Two Yorkshire Diaries
The Diary of Arthur Jessop and Ralph Ward's Journal

These are insightful first-hand accounts, first published in 1952, of everyday life in rural Yorkshire in the mid-eighteenth century.

Arthur Jessop (Author), Ralph Ward (Author), C. E. Whiting (Edited by)

9781108058391, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 18 April 2013

256 pages
21.6 x 14 x 1.5 cm, 0.33 kg

These diaries by Ralph Ward (fl.1754–6) and Arthur Jessop (1682–1751) were first published in 1952 and paint a valuable portrait of the trials, tribulations and pleasures of everyday life for the middle classes in rural Yorkshire in the mid-eighteenth century. A transcription of Jessop's diary from 1861 was first discovered in a Huddersfield bookshop in 1927. A local apothecary and pious community man, Jessop depicts the cycles of life in West Yorkshire, displaying a very British preoccupation with the weather. His diary, which covers the period 1730–46, notably discusses the impact of the Jacobite uprising of 1745. Ralph Ward was a fairly wealthy cattle trader, farmer and businessman in North Yorkshire. He was involved in local government, which he describes factually and clearly. His diary, covering the period 1754–6, also discusses business transactions, farming methods and, of course, the weather.

Introduction
The diary of Arthur Jessop, 1729–46
Ralph Ward's journal, 1754–6
Index.

Subject Areas: British & Irish history [HBJD1]