This is yet another gem which I stumbled upon in a charity shop. Having read many modern diaries and biographies which are generally filled with self aggrandisement and vitriolic comments about colleagues and rivals, it was a real treat to read this book. It is so self effacing, filled with amusing episodes of country life and as an informal record of those times is without peer. Beautifully written in a succinct diary format, Woodforde makes a record of his life and times.
There are countless gems...one of my favourites was a description of his two “Piggs” after they had raided his beer store...
“April 16, 1778. My 2 Piggs are still unable to walk yet, but they are better than they were yesterday. They tumble about the yard and can by no means stand at all steady yet. In the afternoon my 2 Piggs were tolerably sober.”
And he gives a description of life with a sore tooth...
“Oct 24, 1785. The Tooth-Ache so very bad all night and the same this morn’ that I sent for John Reeves the Farrier who often draws Teeth for People, to draw one for me. He returned with my Man about 11 o’clock this Morning and he pulled it out for me the first Pull, but it was a monstrous Crash and more so, it being one of the Eye Teeth, it had but one Fang but that was very long. I gave Johnny Reeves for drawing it 0.2.6. A great pain in the Jaw Bone continued all Day and Night but nothing so bad as the Tooth Ache...”
In addition, this record is filled with drawings of buildings and country scenes which, with a forward by John Julius Norwich, adds immeasurably to the text. This book is definitely worth trying to find as dipping into it from time to time is an amusing way to pass a few hours.
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If you enjoyed this article you may also like P J Cadavori's sexy supernatural horror novel Catacombs of the Damned.
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