• Reference
    • GB 150 MS783
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1819 - 1821
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • English
  • Physical Description
    • 1 volume

Scope and Content

Journal probably written by E. Burton. The address given is Gr[ea]t Charles St, Birmingham. The journal records in prose and verse spiritual tribulations and physical decline. It gives a record of Burton's religious struggle, from conversion through self-doubt to acceptance. The journal also contains some 500 lines of verse, with something on nearly every page, in simple quatrains, and dates April 1819-June 1821. The writer makes no reference in the diary to their family or secular life but concentrates almost exclusively on expressing their spiritual and religious feelings and contemplations. As such, this diary represents an interesting insight to the daily spiritual struggles of a Christian dissenter.

Administrative / Biographical History

E. Burton was born 1 August 1800 making him eighteen years old when this journal begins and according to which, was baptised 5 April 1818. This would suggest that he belonged to a Non-conformist church of which there were many in Birmingham in the early nineteenth century. It is possible E. Burton was a member of the congregation of Cannon Street Baptist Church in Birmingham where the pastor was Isaiah Birt at the time when Burton was writing his diary. Other than an address of Great Charles Street, Birmingham, his journal gives no further personal information.

Access Information

Open, access to all registered researchers.

Acquisition Information

Purchased by Special Collections.

Other Finding Aids

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material

Custodial History

The provenance of this item is unknown. E. Burton has signed the flyleaf in what appears to be the diarist's own hand, but no further information is known at this stage.

Personal Names