A few days later it was stated in the same paper— " For these few days past there has been a great commotion in Shoreditch parish—an apprehension

that a resurrection had began in it ; and several witnesses have been examined by the magistrates in relation thereto . Yesterday it was said that Topham , the strong man , had , the night before , with the assistance of some surgeons , got the better of the grave , though near eight feet of earth had been laid on him . " In various works may be found records of remarkable feats of strength , but none in modern times equal those performed by Thomas Topham .