Diaries of a Victorian gentleman

wdnews@bepp.co.uk

The diaries of a sporting gentlemen that go under the hammer this week provide an astonishing snapshot of rural Somerset in the 19th century.

The memoirs of George Henry Cooper, who was a founding member of Wincanton Cricket Club, are nearly 150 years old and offer a fascinating insight into the county's history.

Mr Cooper was involved in the early days of steeple-chasing at Wincanton, played tennis and thought nothing of riding his racing cycle to Yeovil and back.

Born in Lovington in 1846, he became a solicitor in his father's practice but had a keen eye for country life, recording his energetic and colourful life in minute detail.

The illustrated diaries of 1871, 1881, 1882 and 1896 provide a unique and vivid record of life as a Victorian country gent and are expected to fetch upwards of £200.

Liz Chilcott, from Chilcott's Auctioneers of Honiton, said: "The fascinating thing is that the people Cooper writes about can be found quite quickly by research on the web.

"He was a very social man, and the diaries are essentially a piece of a historical jigsaw.

"For instance, he talks about paying his newspaper bills at Mr Sweetman's shop in Wincanton.

"George Sweetman was a stationer and shopkeeper and Cooper bought a music box from him as a Christmas present for his father back in 1896.

"But Sweetman was also a local historian, publishing a monthly journal and writing important pamphlets on the history of Somerset.

"The internet is invaluable for historical research like this and the three diaries leave you with a yearning to do further research, hopefully to find his others.

"In this modern computer age we will not have such documents again."

As a keen cricketer, Mr Cooper, or GHC as he refers to himself, makes numerous entries about his beloved Wincanton Cricket Club.

He lists teams, scores, match summaries and even details about the squash it was to travel to a local match and the monies spent on cricket goods.

Howard Ellard, current club secretary, said: "I hadn't heard of Mr Cooper until now and no doubt the diaries will offer an interesting view of life at the club when it first started 120 years ago.

"The club would like to bid for the diaries but unfortunately we haven't got any money."

Elsewhere, Mr Cooper comments occasionally about world events, such as Paris falling following the siege of the city on January 28, 1871, during the Franco-Prussian war. His entry is taken from January 30, indicating that it took two days for the news to reach him.

However, it is what he ate, what troubles and cares affected him, his finances, details of his family members and the other people he refers to that make the diaries so compelling.

Many of the diary entries are accompanied by watercolour or pencil sketches. Each starts with a report on the day's weather, sometimes with related comments.

If it was hot and dry, he commented about the farmers being desperate for rain.

A viewing at the Silver Street saleroom in Honiton will take place from Thursday, December 8, to Friday, December 9. The sale itself is on Saturday, December 10.