Agricultural History Review, Volume 58 Part 1 (2010), p. 144

The diary of James Wilson (1859–1937) is a meticulous and detailed record of rural life through the eyes of a young farmer working on a medium-sized farm, Upper Knowes, in the parish of Deskford, Banffshire, and as a farm manager and grieve at Balliemulloch and Georgetown, Aberlour, from 1879 to 1892. It includes acutely observed accounts of the weather (some of the accounts of the poor seasons such as 1879, 1881 and 1888 are extremely valuable), the progress of the crops and animals throughout the seasons, crop yields, prices for agricultural produce and the state of the markets. There are valuable accounts of the activities and roles of a number of rural institutions such as agricultural societies, book clubs, local horticultural shows and mutual improvement societies. It gives an unrivalled account of the spiritual and moral life of an individual and a wider rural community.

This diary is a welcome addition to the small number of farmers’ diaries that have been published in Scotland in recent years. It is significant for a number of reasons. It covers a substantial period of time: James Wilson commenced writing in January 1879 at the age of 19 years and continued that activity for thirteen years until January 1892 when he abruptly stopped owing to the pressure of other activities in his life. Much of his diary has survived for this period, though the second volume (the diary extended over four volumes) which covers the period from January to June 1885 is missing. It was written during a period of severe agricultural depression which has received little attention by agricultural and rural historians and for which few accounts of farmers’ experiences are available. It is also concerned with Banffshire, a county that has not been well-researched by agricultural and rural historians, though the neighbouring county of Aberdeenshire has received significant attention in recent decades.

Wilson appears to have kept his diary for a number of reasons. He was interested in self-improvement, in improving his education and ensuring his spiritual well-being (he reflects on his attendance at church). In his ‘foreword’, which he later attached to his diary, his poems and the text of his lectures and essays given to the Deskford and Ballindalloch Mutual Improvement Associations, he notes that:

my personal experience of keeping a Diary has led me to form a very high opinion of its usefulness. It is not only a practical means of improving one’s writing and composition, but it also makes one take more particular note of men and passing events so as to be able to record our impressions of the same (p.41).

His ‘foreword’ is also an important document for recording ‘some of the more outstanding events that have occurred, during my long and not altogether uneventful life’ (p.29).

The format of Wilson’s diary is different to that of many other farmers’ diaries. Wilson wrote his entries on a Monday evening and kept a weekly rather than a daily, diary of events and reflections, the usual format for these diaries. His entries, nevertheless, refer to a number of days in the week which are usually described in date order. Wilson’s methodology allowed him to reflect on what was important to him during each week: he presents an analysed examination of his life rather than a narration of all the events in it.

The diary, poems and essays are prefaced with an excellent introductory essay which provides a closely analysed account of the broader social, economic and cultural context for Wilson and his writing. The editor has judiciously edited his writing and has provided a small number of helpful footnotes, where appropriate, to elucidate the text. The index, which largely records the names of places and people, will assist readers interested in local history, though agricultural and rural historians interested in such themes as the growing of particular crops, cattle prices and agricultural tools and techniques will find that it does not help them to gain access to the diary and other writings.

The diary is published in the same format as the Scottish History Society’s other publications and is intended as a scholarly publication. But it, and Wilson’s other writings, would also appeal to a much broader audience. My father, a retired farmer from Midlothian, enjoyed reading the diary and it provoked him to reminisce about his own experiences in the second half of the twentieth century. Wilson’s writings can be read as local history, social history, or church history and it is hoped that the Society will make them all available to the general reader, as they deserve to be widely read.