James Woodforde, best known as the author of The Diary of a Country Parson ( ed. John Beresford, 5 vols. 1924–1931) was born at the Parsonage, Ansford, Somerset, England on 27 June 1740. In adulthood he led an uneventful, unambitious life as a clergyman of the Church of England: a life unremarkable but for one thing – for nearly 45 years he kept a diary recording an existence the very ordinariness of which provides a unique insight into the everyday routines and concerns of 18th century rural England.
The sixth child of the Revd Samuel Woodforde, rector of Ansford and vicar of Castle Cary and his wife Jane Collins, James was one of four brothers ( one of whom died in infancy ) and the only one to attend public school …
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Citation: Brayne, Martin. "James Woodforde". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 June 2006 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4794, accessed 25 November 2024.]
