The diary of William Copeland Astbury (1783-1868)


Astbury kept a journal for a large part of his life. Entries from 1829 to 1848 survive, but with
gaps. They have all been transcribed (and an index compiled) by Stephen Orchard. Astbury's abbreviations are mostly given in full, and the text has no footnotes (although there are some notes in the index). This approach makes the text accessible to the general reader whilst still being of value to the specialist historian.

An introduction to the diaries which gives a concise overview of Astbury's life and interests, is available in PDF format.

The Index of the Diary can be searched online.

The full transcript of the diary is available for purchase.


The rights of Stephen Orchard as the transcriber of the text and compiler of the index have been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved.

 

The originals of the Astbury Diary are held in the Cheshunt Collection at Westminster College, Cambridge and are the property of the Cheshunt Foundation.