The Diary of Dudley Ryder 1715–1716

Originally published in 1939, The Diary of Dudley Ryder 1715–1716, comprises an early diary and a few related notes by Sir Dudley Ryder when he was a student at the Middle Temple. The diary is a fascinating record of the character and life of a moderately well-to-do student of Nonconformist leanings. Its chief interest lies in the wealth of intimate detail concerning the writer, his family and friends, but it has too, considerable importance as a social and historical document. The reading and tastes of a serious young man of the early eighteenth century, his opinions on the chief social, religious and political topics of the time. It gives an interesting, at times exciting, account of the daily life of London during the rebellion; it contains eye-witness accounts of trials, executions, riots, battles; it gives fresh details and stories about many public men; it throws new light on the attitude of Nonconformity and the Church towards each other.