Writings
The five-volume edition of the diary has one flaw: it is only a selection, and, unaware of how popular it would prove — with Virginia Woolf, Max Beerbohm and Siegfried Sassoon among many thousands more — Beresford selected his first volume from nearly half of the entire Diary. The subsequent volumes, each covering between four and six years, are more complete. A definitive edition has been published by the Parson Woodforde Society . The MS Diary, consisting of 72 notebooks and 100 loose sheets, is deposited in the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
Whilst Woodforde's sermon style has been characterised by the leading authority as "formal, competent, thorough and scholarly with a wide vocabulary", his diary-writing style is simple, straightforward, informal and even homely. The following extracts give something of their flavour:
11 Jan. 1763 - Went on the River again this Morning a skating, and I have improved in the out Stroke a good deal, I was on the Ice from 12 this Morning, 'till 5 this Afternoon; and I gave a Fellow for putting on my Skates, and sometimes altering then - 0 : 0 : 2.
13 Nov. 1769 - We had News this Morning of Mr Wilkes gaining his Point against Lord Halifax and 400 Pounds Damages given him. Cary & Ansford Bells rung most part of the Day on the Occasion.
14 April 1775 - We breakfasted, dined, suppd & slept at Norwich. We took a Walk over the city in the morning & we both agreed it was the fairest City in England by far.
1 Jan. 1778 - This morning very early about 1. o'clock a most dreadful Storm of Wind with Hail & Snow happened here and the Wind did not quite abait till the Evening. - A little before 2. o'clock I got up, my bedstead rocking under me, and never in my Life that I know of, did I remember the Wind so high or of so long continuance — I expected every Moment that some Part or other of my House must have been blown down, but blessed be God the whole stood, only a few Tiles displaced...My Chancel received great Damage as did my Barn — the Leads from my Chancel were almost all blown up with some Parts of the Roof — the North West Window blown in & smashed all to pieces.
25 Dec. 1786 - It being Christmas Day, I had the following old men dine at my House on roast beef & plumb Pudding and after Dinner half a Pint of strong ale and a shilling to each to cary home to their Wives — Richd Buck, Thos Cushing, Thos Cary, Thos Carr, Nathaniel Heavers, John Buckman, and my Clerk Js Smith.
25 Jan. 1795 - We breakfasted, dined &c. again at home. The frost this Morning more severe than Yesterday. It froze the Chamber Pots above Stairs.
The Revd James Woodforde was one of several Woodforde diarists. His niece Nancy, and his nephew Bill's three daughters all kept diaries, as did a number of his predecessors. Others were painters, including his nephew Samuel Woodforde RA. Hence, a remarkably detailed account of his family exists, and is now documented online.
Read more about this topic: James Woodforde
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