The Diary of a Farmer's Wife 1796-1797

Anne Hughes, a farmer's wife, lived in a remote country farmhouse near Chepstow, Herefordshire, in the late 18th century. For a year in her life, 1796-97, she kept a diary of daily events, great and small: spring lambing, summer harvests and cider-making, winter snows and hardships. We hear of scandals and deaths in the village, of Sarah the maid's love affair with the young parson; of her own battles with her bad-tempered but dearly beloved husband, John. The many feasts and celebrations of the different seasons pass by with quantities of recipes for pies, puddings and wines. At the end of the 19th century this fascinating tale was passed down by Anne's great granddaughter to Jeanne Preston who tells it here again in all its charm and simplicity...