Musical Small-coal Man
Preserved but no longer current.
Thomas Britton (1654-1714), a coal-dealer of Clerkenwell, who established a musical club in a loft over his shop in which all the musical celebrities of the day took part. The club met every Thursday night and was frequented by professional musicians such as Handel, talented amateurs such as Roger L'Estrange, and lovers of music generally.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Musical Small-coal Man” mean?
Thomas Britton (1654-1714), a coal-dealer of Clerkenwell, who established a musical club in a loft over his shop in which all the musical celebrities of the day took part. The club met every Thursday night and was frequented by professional musicians such as Handel, talented amateurs such as Roger L'Estrange, and lovers of music generally.
Is “Musical Small-coal Man” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.