The Diary of a Cotswold Parson (Letters & Diaries)

by Francis Edward Witts (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2003

  $4.91

  The Diary Of A Cotswold Parson , from 1820 and 1852, reveals the world of the English parson to us and throws new light on a fascinating period of social history. It was just before the railways made travel much faster, yet it is astonishing how well the Reverend F.E. Witts manages 25 miles from his rectory in Upper Slaughter to Gloucester on his horse or in his carriage. Witts was a shrewd observer and notices how the fashionable world behaves as he passes through Cheltenham, and how the building of the town progresses. His work at Gloucester brought him into contact with some interesting historical figures, and the diary enables us to form a more rounded picture of various famous names, such as the inventor of the smallpox vaccine, Dr Edward Jenner, and Bishop Monk.

• Used

  Paperback
  1998

  $3.25

  These journals, written in the early part of the 19th century, provide an insight into Gloucestershire life and the world of the Victorian parson. Witts describes his life, work and pastimes, just before rail transport made travel a lot faster. He notices how the fashionable world behaves as he passes through Cheltenham, and how the building of the town progresses. The reader discovers that John Forbes, the architect of the beautiful Pittville Pump Room, was sentenced to transportation for life for fraud, even though it was subsequently commuted to a few years in prison. The parson describes the countryside through which he travelled, and the country houses in which he stayed, particularly Prinknash, where he was a frequent visitor to the Howell family, and Lydney, where he stayed with the Bathursts.