Switch to English Switch to French

The Open University  |   Study at the OU  |   About the OU  |   Research at the OU  |   Search the OU

Listen to this page  |   Accessibility

the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
  RED International Logo

RED Australia logo


RED Canada logo
RED Netherlands logo
RED New Zealand logo

Record Number: 7315


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'...with the exception of Bible lessons at Sunday school, all my reading was done at home, after the daily task was finished. When not strongly tempted to play I was almost certain to be reading by the summer?s twilight, or by the red embers of the winter fire, my books being chiefly "Wesley?s Journals", "The Armenian Magazine", wherein I found "Maudrell?s Travels from Aleppo to Jerusalem", which I was very much interested by; "An account of the Inquisition in Spain", which filled me with a dislike of Popery; "The Drummer of Tedworth"; "Some account of the Disturbances at Glenluce"; "An account of the apparition of the Laird of Cool", - and other most marvellous narratives which excited my attention, and held me pausing over the ashes until the light was either gone or I was sent to bed. I also got hold of an old superstitious doctoring book, which gave me some unexpected information relative to the human frame, and equally surprised me as to the occult powers of certain herbs and simples, when prepared under supposed planetary aspects. A copy of Cocker?s "Arithmetic" soon after set me to writing figures and casting accounts, in which I made but slow progress; and part of a small volume of "The History of England", which I found in rumaging an old meal ark, gave me the first insight into the chronicles of my native country.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1800 and 31 Dec 1810

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Middleton
county: Lancashire
location in dwelling: at home by the fire

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Samuel Bamford

Age:

Child (0-17)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

28 Feb 1788

Socio-Economic Group:

Clerk / tradesman / artisan / smallholder

Occupation:

son of muslin weaver

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

John Wesley

Title:

Journals

Genre:

Other religious

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

owned


Source Information:

Record ID:

7315

Source:

Print

Author:

Samuel Bamford

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Early Days

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1849

Vol:

n/a

Page:

110-1

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Samuel Bamford, Early Days (London, 1849), p. 110-1, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=7315, accessed: 28 March 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
Green Turtle Web Design