Friday 11 January 2008

Memorandoms for...the diary of John Carrington

"Memorandoms for... " The Diary between 1798 and 1810 of John Carrington - edited by W Branch Johnson



There are not many advantages to being ill but just occasionally it means i can lie back and rewad a load of books with a clear conscience, knowing I'm not well enough to do anything that requires more effort and in too much pain to sleep. as a consequence I've got through a fair bit of reading this week - a lot more than my one every six days!

I have always had a love of diaries and nothing quite recreates the feel of an era than reading the words written at the time by ordinary folk. John Carrington was born in 1726 and his diary covers the years 1798 to 1810. A resident of Hertfordshire he comments on local affairs in which he is heavily involved as a farmer, chief constable, tax assessor, surveyor of highways and overseer of the poor.

The book, published in 1973, was edited by local historian W Branch Johnson (born 1893) whose background notes form an essential part of understanding the diary.

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