Synopsis
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.
About the Author
Francis Witts (1783-1854) was born in Cheltenham, the son of Edward Witts, a woollen cloth merchant, and Agnes Witts, nee Travell. The family was of the gentry and on Agnes's side there were pretensions of association to the nobility. In 1793 Edward's business failed. The cause is unknown, but it seems likely that he had over-extended himself buying cloth which he could not sell to his usual channels on the Continent due to the Revolutionary Wars. In consequence, the family was much reduced in wealth. Through an advantageous marriage and an inheritance from a childless uncle, Francis built on these new foundations to leave a substantial fortune. Following the diary keeping habits of his mother, Francis Witts maintained a diary from 1798 to 1854, although unfortunately there are substantial gaps. He was a leading local cleric in Gloucestershire, a magistrate and the chairman of the local union workhouse. He was also extremely well connected and all of these facets result in an informative window into early Victorian squirarchy. Alan Sutton FSA (b. 1949) has been a publisher since 1974 and his name is well known in history and local history circles. His first substantial success was in 1978 with the short edited version of these diaries under the title 'The Diary of a Cotswold Parson'; the editorial work of the eminent architectural historian David Cecil Wynter Verey. In 1981 it was decided that publishing the complete diaries would be a welcome contribution to Gloucestershire history, but in failing to find anyone rash enough to take on the task, the job fell to Alan. Volume 1 was eventually published in 2008, twenty-seven years after commencement, and this volume, the final volume of text now follows nine years later. Volume 10, the mammoth biographical index will follow very shortly.
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