A PARSON IN OCTOBER

Among the diarists whose journals I read with great pleasure, and also use as a valuable source of historical evidence, is William Holland. He was vicar of Over Stowey, in the Quantock Hills near Bridgwater in Somerset, and ministered to his small rural flock from 1779 until his death in 1819. His diaries survive (with gaps) from 1799 onwards and are packed with fascinating detail, including sharp