The Diary of Robert Sharp of South Cave: Life in a Yorkshire Village, 1812-1837(26 Records of Social and Economic History)

This diary gives a vivid picture of life in a Yorkshire village between the Napoleonic Wars and the Victorian era. Robert Sharp, schoolmaster, village constable, shopkeeper, and tax collector, was in a unique position to observe the affairs of the village and the lives of his fellow-villagers, whom he describes with wry humour and affection, often quoting their conversations verbatim. He also took a keen interest in what was happening outside the village, both nationally and internationally, giving the reader a valuable insight into how these events were reflected at the local level and how they were viewed by contemporaries.

Review :
`This is a gem ... the diary throws considerable light on a rural community, and historians will be surprised at the rich rewards garnered by trawling through the details as recorded by Sharp.' Roger Wells, The Agricultural History Review, Volume 47, Part I 1999 `The editors of this readable and informative diary have done a first-class job, with extensive explanatory notes and a long introduction about the diarist, his Wolds village, and the times in which he lived. This account of rural life is of far more than parochial interest, for it shows how aware of national concerns country people were and how their lives were affected by events beyond their control.' David Hey, English Historical Review `To read this volume is to relive the history of English rural local government at a time when, with increasing legislation, it was being transformed ... like all good local history, this journal is actually good national history but seen from the rare perspective of an English village nearly two hundred miles from London. The whole volume is beautifully presented and edited.' History `Crowther and Crowther have produced a fine edition of this hitherto little-known diary. They provide an excellent introduction, a dialect glossary, 30 pages of brief village biographies, a list of the authors and works, newspapers, and periodicals that Sharp referred to, besides a superb index. The volume will become a classic source for the study of rural life in the early nineteenth century.' R. G. Wilson, Economic History Review `important book' Pocklington Post `To read this volume is to relive the history of English rural local government at a time when, with increasing central legislation, it was being transformed... like all good local history, this journal is actually good national history but seen from the rare perspective of an English village nearly two hundred miles from London. The whole volume is beautifully presented and edited' Edward Royle. The Historical Association `The book ensures that part of South Cave's history will not be forgotten.' Beverley Advertiser