| Two Weather Diaries from Northern England, 1779-1807: The Journals of John Chipchase and Elihu Robinson Contributor(s): Tittler, Robert (Editor) |
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ISBN: 0854440771 ISBN-13: 9780854440771 Publisher: Surtees Society OUR PRICE: $71.25 Product Type: Hardcover Published: February 2019 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Modern - 18th Century - History | Modern - 19th Century - Nature | Weather |
| Dewey: 551.609 |
| LCCN: 2018487801 |
| Series: Publications of the Surtees Society |
| Physical Information: 1" H x 5.5" W x 8.6" (1.55 lbs) 343 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 18th Century - Chronological Period - 19th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: These two journals, kept by Quakers in north-east and north-west England respectively, record in careful detail weather and agricultural events of their time and regions. But they also observe all manner of other things and events. The journal of John Chipchase, schoolmaster of Stockton-upon-Tees, recently came to light for the very first time in a Montreal university library. It has much to say about weather and crops, but also meteor showers and the aurora borealis, lightning strikes, fatal diseases, fishing and fishkills, the homing instincts of cats, the life cycle of snails, fierce gales and consequent shipwrecks, and both the causes and local reactions to the near-famine of 1795. Elihu Robinson's record of weather, crops and prices has only been known in manuscript form to a few specialists. Possessed of both a barometer and thermometer, his sometimes even daily observations are remarkably meticulous. As an active Quaker, he also offers a rich description of their life and organization in the Northwest. Taken together, these journals suggest something of the intellectual and cultural bent of two publicly engaged menof their time, both of middling status and informal education, living far from the cosmopolitan world of London and the universities. ROBERT TITTLER is Distinguished Professor of History Emeritus at Concordia University in Montreal, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. |
