Document, bill

This bill was issued by Swann and Buck, a leading firm of mercers in Covent Garden. Both partners, Robert Swann and Robert Buck, owned a number of country properties. Mercers dealt in silks, which they purchased from weavers. Silk was expensive and therefore mostly woven to order. This company sold both dress and furnishing silks and was a supplier to the royal household.

This bill is made out to a Mrs Hucks, probably Sarah Hucks who rented a house on the south side of Queen Street from the Duke of Portland in the 1760s. The purchase includes silk imported from Persia and pearl coloured lustring, a lightweight glossy form of tabby silk. Robert Buck, the junior partner in the firm, has signed at the bottom to acknowledge receipt of payment for the goods. The Wheatsheaf illustration engraved on the bill head is taken from the company's shop sign.