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Life for Francis Witts is more settled. Victoria has ascended the
throne and Francis is now Chairman of the Board of Governors of
Stow-on-the-Wold Union Workhouse, a position he takes seriously and
maintains until his death. The diaries throw much light onto the
setting up of the Unions and the harsh routine there. He does not
disapprove of charity being shown to the inmates but is most
unhappy at the suggestion that they be allowed to enjoy the
Coronation celebrations.
Mr Rens' murderer is carted off to Gloucester but Francis is still
beset by problems. A fellow magistrate, Richard Ford, even manages
to profit from them. Francis and Richard's long-term but mutually
antagonistic friendship suffers a blow when in 1834, at a meeting
of the Stow Savings Bank, Mr Baillie makes a personal attack on
Francis, and Charles Pole. Canon Ford has something to do with it
and the 'Baillie' affair is set to blow up out of all proportion.
With Edward now his curate at Stanway and married with a family
Francis' interest in national and county events is eclipsed by
family and local events. The growing Oxford Movement, (or
Tractarians), is now mentioned regularly and Francis begins to lean
more towards the Movement and away from his previous view of
himself as a 'traditional' clergyman. His attitude to the Triennial
Music Meeting changes too from the enthusiasm of younger years to a
distinctly negative view as he grows older.
Volume Eight begins with a family holiday, probably the only time
in which the whole family, including grandchildren, spent a long
time together (May-June 1846). The destination was the Isle of
Wight where they had an enjoyable sojourn of five weeks, although
Margaret's poor health precluded her doing much walking. Much of
the volume covers property matters and the Hunt Trust. The summer
of 1847 did not include a holiday, but as a substitute, Francis and
Margaret spent nine days with the Hunt family in Stoke Doyle,
Northamptonshire, and of course much Trust business was discussed.
The following year saw their holiday, with a four-week break in
North Wales. From 1848 onwards Margaret's health went into a severe
decline. Missing diaries result in us knowing little of what
happened between November 1848 and December 1849, but from that
point onwards Margaret became bed-bound and by the end of this
volume she was lying at death's door. Volume Eight is interesting
for depth of detail. The Irish Potato Famine is covered, although
not in as much detail as one may have imagined.There is also the
say news of the death of Frederick Howell, in South Africa, killed
in a conflict with Hottentots. Frederick was the eldest son of
Thomas Howell, Francis Witt's closest friend.
The diary of a Cotswold parson, from 1820 to 1852, throws new light
on to a fascinating period of English social history. It was just
before the railways made travel faster, and we are astonished how
well the Reverend F. E. Witts manages to commute from Upper
Slaughter to Gloucester on his horse or in his carriage.He is a
shrewd observer and notices how the fashionable world behaves as he
passes through Cheltenham, and how the building of the town
progresses. For the first time we discover that John Forbes the
architect of the beautiful Pittville Pump-room was sentenced for
fraud to transportation for life, even though it was subsequently
commuted to a few years in prison.Witts may not savour each unique
experience to the same extent as the diarist parson Kilvert did
later in the century; but he had far wider and more interesting
contacts. His references, for instance, to the widow of Warren
Hastings, to Dr Jenner, to the bibliophile Sir Thomas Phillipps,
the philanthropist Samuel Warneford, or to Bishops Monk, enable us
to form much more complete pictures of these historical figures.
Reading the diary is an enjoyable experience for anyone; but
particularly for those who love Gloucestershire.
As before, events alter the manner in which entries are recorded
and here we see a change in style and emphasis as problems with his
son, Edward, and the murder of Mr Rens figure prominently in
Francis' life. Indeed, it seems that the gap in the diaries from
June 1830 to January 1832 may be due to the depression that Francis
suffers as he fears that his son will not be able to fulfil the
ambitions of a loving father.
Francis Witts gained a curacy in Wiltshire in 1806 but did not get
on with his Rector and was about to be ousted when an opportunity
at Upper Slaughter arose after his Uncle Fernando's death. By 1809
Francis is married to Margaret Backhouse and settled there. Frances
discontinued his writing from 1808 until 1820 but, fortunately,
details come from his mother, Agnes. The volume ends sadly with the
death of his brother, George, in 1823 and Agnes's own death in
1825.
In his forties Francis Witts enjoyed a leisurely lifestyle and by
1825 he was reporting on Parliamentary affairs in detail and
reviewing the many books he read, but this declined as his
magisterial duties grew. This volume sees many deaths and, as a
consequence, Francis becomes the head of his family. However his
expectations of inheritance are dashed as his line is excluded in
favour of his Uncle Ferdinand's children and grandchildren. Even
worse, a debt of GBP800 is called in!
"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.
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